Bear River is a tiny village in rural South Western Nova Scotia, Canada. Its quaint buildings are quietly nestled in the lush, green rolling hills within a deep valley through which the Bear River flows.

A tidal river, the Bear River rises and falls close to 30 feet, twice daily and empties four miles further towards the coast, into the Annapolis Basin.

A shortage of available building space in the village center led to the use of the water itself as a means of meeting the needs for store and warehouse accomodations. Buildings on stilts were a remarkable example of mid air building techniques used by early builders. A few of these architectural marvels remain jutting out over the river even today.