Getting to Nova Scotia via driving, flying, or catching the ferry is extremely easy as the province isn't actually an island - like many people assume - but rather a peninsula, so you don't have to cross over any bodies of water to get there.

Yes, you can absolutely drive to Nova Scotia without ever setting foot on a ferry. Nova Scotia is a peninsula, not an island, and it is connected to mainland North America (specifically the province of New Brunswick) by the Chignecto Isthmus. To drive there, you simply follow the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 2 in New Brunswick, becoming Highway 104 in Nova Scotia). The border crossing is located near the town of Amherst, Nova Scotia. This route is the primary artery for freight and travel, providing a 24/7 land link to the rest of Canada and the United States. While many people choose to take the ferry from Saint John, New Brunswick, to Digby, Nova Scotia, or the high-speed ferry from Portland/Bar Harbor, Maine, to Yarmouth to save driving time, the land route is completely accessible, well-maintained, and often preferred by those who enjoy scenic road trips through the marshlands and forests of the Tantramar Marshes.