Destination Guides: Halifax, Canada - Attractions

Included are attractions in the following places in the immediate Halifax area:

McNabs Island

This small island located in the harbor and easily seen from York Redoubt has beaches, picnic tables and guided walks, as well as a fort at the south end, and a teahouse serving snacks and seafood.

Dartmouth

Halifax’s sister city: a scenic ferry ride across the harbor from Halifax

Point Pleasant Park

Rented to Canada by the British at the rate of 10 cents per year. No cars are allowed. 24 miles of walking trails, picnic spots and a beach. Walk out to the lighthouse observe the busy shipping activity at the nearby Port of Halifax.

Army Museum

422-5979

Open daily early May - Oct. 31, off-season by appointment.

Contains hundreds of artifacts reflecting Atlantic Canada's military heritage. The museum is located in the Cavalier Barracks of the Halifax Citadel National Historic Site.

Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum

Exit 6, Hwy. 102 near the airport

873-3773

Open daily 9 - 5, mid-May-mid-Oct., by appointment year-round. Admission by donation.

Many civilian and military aircraft are on display, as well as artifacts and exhibits depicting Atlantic Canadian aviation history, including a replica of the Silver Dart. The original, developed by Alexander Graham Bell and associates, made the first flight in the British Empire, from Bras d'Or Lake, NS, in 1909.

Bedford Institute of Oceanography

1 Challenger Dr., Dartmouth

(Take the Shannon Park exit, at the Dartmouth end of MacKay Bridge)

426-2373

Guided tours in English and French are available by appointment. Institute is open year-round. Free admission. Allow 45 minutes.

Canada's largest oceanographic research centre is open Mon. through Fri. 9am to 4pm. A self-guided exhibit requiring about 45 minutes to visit and consisting of displays, audio-visual presentations and small aquariums. Visit the Sea Pavilion which houses touch tanks and viewing tanks containing native marine species).

Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia

1149 Main St., Dartmouth

434-6223 / 1-800-465-0767

The first site of its kind in Canada, this museum, cultural and education center is dedicated to the preservation, protection and promotion of African-Canadian history in Nova Scotia. It houses history archives, audiovisual displays, a library and an amphitheater for cultural performances and lectures. Guided and self-guided tours. Open year-round, Mon. to Fri. 9 - 5.

Casino Nova Scotia

1983 Upper Water Street

Halifax

(902) 425-7777 or (888) 642-6376

Open 24 hours daily; closed major holidays.

Minimum age for entrance: 19.

Cole Harbor Heritage Farm Museum

471 Poplar Dr., Dartmouth

434-0222

A small, community-run museum features farm animals, heritage buildings (dating back to the early 1780s), old farm tools and equipment, and gardens. The site adjoins numerous walkways through a natural marsh and woodland. Free parking, admission and picnic area

Costume Studies Museum

Carleton House, 1685 Argyle St., Halifax

494-6515

Open May 15 to Oct. 15, Mon. to Sat. 10am to 4pm, Sundays and holidays noon to 4pm.

Open year-round for inquiries, scheduled tours and events. Admission by donation.

This small museum located in an historic residential building displays the work of students of the Dalhousie Costume Studies program. Costumes are based on records of early residents of Halifax.

Dalhousie University Archives

Killam Memorial Library, University Ave, Halifax

494-6490

Research center includes material on Dalhousie University, theater, business, music, Nova Scotia shipping, as well as collections of private manuscripts and papers of creative writers, along with photographs. Mon. - Fri. 9 –noon; 1 -5.

Dartmouth Heritage Museum

100 Wyse Rd., Dartmouth

464-2300

A broad range of exhibits explores Dartmouth and surrounding area's natural, historical, and cultural heritage. Archival reference services are available by appointment. June, July and August – Tues - Sunday 10 - 5. Admission free, donations welcomed.

Discovery Centre

1593 Barrington St., Halifax

492-4422

Mon. - Sat. 10 - 5, Sun. 1 - 5 (until 9 pm every first Thursday) Allow 1 hour.

This science center presents more than 80 hands-on exhibits demonstrating the educational principles of bridges, electricity, chemistry, bubbles, light and sound, health, physics, optical illusions and more. Changing exhibits, workshops and science shows.

Brewery Market

Between Hollis and Lower Water Sts.

Sat. 7-1.

A popular Saturday market takes place at the stone complex where Alexander Keith once brewed beer. A variety of crafts from leatherwork to stone carvings. Culinary offerings include Chinese and Indian snacks, farm cheese, and home-smoked sausage, freshly baked bread; colorful displays of fresh local fruits and vegetables; and stalls with lambs, rabbits, and farm fresh brown eggs.

Cathedral Church of All Saints

1320 Tower Rd., Halifax

423-6002

1 -3pm Mon. - Fri., May - Sept., and by appointment year round.

This south end landmark is an example of Gothic architecture known for its stained-glass windows and the woodcarvings of its pulpit and chancel.

Queen Victoria granted the letters patent for the Dean and Chapter in 1865. After decades of fundraising and building, the gothic-style structure-which has been compared in size and style to the cathedrals of England-opened in 1910.

Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows

Holy Cross Cemetery (South and S. Park Streets)

902 865-6663

Open Mon-Fri 8:30 - 5:50.

This small chapel was built in a day, on August 31, 1843, by 2,000 men and features stained glass windows, some dating back to 1661, and some carvings dating to 1550.

Christ Church

50 Wentworth St. (at Ochterloney St), Dartmouth

(902) 466-4270

Open seasonally, Mon.-Fri. 10-4.

The oldest church in Dartmouth, built in 1817, this registered heritage building exemplifies Georgian architectural design. The weather vane atop the steeple depicts Haley's Comet.

Cornwallis Street Baptist Church

5457 Cornwallis St.

429-5573

Visit by appointment.

This heritage property is the mother church of the African United Baptist Association. Founded in the 1830s by Rev. Richard Preston, a former slave.

Dingle Tower

Fleming Park, on Dingle Rd

902 5904894

Open daily 8 – 5; May - September. Free admission.

Built in 1912 by Sir Sanford Fleming (inventor of time zones), to commemorate the 1758 convening of the first elected assembly. The tower overlooks the Northwest Arm and the western slope of the peninsula.

Fairview Cemetery

3720 Windsor St.

This cemetery is the final resting place of 121 victims of the Titanic. The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic has an exhibit about the disaster.

Evergreen Historic House

26 Newcastle St., Dartmouth

464-2301

June –August; Tues.-Sun. 10 - 1 and 2 - 5. Donations welcomed

Built in 1867 for Dr Helen Creighton, noted Nova Scotia author. The main floor of the house is decorated with Victorian furnishings and selected art works overlooking the harbor..

Fisherman's Life Museum

Hwy. 7, 58 Navy Pool Loop Rd.

Jeddore Oyster Pond

889-2053

June 1 -Oct. 15, Mon. - Sat. 9:30 - 5:30, Sun. 1 - 5:30.

The house and gardens have been preserved as they were at the turn of the century. The owners were an inshore fisherman, his wife and their 13 daughters.

Fisherman's Cove

Eastern Passage, off Rte. 322

465-6093

April - May, open daily.

This working fishing village contains shops displaying local marine crafts, aboriginal jewelry, folk art, fine art paintings, paper tole, unique candles, and woodworking. The Cove also has a seafood restaurant, ice cream parlor and diner. Enjoy the 1.5 km boardwalk, tours to McNab's and Lawlor's islands and deep-sea fishing. Interpretive Centre (closed from January through March).

Fort Needham Memorial Bell Tower

On Union Street, near Novalea Drive.

The tower overlooks the North End of Halifax, the section most devastated by the Halifax Explosion, which took place when the Belgian relief ship Imo collided with the French munitions vessel Mont Blanc on Dec. 6, 1917. The tower pays tribute to the 2,000 who died. Today, Fort Needham is an active park with a sports field, tennis courts, wading pool and playground.

Granville Mall

Destroyed by fire in 1859, the buildings on this block at the end of Granville Street were rebuilt in the Italianate style by some of the city's most prosperous merchants. Today, it features an attractive plaza with a fountain and benches, along with a collection of restaurants, pubs and shops. When the Delta Barrington Hotel was built on the west side of the plaza, the original building facades were disassembled and then carefully restored in order to preserve the symmetry and historical significance.

Halifax City Hall

Duke Street, at Barrington and Argyle.

This Victorian structure has stood guard over the Grand Parade (the symbolic centre of Halifax) since 1888.

Halifax Public Gardens

Bounded by Sackville, Summer, and S. Park Sts. and Spring Garden Rd.

Main entrance is at the corner of Spring Garden and South Park.

May - November, dawn - dusk.

This 17 acre park contains the oldest formal Victorian gardens in North America and had its start in 1753 as a private garden. It was completed in 1875 by Richard Power, former gardener to the Duke of Devonshire in Ireland. Gravel paths wind among ponds, trees, and flower beds, revealing plants from all over the world. The centerpiece is a gazebo erected in 1887 for Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. The park has historic fountains, statuary, a duck pond, tree-shaded walks and in the summer at 2 pm on Sunday afternoon there are band concerts.

Hydrostone District

Hydrostone Market,

5515-5547 Young St.

Along with the human tragedy of 1917's Halifax Explosion (see Fort Needham Memorial Bell Tower), 325 acres- almost all of north-end peninsular Halifax-were destroyed. Rebuilding began immediately after and included 328 houses in the area bordered by Young, Agricola, Duffus and Gottingen streets. The houses were built from "hydro-stone" cement blocks and, unlike other area homes, had treed gardens in front, and modern plumbing and electricity. This area, known as the Hydrostone, is still considered one of the more desirable residential areas of Halifax and has recently been declared a National Historic Site.

Little Dutch (Deutsch) Church

Brunswick at Gerrish Streets, Halifax

The Little Dutch Church was built in 1756, the first Lutheran church in Canada. This round church (the only remaining one in North America) was built of logs by German Lutheran settlers who came to Halifax in 1750. By the end of the 18th century, the congregation had outgrown the little church and begun construction of the architectural known as Saint George's Round Church.

Halifax Citadel National Historic Site

Citadel Hill, Entrance off Sackville St.

Halifax

426-5080

July-Aug., daily 9-6; Sept.-June 14, daily 9-5 Grounds open daily year-round, 9 –5.

The Citadel, a large star-shaped masonry fort built between 1826 and 1856, was the heart of the city's fortifications and was linked to smaller forts and gun emplacements on the harbor islands and on the bluffs above the harbor entrance. The fort features a musketry gallery, a dry defensive ditch, vaulted rooms, restored ramparts and an excellent view of Halifax and the harbor.

HMCS Sackville

1675 Lower Water St.,

Halifax

429-2132, 427-0550, ext. 2837

Open in summer. Free admission.

This World War II convoy escort corvette has been restored as a floating naval memorial to all who served in Canada's navy. Immediately adjacent is an Interpretation Center with a multi-media presentation.

Maritime Command Museum, Archives, Library

Admiralty House, Gottingen Street at CFB Halifax.

(5 blocks north of Citadel Hill)

427-0550, ext. 8250

Open year round, Mon. - Fri. 10 - 3:30. Closed holidays. Allow 30 minutes.

Free admission.

History of the Canadian maritime military forces, especially in Halifax. Displays include scale models of ships, weapons, photographs and uniforms.

Maritime Museum of the Atlantic

1675 Lower Water St (at Prince), Halifax

902/424-7490 or 902/424-7491

May and October - Mon. -Sat. 9:30 -5:30, Tues. to 8pm, Sun. 1 - 5:30. June - September - Mon. - Sat. 9:30 - 5:30, Tues. to 8pm, Sun. 10:30 - 5:30. November - April - closed Mondays, otherwise open 9:30 - 5, and Tues. to 8pm.

Free to all on Tuesdays 5 - 8 pm, and on Canada Day and Natal Day.

Nautical and marine history of Atlantic Canada including the Halifax Explosion, an early ship chandlery, Days of Sail gallery, small craft gallery and a lighthouse light. CSS Acadia, a 1913 hydrographic research vessel that charted the coasts of Labrador and the Arctic, is moored outside (open May through October), as is HMCS Sackville.

The museum also has a permanent exhibit about the Titanic disaster with 20 artifacts (the only surviving deck chair) and many photographs.

Nova Scotia Archives & Records Management

Public Archives, 6016 University Ave., Halifax

424-6060

Mon.-Fri. 8:30 - 4:30; Sat. 9 – 5, closed Sundays, holidays and holiday weekends

Holdings include inactive records of government departments and corporate bodies (churches, businesses, organizations, municipalities and communities); papers of families and individuals; a 70,000-title library; newspapers; genealogical sources; documentary art and photographs; maps and architectural plans, and sound recordings and moving images.

Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History

1747 Summer St. (off Bell Rd), Halifax

(902) 424-7353

June 1 – Oct.15, Mon.-Sat. 9:30 - 5:30, Wed. to 8pm, Sun. 1 - 5:30. Call for winter hours.

Located on the ground floor of the Seton Academic Centre, this museum features the natural wonders of Nova Scotia. See an eagle's nest, stand beside a moose and a whale skeleton. Displays cover geology, botany, mammals, birds and marine life, archaeology and Mi'kmaq quillwork. There are also fossils (including a mastodon skeleton), mineral specimens, semi-precious gems, dioramas and a botany gallery.

Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame

1645 Granville St., Ste. 101, Halifax

421-1266

Mon. - Fri. 10:30 – 4. Sat. and Sun. noon to 3pm. Free admission.

Artifacts, exhibits and hundreds of photographs dating back to the 1850s. Interactive computer programs, miniature hockey rink and basketball court.

Old Hall Wilderness Heritage Centre

4694 Hwy. 7, Porters Lake

827-2364

Open mid-May to mid-Sept.

Dedicated to the preservation and presentation of the cultural and natural history of the Porters Lake area. Displays focus on wilderness heritage, natural history and outdoor recreational opportunities.

Pier 21

1055 Marginal Rd., South End Halifax

425-7770

June-Sept., daily 9-6; Oct.-May, Tues.-Sat. 10-5, Sun. noon-5.

Admission Fee.

One of the processing sheds through which, from 1928 until 1971, immigrants, refugees, war brides and children applied to become Canadians. Through these structures almost 500,000 Canadian troops departed for WW II. Artifacts and interactive multi-media technology preserve the heritage.

Prince of Wales Tower National Historic Site

Point Pleasant Park (south end of Tower Road or Point Pleasant Drive), Halifax.

(902) 426-5080

Open daily 9 – dusk: June 15 - October 29.

Admission Fee

This 1796 fortress was built by one-time Halifax resident, the Duke of Kent, who was the father of Queen Victoria. The round stone structure, its height three times its width, was the prototype for new British coastal defenses against Napoleon Bonaparte's forces. Exhibits feature the tower's history, architecture and defenses.

Province House

1726 Hollis St, Halifax

902/424-4661

July and August: Mon.- Fri. 9 - 5, Sat., Sun. and holidays 10 – 4.

Remainder of the year when legislature in session: weekdays 9 - 4.

Free admission.

This 1819 National Historic Site was described by Charles Dickens in 1842 as "a gem of Georgian architecture." The sandstone building still serves as the meeting place for the provincial legislature.

Royal Canadian Legion Military Museum

Royal Canadian Legion Somme Branch 31,

52 King St., Dartmouth

463-1050

May - Nov., Mon., Wed. and Fri.: 1 -5 .

Admission by donation.

Displays include uniforms and items from the Boer War, World War I, World War II, and the Korean War.

Saint George's Round Church

Brunswick at Cornwallis Streets, Halifax

425-3658

Visitors welcome

Saint George's was built in 1800 by the congregation that outgrew the Little Dutch Church. This National Heritage Site was designed under the supervision of Edward, Duke of Kent (father of Queen Victoria) and is an example of a circular Palladian church. The building was damaged by a 1994 fire, but has been restored in a $4.6-million project supported by donors, including Prince Charles.

Saint Mary's Basilica

Spring Garden at Barrington, Halifax

423-4116

The original 1820 design for Saint Mary's was for a much smaller Georgian church; but over the period of construction ending in the 1860s and 1870s, the building was transformed into the grand Victorian Gothic style. The highly embellished façade was designed by New York architect Patrick Charles Keely. The spire is the tallest polished spire in North America, rising 128 feet above the roof.

Saint Paul's Anglican Church

1749 Argyle St., Grand Parade, Halifax

429-2240

Mon.-Fri. 9 – 4. Sun. services at 9:15 and 11. Also, Wed. 11 AM June -August.

Founded in June 1749, St. Paul's is the oldest Protestant church in Canada and Britain's first overseas cathedral, originally serving settlements from Newfoundland to Ontario. The burial vault holds the remains of many illustrious British colonial notables of the period. The church faces the military parade ground from the earliest days of the town, which is still a central gathering place.

Shubenacadie Canal, Fairbanks Visitor Centre

54 Locks Rd., Dartmouth;

(off the Waverley Rd., 2 km from junction of Hwy 111 and Hwy. 318)

462-1826

(Open daily late May to early Sept., and weekdays by appointment only in winter),

Following an ancient Mi'kmaq route across Nova Scotia, this 71 mile long 19th-century canal links a series of lakes and rivers between Halifax Harbor and the Bay of Fundy. It operated as a waterway for sailing and steam ships between 1856 and 1870. An archaeology tour is available. The Visitor Center has a model of a working lock, picnic area, canoe/paddleboat/kayak rentals and 30 minute long 12-passenger pontoon boat tours.

The wooded trails of Shubie Canal Park, beside the Centre, is also a favorite with walkers, joggers and, in winter, cross-country skiers.

Sir Sanford Fleming Park (The Dingle)

Dingle Road, off Purcell's Cove Road, on the Northwest Arm, Halifax

The 95-acre park has two major walking trails through four natural habitats: second-growth woodlands, a heath barren, a saltwater habitat and a frog pond. The park also has a sandy saltwater beach (supervised in season) and the Dingle Tower, guarded by bronze lions at the foot. The 10-story Tower, dedicated in 1912 to commemorate 150 years of representative government in Nova Scotia, is open for climbing in summer.

Thomas McCulloch Museum

Biology Department, Life Sciences Centre,

Dalhousie University, Halifax

494-3515

Mon. - Fri. 8:30 - 4:30. Closed major holidays, Admission free.

150 year old exhibit of mounted Nova Scotia birds of prepared by Thomas McCulloch: collection of lifelike ceramic mushrooms created by Alma and Ernst Lorenzen of Lantz; collections of butterflies and seashells.

William Ray Quaker House

464-2253

57-59 Ochterloney St., Dartmouth

Open June to August - Tuesday through Sunday 10:00- 1:00 and 2:00 - 5:00. Admission free, donations welcomed.

A short walk from the Dartmouth Ferry Terminal, Quaker (William Ray) House is open during the summer months, with costumed guides. Built in 1786 by Quaker whalers from Nantucket, it is authentically restored and furnished. Costumed guides will show you this charming 18th century home; occasional craft demonstrations by local artisans.

World Peace Pavilion

Ferry Terminal Park (0n the waterfront), Dartmouth

Conceived by Metro Youth for Global Unity, this triangular-shaped monument incorporates rocks and bricks from countries all over the world. Contributions on display include a portion of a brick from the Great Wall of China and a 75-kilogram piece of the Berlin Wall from Germany. The pavilion serves as a place of inspiration, reflection and education and is open year-round.