Here’s the list for Best places in halifax to visit (especially if you’ve never been) including landmarks, museums, and parks (for food check out my other lists)
1. Explore Halifax
Halifax, the capital region of Nova Scotia, is a lively and colourful combination of urban and rural living at its best. Governor Edward Cornwallis and 2500 settlers created Canada’s first permanent British town here in 1749, on the scenic shores of the world’s second largest natural harbour. The historic downtown waterfront areas of Halifax and Dartmouth are perfect for discovering on foot, while the other communities around the harbour are accessible by public transit or car. Beyond the harbour, the Regional Municipality stretches both south and west along the South Shore, and east through the coastal villages of the Eastern Shore and the pastoral landscape of the Musquodoboit Valley. Read on for individual exploration tours that will introduce you to the sights, sounds and places that make the Halifax Regional Municipality all you could want in a vacation.
2. Exploring Halifax Harbour
For a great view of the harbour and a fun, relaxing way to reach Dartmouth, take the Halifax-Dartmouth Ferry. The Metro Transit ferry operates throughout the day between the downtown terminal near Historic Properties and Dartmouth’s Ferry Terminal Park. A rush-hours-only ferry also runs between the downtown terminal and Woodside, near Eastern Passage.
Looking out toward the harbour entrance as you cross, the nearest island is George’s Island, with the small lighthouse on the side. It played a key role in the harbour’s defence system for almost 200 years. Although not open to the public, it has been named a National Historic Site, and the federal heritage department is currently restoring its fortifications.
3. Halifax Historic Downtown Walk
Our tour begins at the Halifax Argyle Visitor Centre, located at the corner of Argyle and Sackville streets. Directly across Argyle Street is Neptune Theatre, the province’s largest professional theatre company, mounting world-class productions like Peter Pan and A Christmas Carol on its main stage, while its Studio Series features smaller-scale, edgier works
From here, walk down Sackville Street towards Halifax Harbour. Looking to the right along Barrington Street, you can imagine the late Victorian splendor of the Church of England Institute building, now The Khyber, a centre for the arts, and next to it the facade of the former City Club of the 1890s, given new life as part of the Neptune Theatre complex. At this corner you can also see the Discovery Centre, a hands-on science centre.
Turn left and walk north on Barrington Street. Wealthy merchants built many of the buildings in this area in the late 1800s. No.1672 belonged to George Wright, a local developer who was one of 33 millionaires on the SS Titanic’s maiden voyage
4. Exploring the South Shore
A journey along the Atlantic coast south and west from downtown Halifax is a trip through a timeless and beautiful landscape. Lighthouses stand guard along rocky headlands, broad sand beaches are shaped and reshaped by fresh salt breezes, and tiny fishing villages stand in weathered harmony with the sea
From the Armdale Rotary, take Rte. 3 to Rte.333. Locally known as Prospect Road, Rte.333 takes you through the communities of Goodwood, Hatchett Lake, Brookside and White’s Lake, where you can take a side trip to Terrence Bay or Prospect for ocean vistas and working fishing villages. In Terrence Bay you can visit the memorial to the 1873 wreck of the SS Atlantic. From White’s Lake, continue to Shad Bay and East and West Dover, villages where the homes sit directly on the bare granite. This stark rock-strewn landscape is the entrance to Peggy’s Cove, the most famous fishing village in the world
The sturdy lighthouse overlooking the harbour has become a symbol of the spirit of coastal Nova Scotia. The present lighthouse was built in 1914 but is no longer used as a navigational beacon. Instead, it houses the only fully operational Canadian post office in a lighthouse during the summer months
On sunny days, Peggy’s Cove sparkles with light, and in fog, it’s wrapped in a romantic blanket of misty stillness. The smooth wind-and wave-worn granite rocks beg to be explored by foot, but use extreme caution – the ocean and its crashing waves are unpredictable
Exploring the Eastern Shore
The Halifax Regional Municipality extends from Dartmouth along the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia. This is a land of island-filled bays, broad sandy beaches and seaside villages. Inland, there are lakes and rivers renowned for canoeing and fishing
Following Rte. 207 past the Cole Harbour Heritage Farm Museum, the road winds along the salt marshes of Cole Harbour to arrive at Lawrencetown Beach, renowned for its tremendous year-round surf. As with many of the parks along the Marine Drive, beach access is provided by ramped boardwalks to protect the fragile dunes
Heading inland from here up Crowell Road to Rte. 107 and Rte. 7 takes you past Porter’s Lake, 24 km long, the site of a provincial camping and picnic park. Also at Porter’s Lake, the Old Hall Wilderness Heritage Centre features the cultural and natural history of the Porter’s Lake area, housed in a beautifully restored former church hall. Continuing along Rte. 207 past the oceanside communities of Seaforth and Grand Desert, will bring you into the small community of West Chezzetcook whose population is descended from an isolated Acadian community of the 18th century. While there, you can visit the historic Acadian church, St. Anslem’s, and the old cemetery, or dig clams on the salt marshes.