Historic Site
Fort Anne National Historic Site
The strategic importance of Annapolis Royal, particularly its access to the Annapolis River, led to decades of conflict, mostly centered on this impressive fort. The first redoubt was built by the French in the 1630s; the current structure was designed by French military architect Vauban in 1702. You can wander the bulwarks and battlements (now mostly grassed over), and there's an interesting museum in the old officers' quarters with exhibits including a four-panel tapestry depicting 400 years of the fort's history.