In 1907, John F. Herbin, a jeweller from the nearby town of Wolfville, bought 5.5 hectare (13.6 acres) of land on which the original Grand Pré community had stood.  Herbin's mother was Acadian, and he knew the importance of the land to the Acadian diaspora, who treated it as a pilgrimage site.  When Herbin sold the property to the Dominion Atlantic Railway in 1917, he did so under two conditions: (1) that the site be developed as a memorial park to the deported Acadians, and (2) that a parcel of land be deeded to the Acadian people on which a memorial would be built.  After keeping its promise, the Railway sold the land to the Canadian government in 1957.  Great-great-grandchild of Herbin (fifth generation) still operates the Herbin Jewellers in Wolfville.

Unfortunately, Grand Pré has nothing left from the days of the Acadian Exodus but for its peaceful landscape.  The best (and non-symbolic) tangible connection to history is the dykes, which can be visited by driving to the end of the Grand Pré Road and then turning either right or left to the Long Island Road.  I took right (east) and at the end of this road, there was a trail on top of the dykes, interpretative boards, and views of the Minas Basin (photo).  Grand Pré has no grand views, however, and you can find more remarkable landscapes elsewhere in Nova Scotia.

Speaking of this small Canadian province, Nova Scotia boasts two other UNESCO World Heritage Sites, i.e., Lunenburg and Joggins Fossil Cliffs.  Nova Scotia also has non-UNESCO World Heritage Sites that are more interesting than Grand Pré.  Fortress of Louisburg in the spectacular Cape Breton region, for example, is a better detour.