One of the most well-known getaways in Nova Scotia is up and running once again.
Pictou Lodge has reopened.
Co-owner Brad Hartlin tells our newsroom, they have been working hard over the past several months, to “pull this all together” and the reception has been amazing.
“I can tell you we’re only five, six months in this deal so far but we are very happy that we did,” says Hartlin.
Out of their 30 staff members, a good number of them were returning employees, who Hartlin says, rely on the lodge for their livelihood.
“We went to the former staff members. We consulted with them to see what we thought was feasible and if we could pull this all together. And we did,” says Hartln.
Photo: Pictou Lodge/Facebook
Hurricane closure
It was in 2023 that The Pictou Lodge Beach Resort had to shut down after too much damage from Hurricane Fiona.
Hartlin says it was sad not only for the community but for them too, with it being a home away from home.
“This is a property that we were familiar with for the last 10 to 15 years. My family had cottages next to the Pictou Lodge that used to be part of [it],” adds Hartlin.
After the lodge closed, his brother Mark then put together a business plan, asked if wanted to be involved -there was some back and forth -and the “rest is history”.
What’s different
They are still “getting their feet wet” when figuring out what works and doesn’t work for the lodge.
Hartlin says they have already completely revamped the restaurant with a tap house and even an option to bring your own food in, while they wait on a new operator.
Photo: Pictou Lodge/Facebook
“We actually had a group of ladies. They ordered two pizzas. They came in, had some wine and cheese plates they brought with them, and they sat around and reminisced about the history of the lodge, which is just great to say,” says Hartlin.
Future plans include more units, a new restaurant, as well as basketball and pickleball courts.
Whether or not they will host weddings is still up in the air, but Hartlin says they already have a list of over 100 requests.
“We’re just not sure if that’s the route we want to go. I know it’s been a big part of the past, people getting married at the Pictou Lodge. But we’re at about 80 per cent occupancy right now with families that have been coming over years and time. When you do weddings, it disrupts the whole lodge,” adds Hartlin.
He says, they will make that decision by the end of September.
100 years
Next year will be the Pictou Lodge’s 100th anniversary.
Hartlin says they will celebrate but will let residents of Pictou decide on what they will do with a couple of surveys and polls.
“We definitely want to do something big that really remembers the history from the people that worked there, the people that got married there, the staff that’s been there over the years. It’s a part of the community and we want to make sure we reflect that 100-year anniversary.”
