Part of what makes staying in downtown Bridgewater special is the LaHave River itself — it runs through the middle of town, and a good portion of local life happens along its banks. Here’s how our guests usually spend their meals and downtime nearby.
Main Street, just a short walk from Empire Riverside Stay, has a solid mix of casual cafés and locally owned restaurants — the kind of places where the person serving your coffee might also be the owner. It’s worth asking for recommendations at check-in, since our own preferences shift with the seasons and whatever’s freshest that week.
If you’re willing to drive ten minutes down the LaHave River itself, the LaHave Bakery is a South Shore institution — a converted general store on the water known for cinnamon buns and a lunch counter that draws people from well outside the county. Pair it with a ride on the LaHave River Ferry, one of the last cable ferries still running in the province, for a proper local experience that costs next to nothing.
For a quieter option, several riverside picnic spots along the Centennial Trail are perfect if you’d rather pick up something from a local shop and eat with a view instead of inside four walls.
Evenings in Bridgewater tend to be unhurried. A short walk along the river after dinner, a coffee on the patio if the weather’s kind, or simply enjoying your suite’s own kitchen and putting together something with ingredients picked up at the local market — all easy options when your stay includes a proper kitchen rather than just a mini-fridge.
This is the kind of pace Empire Riverside Stay is built around — comfortable, unrushed, and genuinely local. Check availability and come taste the South Shore for yourself.
