Halifax, Nova Scotia
ABOUT
Nova Scotia was named by Sir William Alexander in 1621, after he was given the land from King James IV of Scotland. Settlers were sent to what is now called Nova Scotia from Scotland to help establish the country’s holding in the new world.
Halifax was established in 1749 and named after the 2nd Earl of Halifax.
The city is dominated by the hilltop Citadel, a star-shaped fort completed in the 1850s. Waterfront warehouses known as the Historic Properties recall Halifax’s days as a trading hub for privateers.
Halifax is a navy creation. It owes its existence largely to its location on one of the largest and deepest ice-free natural harbours in the world. Over time, made Halifax one of the most important Canadian commercial ports on the Atlantic seaboard.
Halifax continually served as a British army and navy base, one of the most heavily fortified outside Europe, until its dockyard and defenses were taken over by the Canadian government in 1906. Today the major industries centre around Agriculture, fishing, mining, forestry and natural gas extraction.
Population of Halifax is approximately 440,000
Currency is the Canadian Dollar.
THINGS TO DO
Halifax may not have a very long history but it is certainly full and varied. Its strong links to the Navy provides plenty of interesting fortifications and artifacts to explore.
There are various museums dedicated to the Navy, railways, local trade, the age of Sail, culture, immigration and more.
Why not explore the historic Citadel, the public gardens, or waterfront boardwalk. There is a great Harbour Hopper tour and of course the Maritime Museum. Going slightly out of the town you can take a trip to Peggy’s Cove.
There is so much to choose from, look at and explore it is difficult to list it all here. What we will say is that all the guides we have experienced have been extremely knowledgeable, friendly and have a great sense of humour.
OUR FAVOURITE THINGS TO DO
Our first trip to Halifax was back in 2003 whilst on the USA/Canada trip on board Oriana. Being the first time in this part of the world we decided to take a ship tour – a walking tour of the town. Our guide took us through the public gardens where we were surprised with a performance by a Lone Piper. We also went into the Citadel where we saw a changing of the guard. Its a great way to get a close up view of the city.
Our USA/Canada trip in 2022, this time aboard Sky Princess, again took us to this lovely city.
19 years previous we had seen the Harbour Hopper in action whilst on our walking tour. We decided that this time round, it was a must. How right we were. Only a tour of about 1 hour, but our driver (Captain Mark) and his assistant (Abigail) were absolutely brilliant.
The tour started off on land and took us around the City and up to the Citadel. We passed the town clock – apparently it frequently shows the wrong time!
From there we headed to the waterside where the `bus’ became amphibious and we were treated to a short trip around the harbour.
This trip is really worthwhile doing – although the steps into the bus are quite steep so if you have mobility issues you perhaps should enquire as to whether they can cater for you.
With the rest of the day to ourselves, we set about exploring the city. We knew there was a Maritime Museum nearby so headed there. A leisurely stroll along the boardwalk brought us to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. It is the oldest and largest Maritime Museum in Canada. Originally established in 1948 it moved through various sites and was eventually established on its current site in 1982.
The museum covers a number of aspects including age of steamships, local small craft, the Royal Canadian and Merchant Navies, World War II convoys and The Battle of the Atlantic, the Halifax Explosion of 1917, and Nova Scotia’s role in the aftermath of the Titanic disaster.
Most importantly though the Maritime Museum has a mascot.
Merlin, a Rainbow Macaw.
Usually he is quite chatty with visitors. However through the pandemic, with few people to speak to, he became quite silent. It is something the staff are working on and he improves all the time.
We ended our day at the harbourside where we happened upon the Garrison Brewing Company. This is a small, independent brewery that has been operating for over 25 years. It produces hand crafted beers to suit all tastes. The Garrison Seaport Taproom is where we settled to try a few samples. Here you are able to have sample flights of 5 or even 10 beers. Being sensible, we tried one of the smaller flights – to start with!
We would recommend a visit – well it would be rude not to!
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