Ideas for a Charming Weekend in Halifax

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Planning a weekend in Halifax? Here’s everything we got up to during our short stay in Nova Scotia’s capital city!

The first time I ever heard of Nova Scotia was when I was eight-years-old, and my family planned a camping trip to Bar Harbor, Maine. My mom told me her friend told her there’s a ferry you can take to this place in Canada called Nova Scotia — that’s how close we’d be to the border. As a kid who, besides my birth, had only been as far as the Jersey Shore, this sounded too good to be true. We’d get to go to Canada!!

Well, fast forward to the week of, and we did not get to go. Not only did we run out of time, none of us kids had passports. Whoops!!

Later, I’d inadvertently fall in love with Halifax when I fell in love with the Anne of Green Gables series. The third book, Anne of the Island, became my one of my favorites, and in it she goes away to fictional Redmond College in Kingsport, Nova Scotia. Turns out LM Montgomery had based Anne’s college experience on her own at Dalhousie University in Halifax right down to specific landmarks!

Between both of these formative experiences as a kid, Nova Scotia has always been on my travel bucket list, and after multiple trips to Canada including visiting friends in Vancouver, a wintry getaway to Niagara Falls, and a road trip around Quebec and Ontario… I finally got a chance to go at the tail end of our massive Atlantic Canada road trip.

Over two weeks, we bopped around Saint John in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton Island, and finally finished with a gorgeous weekend in Halifax. Below is everything we got up to!

Ideas on What to Do During Your Weekend in Halifax

Learn more about its ties to the Titanic

Since we were coming into Halifax from Cape Breton, we did what any two millennial women who watched Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio fall in love aboard the doomed cruise liner — we stopped into Fairview Lawn Cemetery to pay our respects at its Titanic gave site. Of the 150 victims that were ultimately buried in Halifax, 121 were interred here including a certain J. Dawson. Although his first name was Joseph, not Jack, and as far as anyone knows, the movie had no idea of his existence when naming Leo’s character.

If Belfast has ties to RMS Titanic’s beginnings, Halifax has ties to its tragic end. When the ship sunk on April 15, 1912, the city was the closest major seaport and soon became the main base for search and recovery. In addition to visiting Fairview, you can visit the other two cemeteries where victims were buried — Mount Olive and Baron de Hirsch.

And if you want to learn even more, The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic has a permanent exhibit called “Titanic: The Unsinkable Ship and Halifax.” Not only can you see artifacts and photographs related to passengers, you can see what life would’ve been like onboard from all points of view. Apparently James Cameron visited while creating the 1997 film.

Enjoy Halifax’s Waterfront

Especially go down to the waterfront if you’re planning your weekend in Halifax during the summer months like us! Our hotel was maybe three blocks away, so it was easy to walk down and stroll around. The whole boardwalk stretches 2.5 miles (4km) and is such a fun vibe especially when it’s warm and sunny out. We pretty much ended our days here.

Some notable stops:

• Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market – the longest continuously running market in North America. Open Saturdays and Sundays so perfect way to start one or both of your days!
• The Drunken Light Poles – also known as “Fountain” and “Get Drunk, Fall Down.” Very fun sculptures you’ll probably see kids hanging off of. My favorite views of Georges Island were from here as well.
• Queen’s Marque – a small shopping area with outdoor seating; good for people watching. When we were hanging out here, we wound up seeing models practicing choreography for their show.
• Sackville Landing – An area right by the Maritime Museum with lots going on. You’ll know you’re here when you see the giant Wave sculpture.
• Hammocks – If you really want to relax at the waterfront, climb into one of these giant hammocks! It kind of fit the two of us to give you an idea of size.
• Salt Yard – This area is where a lot of food vendors will be; you’ll also find picnic tables
• Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 – near the market; it’s a national museum dedicated to the immigration experience. I want to visit on a future trip!

Really though, the best way to enjoy the waterfront is to just wander and see what you see. There was so much going on when we went including muralists at work and different pop-ups all along the boardwalk. Keep an eye out for Downtown Sketcher’s pop-up. I got some really lovely prints from him, and he was just lovely to chat with!

Explore LM Montgomery’s Halifax

Too niche? If you know anything from my Prince Edward Island pilgrimage, you’ll know I’m a huge fan of all things Anne Shirley and LM Montgomery! And as I mentioned above, one of my favorite books of the series, Anne of the Island, takes place in a fictionalized version of Halifax!

Maud came to Halifax twice in her life. The first time to study literature at Dalhousie University from 1895-1896 and then to work for The Daily Echo from 1901-1902. Here’s how she described it:

Kingsport [Halifax] is a quaint old town, harking back to early Colonial days, and wrapped in its ancient atmosphere, as some fine old dame in garments fashioned like those of her youth. Here and there it sprouts out into modernity, but at heart it is still unspoiled; it is full of curious relics, and haloed by the romance of many legends of the past. – Anne of the Island, Ch 4

And when you come, here’s where you can go:

Dalhousie University

In Anne of the Island, Anne finally gets to attend Redmond College in Nova Scotia. Maud pulled from her experiences at Dalhousie University in Halifax, and they even have a little plaque for her in the Forrest Building.

Old Burying Grounds

Known as Old St. John’s Cemetery in the book, the Old Burying Grounds is a rather small, romantic cemetery. We popped in because it was near our hotel!

Point Pleasant Park

Another spot that’s referenced in the book, especially the old Martello tower, is Point Pleasant Park. Apparently Maud would come here if she felt homesick and the more bustling world of Halifax was too much.

Wander Around Halifax’s North End

When I go back to Halifax, I’d like to explore more of its North End neighborhood. We stopped in twice and one of the times was to check out the Four Sister Houses on Agricola Street.

The whole neighborhood is part of the northern part of the peninsula right above downtown and seems like it has a that sort of hip, artsy vibe (kind of like Brooklyn to NYC’s Manhattan). We didn’t have much time to wander, so it’d be nice to do two of my favorite things here — cafe hopping and vintage shopping!

Learn about Black Nova Scotian History at the Africville Museum

The other place we stopped in Halifax’s North End is the Africville Museum. From the 1800s to 1960s, Africville was a community of Black Nova Scotians on the south shore of the Bedford Basin. Unfortunately, in a tale as old as time, the community was met with constant discrimination whether it was not getting services their taxes paid for or getting stuck with a prison and an infectious disease hospital as their neighbors. In the 1960s, the city decided to relocate all the residents and demolish what remained.

Thankfully, times have changed and the Mayor of Halifax officially apologized in 2010. Part of the compensation went towards building a replica of Seaview United Baptist Church, the once spiritual and cultural heart of Africville. It now serves as the museum, and you can visit to learn all about this forgotten community as well as Black Nova Scotian history.

Alyshia had been teaching her kids about Black Canadian history so she wanted to make sure we visited. It’s such an interesting museum and a reminder of how many stories we don’t learn unless we look for them! You can also walk outside and listen to this audio tour to imagine what life would’ve been like for Africville citizens.

Spend a Peaceful Morning at Peggy’s Cove

And to round out this list, the beautiful Peggy’s Cove! I am such a sucker for lighthouses, so this was a must-visit. The lighthouse is gorgeous, and the surrounding fisherman village is so charming, I immediately started making up a story in my head.

It’s a very pretty 50-minute drive from Downtown Halifax and while there are tours that go, I’d recommending driving yourself and getting there early. We arrived by 9:00 AM and practically had the place to ourselves. Since we wanted to check out the shops in town and eat at Tom’s Lobster Shack, we brought books and sat down in some Muskoka chairs to read for a bit. Funnily enough, we were sitting outside of Neil Depew Gallery, and not only was he friendly when he came to open up shop, he had some truly gorgeous paintings and prints both by him and his mom!!

Where to Eat & Drink

The name of the game for this weekend in Halifax was everything seafood, especially oysters, so that pretty much dictated where we ate!

Salt Yard

Between Salter and Sackville streets down at the waterfront, this is where you’ll want to go for food. They have a lot of different vendors, and we wound up at Salt Yard Social for our last dinner.

Black Bear Ice Cream

And for a sweet treat, we got ice cream at Black Bear Ice Cream, which is locally made in Halifax. Look at those flavors!! I had to get the blueberry cheesecake!!

The Stubborn Goat Gastropub

Once we checked in to our hotel, we walked one block up to Argyle Street, which is pedestrian-only come summer and has a bunch of restaurants with outdoor seating. We wound up at The Stubborn Goat Gastropub and had our only non-seafood meal of the weekend. I’m not sure why we we picked eating there but I have a feeling them being famous for their mac n cheese had something to do with it… YUM!

Lot Six Bar & Restaurant

Further down Argyle Street, we stopped into Lot Six specifically for their oyster happy hour. At the time it was something like 12 oysters for $24 so naturally we got 12 each and were given this delightfully ginormous plate.

Shuck Seafood & Raw Bar

Another oyster happy hour stop. Shuck is right above the waterfront, so stop in for happy hour before heading down to the boardwalk.

Tom’s Lobster Shack in Peggy’s Cove

While I’d been eating lobster rolls like my life depended on it around Atlantic Canada, Alyshia was saving her roll for Tom’s Lobster Shack. It’s in this pretty blue building right in Peggy Cove village and has four options — truffle, cajun, classic, and naked. And, yeah, was pretty freakin’ delicious!! They open at 11:00 AM, so if you do arrive by 9:00 AM to see the lighthouse like I recommended above, just know you’ll have a little of time to kill.

And there you have it — a lovely weekend in Halifax. Such a perfect introduction and way to end our Atlantic Canada Road Trip!

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