Experience The Oak Island Treasure Hunt
Canada Travel || Tags: Canada, Nova Scotia, South Shore ||
Are you obsessed with The Curse Of Oak Island like I am? Having grown up about an hour from the island, I always remember people talking about buried treasure, and the mystery surrounding the money pit. Of course as an adult it was buried in the back of my mind until History Channel started the show The Curse Of Oak Island. I can’t wait every week to see what Rick & Marty Lagina and their team are up to.
Did You Know You Can Visit The Island?
The island is open for tours on certain dates during the summer! But first let me tell you why you need to come here…
If you’re not familiar with the story let me give you a history lesson:
A small island between Mahone Bay and Chester on Nova Scotia’s south shore has been the centre of a treasure hunt for over 200 years. It was said that Daniel McGinnis saw a depression in the ground and started digging. They found oak planks every 10 feet, and a stone with strange markings on it, but the shaft had to be abandoned because the tunnel flooded. This became known as the money pit, and in the many years that have followed countless people have tried to find the treasure, including US President Franklyn Delano Roosevelt. 6 men have died trying to find the treasure, and legend has to one more has to die before the treasure is found. The location of the original money pit was lost because of invasive digging, but it seems the Lagina brothers & team may have found it this year!
The McGinnis foundation – where their house once stood. It is an area protected by the province of Nova Scotia because it is culturally significant
Memorial to those who have died searching for the treasure
What’s Down There?!
As for what the treasure is, no one really knows. It’s speculated to be Captain Kidd’s treasure, or treasure from the Knight’s Templar. Could it be the Ark of the Covenant, or the Holy Grail? Maybe Shakespeare’s lost manuscripts? We don’t know! So far the latest treasure search has found many coins and pieces of pottery, human bones from Middle Eastern and European descent, and even a crude looking lead cross. It seems the Lagina brothers and their team will stop at nothing to find answers, and I am right there with them every week, with every high and low!
So, Can You Visit The Island?
YES! In the summer The Friends of Oak Island Society hosts tours on a few weekends. Tours have been EXTREMELY popular and last year they sold out in 4 hours.
Tours are cancelled for the 2020 season due to Covid-19! Hopefully we’ll be able to visit in Summer 2021
If you can’t get tour tickets, not to worry! Last year we did a boat tour around Oak Island with Salty Dog – Check out our review.
Oak Island Museum
The Oak Island Interpretive Centre is closed for the 2020 season due to Covid-19
If you miss out on tour tickets, fret not. There is a museum / interpretive centre built on the island where you can see artifacts that have been found, and learn about the history. It is open seasonally and not open to the public when tours are happening.
Currently it is open from 10-5 daily unless closed for tours. It is free to visit, and you can even pick up some Oak Island merchandise!
The War Room is directly over the causeway. It’s where the team meets to debrief and plan
What To Expect On The Tour
It is a 2-2 ½ hour walking tour on Oak Island, visiting many of the locations that are central to the mystery, including The Money Pit, Borehole 10X, Smith’s Cove, and The McGinnis foundation. The Friends of Oak Island Society has teased that they are adding new locations to the tour – but it’s a secret for now!
It was exciting to do the tour last time, as we got to see what they were up to (drilling in the money pit) before it was aired on TV, so it was like a sneak peek!
We’ve been lucky, and both times we’ve done the tour we’ve gotten to meet Rick Lagina, and Dan Blankenship. Of course it’s not guaranteed they will be there, but you never know! Rick spent lots of time with us discussing theories. You can tell how much he loves the mystery!
Keep in mind it’s summer in Nova Scotia, you will probably need sunscreen and a bottle of water, and you definitely will need bug spray! Also know dogs on leashes are welcome on the tour.
If you need mobility assistance there is a golf cart you can ride in with a staff member. This is first come first serve on the day of the tour.
Island Historian Charles Barkhouse leading the tour
Looking down borehole 10X. The hole was dug by Dan Blankenship as a “back door” to the money pit
Us with Rick Lagina after the tour
How To Get There
Oak Island is about an hour south of Halifax taking Highway 103. Take Exit 9, and continue toward Gold River. If you’re coming from the South Shore, take exit 10 towards Mahone Bay/ Martins River. Take Crandall Point Road, which will lead you to the Oak Island Causeway. The parking lot and interpretive centre is immediately across the causeway.
Where To Stay
The Atlantica Oak Island is by far the closest place to stay as it is less than 10 minutes from the island. The Atlantica Oak Island is a beautiful resort, with a restaurant and spa. The next closest places to stay would be in Chester or Mahone Bay.
What To Do In The Area
Nova Scotia’s South Shore is a beautiful area. Chester is a beautiful town with a scenic golf course, and has lots of shops and restaurants. It is also where the TV show Haven was filmed.
Mahone Bay and Lunenburg are two of my favorite places in Nova Scotia. Lunenburg is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and you can see the Bluenose II boat. Both Mahone Bay and Lunenburg have the sweetest shops and lots of restaurants. I love spending the day here!
Check Out My Lunenburg & Mahone Bay Itinerary
Looking for other things to do in Nova Scotia? Here are all my Nova Scotia articles!
Lunenburg Nova Scotia
So, what do you think is on Oak Island? Buried treasure? Nothing? Priceless artifacts? I don’t know but it sure is fun to watch them find out!
6 responses to “Experience The Oak Island Treasure Hunt”
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I’ve heard of the Curse of Oak Island, but have completely forgotten about it until now. Hopefully there would be no more (mysterious) deaths in the future as they continue to find out what’s in that pit! Probably no one is attempting these days anymore, right? Ha! Very informative post and definitely worth a share! 🙂
They are still digging currently! Hopefully they will solve the mystery!
What an interesting history/legend! It’s so crazy that 6 people have died trying to find the treasure. Everyone loves a good mystery.
yes! The Oak Island story was published in Readers Digest in 1965 so it’s captivated A LOT of people!
I’m a HUGE Oak Island fan! And I’d love to visit and take the tour, but wow, I had no idea it sells out so fast. Good to know! Oh, and I’m a little jelly that you met Rick!
Last year was the first year it sold out that fast! Probably because the TV show has gotten more popular. We went in 2014 and 2016. Hoping to go back this year too!