Halifax and areas close by

We went to Halifax in early July because that is when they have their International Tattoo. Another highllight is The Citidel, a fort built in the 18th century to protect the city. At Glace Bay we toured an old coal mine with one of the miners of the old days who told stories that were amazing of conditions of work in those days. Lots of good seafood. Lobster dinners anywhere in the province from to Cdn. In Pictou, they are reconstructing a ship, the Hector, which carried people from the British Empire in the 17th century. They are building it with the same technology that would have been available then. Very interesting. Has a museum with it that has the story of the original boat. A day trip to Louisburg is also recommended as the fort built there is worth a half day visit. See our activity journals attached.

Quick Tips:

Halifax has an excellent maritime museum if you are interested in that sort of thing. We found a historical fisherman's house museum in a place called Jeddore Pond. Very interesting stories of family told by people there, worth going a little out of your way for.

Research through the internet. The province of Nova Scotia has good information on various tourist routes and what you will find in them.

Best Way To Get Around:

Walking is the best way to get around Halifax. Just make sure you get a motel/hotel close to the various attractions. The coastal scenery is great. We recommend driving the coastal roads for great scenery, small towns and friendly people.

First of all, the price was $129Cdn per night which included two lobster dinners. The husband of the couple who owned the facility was a lobster fisherman and had his own supply of about 100 live lobsters on hand. There were eight rooms and everyone who wanted lobster met at a little hut on the waterfront for the meal. Part of the activity was watching the cooking process as he had a large tank to cook the lobsters. He was quite happy to explain the process, give tips on cooking your own etc. The rooms were very nice. There were two fourplex buildings, appeared new, very clean and well laid out. All rooms had an ocean view. It was a great place to stay. Wonderful people. They gave us recommendations about other things to see and do. Almost forgot, breakfast was good too!

The Citadel is a large fort constructed to protect the citizens of the city from attack. Apparently, it was never used. We would recommend the guided tour through the facility. The various buildings are manned with people in period costumes who tell you how things were done in those days. Some very interesting living conditions. The fire the cannons at 12:00, there are bands touring the grounds at different times. We saw a bagpipe and drum band. It is worth a visit. I suggest you could spend anywhere from an hour to a half day here.

The Fort was built by the French at the time when the French and English were fighting for control of the Canadian maritime area. The fort is huge, probably covers about 20 acres. We took a guided tour with a college student--a little over an hour in duration, and very informative. We were told how the fort was built to be impenetrable from the sea, but how the British attacked from behind by land. The tour explained what soldiers' lives were like, and we were guided through the chapel, warehouses, governor's house, financial administrators house, engineers house, soldiers bunkhouses.

The guide provides a lot of history and interesting information during the tour. When on your own after the tour there is much more to see. There are also several places for food, drink, souvenirs etc. We had a lunch at Hotel de la Marine on the site serving food of the times in costume. It was a decent meal and the location was interesting. We had meat pie, salads and cheeses. You could spend anywhere from 2 hours to a full day here. We spent about 4 hours.

We started out (by car) for Peggy's Cove, a little fishing village which now appears to survive on tourism. Very picturesque. All the buildings look very old, there is a functioning lighthouse with a post office in the bottom which also sells souvenirs. There is a very large restaurant which is continuously busy and serves a very good lobster dinner for a very reasonable price. From there we drove towards Mahone Bay. Stopped along the way at the Trellis Cafe (on the highway) and had a delicious lunch. At Mahone bay we visited a historic house and toured the main street stopping in several small shops, talked to owners etc. Then headed up the coast to Lunenburg, which has a large dock facility. We had hoped to see the Bluenose, a famous boat here, but were told it was visiting the British Columbia coast (where we had come from) We wandered around the town, (the docks, etc.) for a while and then started back to Halifax.

On our way back, we stopped again at Peggy's Cove for the lobster dinner which was great. There is great scenery on route. The day was relaxing, and would recommend the route we took as a good way to acquaint yourself with Nova Scotia

The Halifax International Tattoo is an annual event held early in July every year. It is primarily a presentation of military bands from all over the world. The music is excellent. They intermingle this with some lighter acts such as acrobats, jugglers etc. Overall an excellent performance. Tickets can be booked on the internet. Highly recommended. We saw a tattoo in Edinburgh, Scotland and felt the Halifax one was more entertaining.