Lunenburg Heritage House Tour
Celebrate Heritage!
Lunenburg Heritage Society house tours are a local institution! Over the years we have showcased a wide variety of heritage homes, businesses, and industrial buildings. This year we are featuring six houses lovingly restored and graciously shared by their owners. View the homes' unique architecture and learn about the generations who built, reimagined, and lived in these homes. Immerse yourself in the charm and beauty of homes spanning the centuries from past to present.
Saturday, September 13, 2025
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Explore and enjoy the remarkable interiors of some of Lunenburg's finest homes as you move through the ever-evolving architectural styles present in our 272 year-old town.
Tickets: $30
What to expect...
The Lunenburg Heritage House Tour is your opportunity to see inside some of Lunenburg's most interesting private homes. Volunteers will greet you at each of the homes and, along with the map in your Tour Passport, can help you with directions and walking routes.
All House Tour proceeds go directly towards the society's work to preserve and promote Lunenburg’s cultural and natural heritage, including the restoration of the Knaut-Rhuland House Museum.
As you are deciding on your comfortable footwear for the day, please keep in mind that you will be asked to remove your footwear in some of the homes.
More information below...
Celebrating Heritage - Homes
Introducing the homes on out 2025 tour...
circa 1816 / 1888 | 141 Townsend Street
Townsend House
The hipped-roof structure with large dormer window uses original granite foundation stone structure from a smaller home built on the site in 1816. Explore the interior of the home which retains original features, such as the beautifully crafted window and door frames with door pediments, and elegant high ceilings.
circa 1893 | 160 Dufferin Street
Sherwood Cottage
This interesting Victorian house was built for the Lanes. The land was originally part of an old apple orchard on the Lindsay farm. Enjoy this beautiful home's unique 22 original stained glass windows and lovely garden area.
Circa 2004 | 31 Falkland Street
Boatbuilders Cottage
This is the site of the James Maxner Boatbuilding Shop that appears in the 1879 Bird's Eye View of Lunenburg. The Dials were inspired to recreate the simple timber-frame Victorian structure that had been torn down in the 1930's. It incorporates most of the original features with board and batten siding, 6 over 6 sash windows, chimney.
Circa 1862 | 26 Falkland Street
Floral Cottage
Floral Cottage was built for Charles Hewitt, a sailmaker. His daughter, Minnie Hewitt, the first Vice Principal of Lunenburg Academy, lived here for all of her 90 some years, until 1963. Enjoy the main floor sunroom, with windows on three sides, where Minnie did her painting.
Circa 1866 | 193 Pelham Street
Casa Codfish
The original house was built sometime in the late 1700s in a simple “Cape” style based on the existing hand-hewed floor joists found in the basement, and a photo taken in 2005 showing the original roof line on the second floor. Check out Debbie’s studio in the basement, her paintings, sculpture, and dolls.
Circa 1896 | 22 Young Street
Naas House
Explore this beautiful home lovingly transformed by the current owners. Explore its many homages to Lunenburg, as a fishing town, including the styling of its backyard 'fish' shack.
Circa 1793 | 125 Pelham Street
Knaut-Rhuland House
This National Historic Site of Canada and Nova Scotia Provincial Historic Site is the jewel of the Lunenburg Heritage Society's 'collection'. Stop in during the house tour or during our summer season.
Celebrating Heritage - Public Buildings & Businesses
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Public Buildings & Spaces
- Lunenburg Academy
- Blockhouse Tourist Information Centre
- Old Acadian Cemetery
- Lunenburg Opera House
- Big Boat Shed & The Boat Shop
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Businesses
- Adams & Knickle Ltd.
- The Dory Shop
- The Sail Loft
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Churches
- Central United Church
- St. Norbert's Roman Catholic Church
- St. John's Anglican Church
- Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church
Registration & More
We are excited to, once again, Welcome and Register you for the tour at the Lunenburg Academy Foundation's Heritage Classroom and also at the Lunenburg Board of Trade's Visitor Information Centre! Registration opens at 9:30 am at both sites.
Tickets will be available for purchase online (until Thursday September 11) and at the registration sites on the day of the event.
Getting to the Houses and other Tour Sites
After registering, you are free to tour at your own pace and order. Volunteers will be stationed at each site to provide you with information.
The six feature homes, Knaut-Rhuland House, businesses, and churches are mostly within a few blocks of Lunenburg Town Hall and traveling by foot is encouraged as parking is limited in Old Town Lunenburg. We do have one home on the outskirts of town to which you may choose to drive.
Many THANKS
Thanks to the Town of Lunenburg, the Lunenburg Academy Foundation, and the Lunenburg Board of Trade for their support.
Parking
Street parking is available throughout town, but may be limited outside feature homes. Additional parking is available at the Lunenburg Memorial Community Center and the Fisheries Museum.
