AVON RIVER HERITAGE CENTRE
  • About
    • Avon River Heritage Society
    • Artifacts & Archives
    • The Avon River
    • Meet the People in our Neighbourhood >
      • Dawn Allen, August 21st, 2020
      • Sara Beanlands, July 22nd, 2021
      • Carolyn Connors, July 30th, 2020
      • Carolyn Connors, July 21st, 2021
      • Louis Coutinho, August 13th, 2020
      • Sean Coutinho, January 13th, 2021
      • Eva Evans, July 24th, 2020
      • Elizabeth Ferguson, July 27th, 2020
      • Nicholas Hughes, August 6th, 2020
      • Olwynn Hughes, August 11th, 2020
      • Kim Lake, January 18th & 21st, 2021
      • Trudy Lake, March 13th, 2022
      • Raymond Parker, August 12th, 2020
      • Raymond Parker, July 7th, 2021
      • Zacchary Paul, August 21st, 2021
      • Tacha Reed, August 27th, 2020
      • Allen Shaw, January 18th, 2021
      • Carolyn vanGurp, July 16th, 2020
      • Abraham Zebian, August 24th, 2020
    • Avondale Walking Tour
    • Fundraising
  • History
    • Natural History >
      • Highest Tides in the World
      • Tidal Bore
      • Avon Peninsula Ecology
      • Birds of the Avon
      • Marine and Freshwater Species of the Avon
      • Karst Environment
      • Gypsum
      • Avon Peninsula Watershed Preservation Society >
        • Avon Peninsula Watershed Preservation Society, Interview with President, Raymond Parker
        • Avon-Shore Seed Library
    • Mi'kmaq >
      • Mi'kmaq Birch Bark Canoes
      • Mi'kmaq of the Avon River >
        • Treaty Truckhouse 2 & Zacchary Paul
    • The Coming of the Europeans
    • The North American Colonies
    • Acadians >
      • Pisiquit
      • Acadians of the Avon River >
        • Babin
        • Breau
        • Cheverie
        • Forest
        • Landry
        • LeBlanc
        • Rivest
        • Thibodeau
        • Trahan
        • Vincent
        • Other Families
      • Village Thibodeau (Poplar Grove)
      • Acadian Families After Expulsion >
        • Broussard
        • Brun
        • Comeau
        • Deveau
        • Girouard
        • Johnson
        • Leger
        • Pellerin
        • Poitier
        • Robicheau
        • Suret
    • New England Planters >
      • New England Planters in Avondale >
        • Genealogy
        • Samuel Bentley
        • Benjamin Borden
        • John Chambers
        • James and John Harvie
        • Caleb Lake
        • James and Lydia Mosher
        • Nathaniel Reynolds
        • Benjamin Sanford
        • James Smith
        • Henry Tucker
        • James Weedon
    • Loyalists
    • African Nova Scotians
    • The Avondale School
    • Avondale Wharf & The Landing
    • The Avon Spirit
    • Community Orchard
    • Edmund McCarthy
    • Golden Age of Sail >
      • The Rise and Fall of the Golden Age of Sail in Newport
      • The Mosher Shipyards
      • Sailing Ships, Sugar, and Salt
      • Vessels of the Avon River
      • Shipbuilding Process
      • Shipbuilding Tools
      • Ship Directories
      • Kings Wharf
      • The Hamburg >
        • Obituary Capt. Andrew B. Coldwell
        • The Hamburg and Alice Coalfleet’s Diary
      • Captain George Richard Mounce Sr
      • Annie Armstrong Mounce Correspondence 1875-1892
      • Captain Daniel William Dexter & The Emma Payzant >
        • Captain Daniel William Dexter and Family, Interview with Debbie Siler, July 21st, 2021
        • Diary of Sarah Dexter, 1892-1893
      • The Rotundus
    • Local Home Histories >
      • 28 Chip Hill Road
      • 51 Avondale Road
      • 38 Avondale Road: The Clifford Mosher House
      • 58 Avondale Road
      • 60 Avondale Cross Road
      • 71 Avondale Road: The John A. Harvie House
      • 354 Belmont Road: The Yellow House
      • 603 Belmont Road: Wallace Point
      • 801 Avondale Road
      • The Acadia House
      • The Avondale Church
      • The Avondale Parsonage
      • The Church Farm
      • The Fred Robart House
      • The Henry Lyon House
      • The House Across From The Church
      • The John E.F. Mosher House
      • The Knowles Homestead
      • The Mounce Mansions >
        • Captain George R. Mounce House
        • The Thomas A. Mounce House (Honeymoon House) >
          • Interior of the Honeymoon House
      • The Mrs. Dunham Hotel
      • The Old Newton Mosher House
      • The Old Stone House >
        • The Mystery of the Fieldstone House
      • The Roley Mosher House
      • The W.H. Mosher House
  • Arts & Culture
    • Artists Landing Art Gallery >
      • Paul Edmond Solo Exhibition
      • Sean Benton Solo Exhibition
      • Avon Photography Club Group Exhibition
      • Avon River UNFRAMED Group Exhibition
    • Avondale Wharf Day
    • Full Circle Festival >
      • Sofa Sundays
      • Solstice Market
    • The Great Little Art Show >
      • Great Little Art Show 2021 - Artists
      • Great Little Art Show 2021 - Artwork
      • Great Little Art Show 2022 - Artists
      • Great Little Art Show 2022 - Artwork
      • Great Little Art Show 2023
      • Great Little Art Show 2024 - Artists
      • Great Little Art Show 2024 - Artwork
      • Great Little Art Show 2025 - Artists
      • Great Little Art Show 2025 - Artwork
    • Honey Harvest Festival
    • Open Studio
    • Fraud Lewis Painting Workshops
  • Events Calendar
  • Planters Sea Chest Gift Shop
  • Lydia & Sally Cafe
  • Venue Rentals
  • Volunteer and Employment Opportunities
    • Summer Employment Opportunities
    • Volunteer Teams
    • New Horizons for Seniors
  • How to find us!
The Avon Spirit Shipyard offers a truly distinctive setting—an authentic, working boathouse that brings character, history, and a warm maritime charm to any gathering. Its rustic 3,800-square-foot open layout provides exceptional versatility, comfortably seating up to 150 guests indoors and welcoming as many as 400 for larger open-air celebrations such as festivals, performances, and community events. For weddings and receptions, the space is at its most magical when hosting around 100 guests, creating an intimate atmosphere framed by the boathouse’s historic craftsmanship and waterfront views.
Operated by the Avon River Heritage Society, both the Avon River Heritage & Culture Centre and the Avon Spirit Shipyard are situated within the scenic Newport Landing Waterfront Park in Avondale. Steps from the Avondale Wharf and set along the majestic Avon River, the venue offers a one-of-a-kind backdrop that blends natural beauty, local heritage, and an unforgettable sense of place.
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GENERAL INFORMATION ON VENUE RENTALS

- For single and multiple day bookings of the Avon Spirit Shipyard tenants may have access to the space after 4pm the day prior to the event, until 10am the morning following the event.

- Special events held in the Avon Spirit Shipyard, like weddings and festivals, are encouraged to book additional time for set-up and clean-up following the event. The space must be emptied by 10am, unless otherwise specified.

- Cost of rental includes use of electricity and use of Municipal outhouses.

- We have 18 four foot tables, 10 five foot tables and 100 folding chairs available for use at no additional charge.

- Liability insurance and liquor permits must be purchased by the tenant.

- All garbage, recycling and compost must be removed by the tenant, failing to do so will result in an additional charge of $100.

- Tenants are encouraged to rent porta-potties and hand-washing stations for larger events.

- Upon signing of the agreement a damage deposit of $500 plus 50% of the full rental rate is required to place a booking. The damage deposit will be returned to the tenant after a final inspection of the facility is completed. 

- This is a bedroom community and out of consideration noise restrictions are in place as of midnight. If we receive a noise complaint your damage deposit will not be returned.

- The Avondale waterfront area is a public park, please contact the Municipality of West Hants with any questions regarding land use. Email [email protected] or call 902-798-6938.

- Not-for-profit organizations and residents of the Avon Peninsula receive a 25% discount.

- Final payment is required before you will be given a key to the facility.

Cancellations: Should you choose to cancel your event, the booking deposit is non-refundable and non-transferable. We will refund your deposit only if you can resell the date to another party.
Check 2026 availability here!

Rental Rates for Avon Spirit Shipyard, the Lydia and Sally Cafe and the Artists' Landing Gallery

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Rental Rates for Avon Spirit Shipyard

1 Day: $1500

2 Day: $2700

3 Day: $3600

Hourly rate: 
Starting at $300 (base rate includes first 3 hours) + $80 for each additional hour


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​Rental Rates for Lydia and Sally Café
​(Located within the Avon River Heritage & Culture Centre)


1 Day: $1000

2 Day: $1800

3 Day: $2700

Hourly rate: 
Starting at $300 (base rate includes first 3 hours) + $120 for each additional hour


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​Rental Rates for Artists' Landing Studio Space
​(Located within the Avon River Heritage & Culture Centre)


Starting at $80 (base rate includes first 3 hours) + $20 for each additional hour

Please contact us at (902) 757-1718 (May through October) or email [email protected] for more information and availability.

Avon Spirit Shipyard - Floor Plan

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Past Events in the Avon Spirit Shipyard

Avon River Heritage & Culture Centre, 17 Belmont Road, Avondale/Newport Landing, West Hants, Nova Scotia, B0N 2A0
Email us at [email protected]
Telephone us, May through October, at (902) 757-1718

We acknowledge that we are in “Pesegitk”, named by the Mi’kmaq people, to highlight its uniqueness as the place where the river  “flows split-wise”.
​We are grateful to the stewards of this land who came before us to create this village and heritage centre we all benefit from being a part of.


The Avon River Heritage Society would like to thank the Municipality of West Hants and the Province of Nova Scotia for their generous support.

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