Halifax Citadel

Picture yourself in the Guard Box at the Halifax Citadel

The view at the top of the grassy hill overlooking the Halifax harbour is well worth the climbing effort. As a child I remember burning off energy by rolling down the hill.

Inside the Citadel, especially in the summer, it feels a bit like you’ve traveled back in time to 1869! Summer staff portraying the Royal Artillery can be seen about the fort performing their duties – marching, guarding and firing the noon gun. Exhibits including  the soldiers uniforms are displayed in the small rooms lining the center courtyard. It’s hard to believe that over one hundred years ago the average soldier was much shorter than the average person today.

There are videos to watch in several locations, room to run in the central courtyard, guard boxes to clown around in – and washrooms. This is a great place to come to get a feel for the military past of Halifax.

Halifax Harbour

To reach the Halifax Harbour  boardwalk, walk down the hill towards the waterfront until you reach the boardwalk (just before the water ). The boardwalk goes to your right and left stretching 3.8 km from (Pier 21 to Casino Nova Scotia). You can get on and off the boardwalk easily. Along the way you can see tugboats and if you’re lucky tall masted schooners moored along the finger piers.

Children can enjoy climbing and playing around the “ship-wreck” play structure, the ship anchors or try climbing the whale’s tail. The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic features an exhibit of Theodore Tugboat. With models and sets from the television series visitors can gain an understanding of how a busy harbour works. The museum contains a wealth of maritime knowledge – ‘Golden Age of Sail’, Shipwreck Treasures of Nova Scotia.

From the museum, if you walk towards the ferry terminal (Halifax-Woodside(Dartmouth)) you’ll see more of Theodore Tugboat (in season) – there’s a store as well as a real tugboat Theodore Too – ready to take you (weather permitting) on a harbour tour!

If hunger pains are hitting or legs are getting weary there are lots of options to choose from – for fabulous ice cream and humorous t shirts try “COWS” ice cream – chosen by Reader’s Digest as the Best Ice Cream in Canada (2006) or a Beavertail – whole wheat pastry stretched into the shape of a beavertail – served piping hot – with a choice of toppings. Or any of the nearby restaurants for a sit down meal.

Lunenburg – the town where the famous Bluenose I was built! It’s certainly worth the trip if you’re at all interested in the history, the tales and treasures of the fishing industry or seeing sea creatures up close the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic. You can see fishing boats up close – even jump aboard! You can visit the Dory Shop and see the craftsmen making a dory – the traditional way.

Baby starfish on my hand

My children’s favourite is the aquarium – home to fish and sea creatures found locally in the ocean. In the aquarium section there is even a touch and feel open topped aquarium where you can pick up and hold a starfish or a sea urchin. This is the best part – picking up squirmy things – and they won’t poison you.

I find that the museum takes several hours to explore happily – even with small ones in tow. The museum has a restaurant which is very convenient for staving off tempers of hungry families and there are lots of eating options within a few blocks.

While you’re reading you might be interested in a few stories from long ago and some behind the scenes talk at the museum’s blog .

I found this video to help you picture the museum: