Halifax

We’ve compiled the best of the best in Halifax - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.

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  • 1. Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21

    Affectionately dubbed "Canada's Front Door," Pier 21 served as the entry point for nearly a million immigrants—refugees, evacuees, war brides, and others—between 1928 and 1971, and in a country where the population is only slightly more than 36 million, it's a significant number. It's now a national museum, honoring the huge contribution that these immigrants have made to Canada. Personal and often very moving stories have been collected from immigrants, offering insight into their quest for a new life and the success (and occasional failure) of the system. The Scotiabank Family History Centre is often buzzing with new generations of Canadians discovering their genealogy, while temporary exhibitions highlight issues such as asylum seekers, peace through diversity, and the foreign cultures that continue to enrich Canadian life. The museum also offers a work experience and mentoring program to help ease newly arrived immigrants into the workplace—your guide might have his or her own personal immigration story to tell.

    1055 Marginal Rd., Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 4P7, Canada
    902-425–7770

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: C$14.50, Closed Mon. and Tues., Dec.–Mar. and Mon. in Apr.
  • 2. Halifax Citadel National Historic Site

    Erected between 1826 and 1856 on Halifax's highest hill, the Citadel still dominates the skyline and, as Canada's most-visited National Historic Site, remains a magnet for tourists. The present Citadel, with its dry moat and stone ramparts, was the fourth defensive structure to be built on the site, and formerly was linked to smaller forts and gun emplacements on the harbor islands and the bluffs above the harbor entrance. You can visit the barracks, guardroom, and powder magazine before heading for the parade ground to watch reenactors, sporting kilts and tall feather "bonnets," practice their drills. Tours help bring the history of the fort and the city to life throughout the day in high season, but the best time to visit is just before noon when the Noon Gun is fired—a tradition since 1857. The Citadel is also home to the Army Museum, with excellent exhibits and a War Art Gallery.

    5425 Sackville St., Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J 3Y3, Canada
    902-426–5080

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: C$12 July and Aug.; C$8 early May, June, Sept., and Oct.; rest of year free (grounds only), Closed Nov.–early May, except grounds
  • 3. Halifax Waterfront Boardwalk

    Running from the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 to Casino Nova Scotia, this photogenic 3-km (2-mile) footpath offers backdoor access to the Historic Properties, the Marine Museum of the Atlantic, and the Discovery Centre. Newer landmarks such as Purdy's Wharf (site of Halifax's two grandest skyscrapers) and Bishop's Landing (an attractive complex with condos and shops) are on the route; while others, including the Seaport Farmers' Market and the cruise-ship terminal, are only a few minutes’ walk away. Shops and restaurants line the section between Sackville Landing and the Historic Properties, and in peak season, festivals and events, ice-cream peddlers, and street performers do, too. The water, however, remains the real attraction. To get out on it, take one of the many boat tours that depart from the boardwalk's Cable Wharf.

    Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
  • 4. Africville Museum

    Until the 1960's, a century-old African Nova Scotian community resided in Africville. Forced out by the city to make way for industrial development, the residents scattered and the community broken. After an apology in 2010, some of the land was given over to the building of this museum and a memorial park. Open since 2012, this museum tells the stories of Africville and its people and is housed in a replica of the original church that served the community. The park offers beautiful views out over the Halifax Harbor.

    5795 Africville Rd., Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3K 2R9, Canada
    902-422–1116

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: $5.75, Closed Sun. and Mon.
  • 5. Alexander Keith's Nova Scotia Brewery

    Although Alexander Keith served three terms as mayor of Halifax, his political achievements are overshadowed by another accomplishment: he was colonial Nova Scotia's first certified brewmaster. Today, the popular beer is brewed in several modern facilities across Canada, but you can visit the original 1820 brewery building, a local landmark. On hour-long tours you can see how Keith's India Pale Ale was originally made, then sample a pint or two in the Stag's Head Tavern. (Nonalcoholic beverages are also available.) Actors in period outfits provide the explanations as well as old-fashioned maritime entertainment. Tours run every half hour.

    1496 Lower Water St., Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J 3R5, Canada
    902-455–1474

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: C$29.95, Closed Mon.–Thurs., Nov.–May
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  • 6. Anna Leonowens Gallery

    Victorian wunderkind Anna Leonowens is famous for the time she spent as a royal governess in Thailand (then Siam), which inspired Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical The King and I, but she also spent two decades in Halifax, where she founded the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. It later returned the favor by opening the Anna Leonowens Gallery, with three exhibition spaces that focus on contemporary studio and media art, and serve as a showcase for the college faculty and students. The gallery mounts about 100 exhibitions a year and also has offshoots at the Port Loggia on the waterfront and in the Granville mall.

    1891 Granville St., Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J 1X8, Canada
    902-494–8223

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Free, Closed Sun. and Mon.
  • 7. Art Gallery of Nova Scotia

    In an 1867 Italianate-style building that previously served as a post office, bank, and the headquarters of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, this provincial art gallery has an extensive permanent collection of more than 17,000 works—so many that there are also two floors of gallery space within the neighboring Provincial Building. Some are primarily of historical interest; others are major works by contemporary Canadian painters like Christopher Pratt, Alex Colville, and Tom Forrestall. The gallery also has a major collection of Annie Leibovitz photographs. The gallery's heart, however, is an internationally recognized collection of maritime folk art by artists such as wood-carver Sydney Howard and painter Joe Norris. The Provincial Building annex also contains the actual home of the late painter Maud Lewis (Canada's answer to Grandma Moses), whose bright, cheery paintings cover the tiny structure inside and out.

    1723 Hollis St., Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J 1V9, Canada
    902-424–5280

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: C$12; Free Thurs. 5–9 pm, Closed Mon.–Weds.
  • 8. Casino Nova Scotia

    Right on the waterfront, the casino has a full range of gaming tables and hundreds of slots. There's entertainment, too, mostly provided by tribute bands and C-listers on their way up—or down. Patrons must be 19 or older.

    1983 Upper Water St., Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J 3Y5, Canada
    902-425–7777
  • 9. Deadman's Island

    This tiny spit is the final resting place of almost 200 American prisoners of war who died while imprisoned in Halifax during the War of 1812. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs unveiled a memorial in 2005 to honor the men, who died of communicable diseases such as smallpox and were buried in mass graves. Over time, the island, now a park, has become naturally linked to the mainland, so you can walk to it without getting your feet wet.

    Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Free
  • 10. Discovery Centre

    Halifax's interactive science center is an exciting place for children, and keeps many a parent enthralled, too. Galleries exploring energy, health, flight, and oceans use fascinating and fun interactive displays to bring science to life, ranging from the mysteries of the deep and the science of flight to how our brains and bodies work. In the Innovation Lab, various new ideas are explored with the help of expert staff, while younger children and toddlers engage their brains and their imaginations in the Just for Kids! gallery. There's also a dome theater with live star shows and movies.

    1215 Lower Water St., Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J 3S8, Canada
    902-492–4422

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: C$15; Dome Theatre $2, Closed Mon. and Tues.
  • 11. Fairview Lawn Cemetery

    This cemetery is the final resting place of 121 victims of the Titanic. The graves are easily found, in a graceful arc of granite tombstones. One—marked J. Dawson—attracts particular attention from visitors. Alas, it's not the fictional artist played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the 1998 film, but James Dawson, a coal trimmer from Ireland. Nineteen other victims are buried in Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery and 10 in the Baron de Hirsch Jewish Cemetery. The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic has an exhibit about the disaster. Fairview Lawn also includes many graves of victims of the Halifax Explosion.

    3720 Windsor St., Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3K 5G9, Canada
  • 12. Government House

    Built between 1799 and 1805 for Sir John Wentworth, the Loyalist governor of New Hampshire, and his racy wife, Fannie (Thomas Raddall's novel The Governor's Lady tells their story), this elegant house has since been the official residence of the province's lieutenant governor—the Queen's representative. Its construction of Nova Scotian stone was engineered by a Virginian Loyalist, Isaac Hildrith, and it's North America's oldest consecutively occupied government residence because the White House, while older, was evacuated and burned during the War of 1812. Half-hour guided tours are offered in July and August, and the Lieutenant Governor's Garden Party in June is open to the public. 

    1451 Barrington St., Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J 1Z2, Canada
    902-424–7001

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Free, Closed Sept.-June
  • 13. Halifax Public Gardens

    One of the oldest formal Victorian gardens in North America, this city oasis had its start in 1753 as a private garden. Its layout 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 an astonishing variety of plants from all over the world. The centerpiece is an ornate gazebo-like bandshell, erected in 1887 for Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, where free Sunday afternoon concerts take place at 2 from mid-June through mid-September. Grab a coffee and a treat at Uncommon Grounds Cafe, which is housed in the historic Horticulture Hall. The gardens are open year-round and a pleasure in every season.

    Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 2C9, Canada

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Free
  • 14. Halifax Seaport Farmers' Market

    Green in more ways than one, this waterfront weekend market that hosts more than 250 local farmers, food producers, and artisans is one of Canada's most eco-friendly buildings. Noteworthy features include wind turbines, solar-energy and water-conservation systems, and a "biowall" that allows natural ventilation. There's a wonderful array of fresh produce and crafts, and the international backgrounds of many vendors make it particularly interesting, with some unique offerings. Sampling and shopping opportunities abound, though aside from Saturday not every vendor is out in force (unless a cruise ship is in). Don't confuse this venue with Brewery Square's Historic Farmers' Market, whose vendors didn't want to move here. Both claim to be the country's oldest farmers' market—and in a way, they both are.

    1209 Marginal Rd., Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 4P8, Canada
    902-492–4043
  • 15. Historic Properties

    This series of restored waterfront warehouses dates from the days when trade and war made Halifax prosperous. They were built by such raffish characters as Enos Collins, a privateer, smuggler, and shipper, whose vessels defied Napoléon's blockade to bring American supplies to the Duke of Wellington. The buildings have since been taken over by shops, offices, restaurants, and pubs, including those in Privateer's Warehouse. Seven of them, all erected between the late 18th and early 19th century, have been designated as National Historic Sites.

    1869 Upper Water St., Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J 1S9, Canada
    902-422–4424
  • 16. Maritime Museum of the Atlantic

    The exhibits in this waterfront museum, housed partly in a restored chandlery, include small boats once used around the coast, as well as displays describing Nova Scotia's proud sailing heritage. The most memorable ones, though, are devoted to the Titanic and the Halifax Explosion. The former includes the ship's only surviving deck chair. Also on display are a section of wall paneling, a balustrade molding and part of a newel from the dual curving staircase, a mortuary bag, and the log kept by a wireless operator in Newfoundland on the night the ship sank. In the Halifax Explosion exhibit, newspaper accounts and quotes from survivors are poignantly paired with everyday objects recovered from the rubble. Other exhibits cover the Canadian Navy, sailing ships, the Age of Steam, and shipwrecks. On the wharf outside is the hydrographic steamer CSS Acadia, permanently moored here after a long life of charting the coasts of Labrador and the Arctic, and museum-ticket holders can board for tours from May through September. Be sure to say hello to the museum's resident talking rainbow macaw, Merlin. 

    1675 Lower Water St., Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J 1S3, Canada
    902-424–7490

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: C$5.15, Closed Mon. Nov.–Apr.
  • 17. Mary E. Black Gallery

    Between Pier 21 and the Seaport Farmers' Market, the exhibit space of the Nova Scotia Centre for Craft and Design, home of the Mary E. Black Gallery, presents shows of pottery, jewelry, textiles, metalwork, and other innovative, high-end crafts. The center also holds classes, including one- and two-day workshops, from fall through spring.

    1061 Marginal Rd., Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 4P6, Canada
    902-492–2522

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Gallery free; workshops individually priced, Closed Mon. and Tues.
  • 18. Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History

    This is the place to learn about fossils, as well as the flora and fauna prevalent in Nova Scotia today. It's also home to star exhibit Gus, a friendly Gopher Tortoise born in the 1920s, who is usually out and about around 3:30 pm. The Nature Centre is home to other live creatures, including snakes, frogs, and insects. The museum has a program of daily events and hosts major traveling exhibits as well as nature talks, walks, and workshops that appeal to all interests and ages.

    1747 Summer St., Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 3A6, Canada
    902-424–7353

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: C$6.30
  • 19. Point Pleasant Park

    Most of the city's former fortifications have been turned into public parks, including this one, which encompasses 186 wooded acres on a headland south of downtown with walking trails and seafront paths. The major military installation here is a massive round tower dating from the late 18th century, but the greatest threat the park ever faced came from Mother Nature. In September 2003, Hurricane Juan tore through, uprooting or damaging 75,000 trees (about 75% of the park's total) in a matter of hours, in the process leaving present-day parkgoers the same harbor views that must have inspired its use as a military command post in the first place. Having been nurtured since the storm, Point Pleasant is again immensely popular with strollers, joggers, and dog walkers. It's the perfect vantage point from which to watch ships entering the harbor, and in summer it's the site of Shakespeare by the Sea performances.

    5718 Point Pleasant Dr., Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 1B5, Canada
    902-490–4700

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Free
  • 20. Province House

    Charles Dickens proclaimed this structure, now a National Historic Site, "a gem of Georgian architecture." Erected in 1819 to house Britain's first overseas self-government, the sandstone building still serves as the meeting place for the provincial legislature. The politicos' proceedings are notoriously dull, but the free tours of the building in July and August yield many interesting tidbits. Self-guided tours are available year-round. 

    1726 Hollis St., Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J 2Y3, Canada
    902-497–6942

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Free, Closed weekends Sept.–June

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