Apr 26, 2012
City of Halifax
Halifax is the capital city of Nova Scotia. With its strategic location, the city is rich in maritime history and tourist spots many people will find interest in.
Halifax Botanic Garden
History of Halifax
The City of Halifax used to be populated by Mi’kmaq, a First Nations or Native American people, for a millennium, but on June 21, 1749, it was founded by the British government under the command of Governor Edward Cornwallis.
The main intention of the British was to protect the city from the French who launched the town of Louisborg on the Northern Island of Nova Scotia. Halifax served as a British army and naval base until 1906, wherein Canadians took over its government.
Halifax, being the world’s second largest natural port, has established its name during the Seven Years’ War versus the French and the Revolutionary War against the Americans.
During the World Wars, Halifax has become a staging site of many attacks and a significant naval base. In December 6, 1917, the city went through a horrible tragedy when two ammunition ships, loaded with 2,500 tons of explosives, collided. Thus, Halifax Explosion came to existence. This blast killed more than 2,000 people and over $28 million worth of damages.
Lawrencetown Beach
The City of Halifax and its people spent the next several tears rebuilding its northern region, which was hit the hardest during the disaster. After the wars, millions of migrants passed through and settled in Halifax.
Tourism in the of Halifax
Halifax is filled with diversity and is abundant when it comes to culture and history. Hence, tourists will surely take pleasure in the city’s interesting heritage and fascinating past. Now, here are the top spots one should not miss when visiting Halifax:
Halifax Public Gardens : This is one of the most cherished existing Victorian gardens in North America. It has been open to the public, including tourists and other visitors, since 1875. This site has a collection of heritage plants, fountains and statues, which are symbols of the Victorian era. This is a nice place to sit, relax and listen to soothing music provided by the live band.
Lawrencetown Beach : If you love the sand and the beach, then this place is right for you. You can get the tan you always wanted, go swimming and surfing and build sand castles. You can also chill and feel the cool breeze and have a drink or two.
Byward Market
Harbourside Market : Who doesn’t love great buys? Well, in the Harbourside Market, you can indulge yourself with the aroma of fresh coffee and baked goods. Meats, vegetables, jewelry, clothing, flowers are available too. Most of all, you will be approached by smiling and accommodating people.
Citadel National Historic Site : Experience and be a part of Canada’s rich history by visiting this place. This 18th century fort will surely interest every tourist. Get ready to be impressed by the cannons, flags and quarters that were once occupied by soldiers. Truly, this once in a lifetime experience will make you appreciate living history.
How to Go to Halifax
Halifax Harbour
To be able to get to Halifax, here are the available means of road transportation with the estimation of travel/driving time:
By bus : Halifax consists of different means of public transportation and one of the most convenient is traveling by bus. Acadian Lines, which is a dependable bus company, provides inter-regional bus rides between target places in Nova Scotia, Maine, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.
By car : Many people prefer to go on road trips by driving their own cars or vans.
This is not a problem since Halifax is linked to the rest of Canada by well-paved provincial highways 101, 102, 103 and 104.
- Liverpool: 1 hour, 50 minutes
- Charlottetown: 4 hours, 9 minutes
- Cape North: 6 hours, 20 minutes
- Wolfville: 1 hour, 11 minutes
- Oxford: 2 hours, 2 minutes
- New Glasgow: 1 hour, 55 minutes
- Middleton: 1 hour, 51 minutes
- Parrsboro: 2 hours, 27 minutes
May 09, 2012 @ 06:53:50
Great post! I learned a lot about the city. It sure looks like a nice place to go to. I’m thinking of going there in a few weeks with my husband to relax so I’d like to know what the weather and climate is like. Thanks
May 09, 2012 @ 11:13:54
Hi Dee !
Halifax weather is influenced by the ocean. Winters are mild and summers are cool. Halifax is foggy and misty, with fog on more than 100 days of the year, especially in spring and early summer.
Winters in Halifax are moderate, but wet with both rain and snow. The average high temperature in January is 2°C (29°F). Spring comes slowly, and eventually arrives in April. It too brings rain and fog.
Summers in Halifax are short, but beautiful. In July the average high temperature is 23°C (74°F). By late summer or early fall, Halifax may feel the tail end of a hurricane or tropical storm.
Take care !
May 12, 2012 @ 08:06:02
I’m attending a conference here by the end of May and it’s also going to be my first trip up north. From what I read in your post above, it looks like its going to be spring there when I arrive. Do you have any tips on what to wear or what to bring along?
May 14, 2012 @ 20:07:48
Hi Mario
The weather in Halifax gets pretty unpredictable during this time of the year but be prepared for rain during that time. I recommend bringing over some coats and jackets because it can get pretty cold especially at night time. If you’re going to go out a lot, bring along an umbrella just in case things get rainy. Hope that helps
Have fun at the conference !
May 15, 2012 @ 12:18:24
I’m bringing my sister in Halifax on September. We are both interested in history, so I would to ask about the Citadel National Historic Site because we would love to go there. What is their schedule and how does it cost?
May 15, 2012 @ 20:09:08
Hi Maritza
Here are the info you asked :
Opening Hours
May 7 to June 30 – 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
July 1 to August 31- 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
September 1 to October 31 – 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
November 1 to May 6, the grounds are open but no services are available.
Admission and ticket info
Daily – Peak Season (June 1 to September 15)
Adult $10.90
Senior $9.15
Youth $5.45
Family/Group $27.20
Commercial Group, per person $7.90
School Groups, Entry and a Heritage Presentation Special Program, per student $4.95
Daily – Shoulder Season (May 7 to May 31 and September 16 to October 31.)
Adult $7.15
Senior $5.90
Youth $3.45
Family/Group $17.80
Commercial Group, per person $5.45
School Groups, per student $2.95
Seasonal
Adult $27.20
Senior $22.75
Youth $13.60
Family/Group $68.35
PARKING
Daily
Per Vehicle $3.20
May 15, 2012 @ 19:30:17
I’ll be coming here next month with my family for a vacation. Are there other places you can go to for shopping? The market you mentioned in your article seems nice but I’d like to look at more options. If you could also provide information about them, that would be great too.
May 15, 2012 @ 20:16:31
Hi Erika S (Erika Strange maybe ?
)
There are plenty of spots to shop in Halifax :
Bayers Lake Industrial Park
It is one of the most important shopping areas in Halifax. It is a gathering of the biggest stores in Halifax such as Costco, Wal-Mart, Zellers, Winner’s, Staples, Futureshop, Home Depot, and Old Navy. And the amazing thing about it that it didn’t stop at that point it is getting larger and larger, it is growing by an average of one new store every month. It is like making a shopping of everything and anything you want at one centered area, in payers lack you can find all what you need starting from a spoon for your kitchen ending up with a bedroom for your house.
Spring Garden Road
Spring garden road is the spirit of Halifax, is the life of Halifax and the downtown. It includes about 5 to 6 malls in addition to lots of stores for men women and kids clothes. It is the area where you would like just to walk, have fun and enjoy the sight of Halifax. Consisting of nine city blocks, the area has over 200 retail shops, most independently owned, served by ample convenient parking.
Also when you are in sping Gardan Road sure you would like to visit Spring Garden Place is one of the nicest malls in Halifax. Located between Dresden Row and Brenton Street, Spring Garden Place, is home to great dining as well as a number of specialty shops. Some of the restaurants located in Spring Garden Place are; Ryan Duffy’s Restaurant, Libertine Bistro, 24 Carrots Cafe, and many more. But this mall is not just restaurants, it also has a wide selection of shops. There are book stores, cooking stores, Jewlery shop, Roots outlet, shoe store, nail salon, dry cleaning and even groceries. Forms of payment and hours of store vary depending on the store. This is a fun place to shop till you drop or just to come and hang out doing some of your favorite window shopping.
Barrington Place
It is located in downtown Halifax, and one of the most important feature for this shopping area is that it is very close to the Historic Properties. It is a nice place to walk, make a shopping and enjoy the sight of the city
The unique 19th century stone facades of Barrington Place Shops face a cobbled pedestrian streetscape known as Granville Mall. And inside, stores and professional offices are located just minutes from Halifax’s bustling waterfront and the downtown core. In the same complex as the Delta Barrington hotel, Barrington Place is at the centre of Halifax’s tourist/convention and hotel district. Customer and tenant parking are a short indoor stroll away and convenient transit connections are just outside the door.
Fisherman’s Cove
It is located just outside Dartmouth, it is a nice area for quaint Oceanside shopping, boardwalk, tours, and deep-sea fishing. Over there you can make a great shopping where you can buy aboriginal jewelry, local marine crafts, and lots of gifts. The area includes many of a seafood restaurants that you can enjoy
These are the shops and services available at Fisherman’s Cove. also The Visitor Information Centre is located in the heart of Fisherman’s Cove, open 7 days per week from 9am until 6pm. Our friendly and knowledgeable Travel Counselors work hard each summer to provide high quality customer service while celebrating and promoting our area and region. They serve as front line ambassadors of Halifax Regional Municipality and Nova Scotia to assist the traveling public with all of their vacation needs by providing current guide books, maps, brochures, accommodation listings and making reservations
May 19, 2012 @ 04:30:14
I’d like to get more information about the Halifax Public Gardens. Do you know what their daily schedule is and if there are any upcoming events?
May 30, 2012 @ 01:46:47
Hi
The Halifax Public Gardens open everyday from 8AM all the way to dusk. There’s only one event coming up this May – The Halifax Regional Municipality Greenhouse Open House – which happens next week, May 26.
May 24, 2012 @ 04:28:14
My wife and I are planning to go on a week long trip here and she wants to go to the Halifax Public Gardens. What time are the gardens open and will we need to pay anything to get inside. I was thinking of going at nighttime if that’s possible.
May 30, 2012 @ 01:41:57
Hi
The Halifax Public Gardens are only open from 8:00AM to dusk so going there at night won’t be possible. However, I do recommend going during the day. You can definitely appreciate the gardens more. Also, there are no entrance fees to pay so you can just go in when you get there. Enjoy your trip.