Top Things to do in Downtown Halifax
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10 Things to do in Downtown Halifax That You Shouldn't Miss
Travelers say Halifax is best seen on foot, so park the car and start walking. Immerse yourself in Halifax's rich history at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, and be sure to survey the city from the 18th-century Citadel National Historic Site. Then walk into any of Halifax's great bars and restaurants and catch some live music to round out your day.
Restaurants in Halifax
1. Halifax Central Library
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,108 reviews
Reviewed By RDHiscott - Lion's Head, Canada
This modern new building replaces the old Halifax Memorial Library on Spring Garden Road – it is a large building with open glass walls with great views of the city, along with a rooftop terrace with some spectacular paroramic vistas of the Halifax waterfront. Check out the modern art design of an entire wall devoted to cards from the library card catalogue of another era … some of us still remember doing library searches that way! Very impressive architecture, beautiful building!
2. Tidehouse Brewing Company
3. Halifax Citadel National Historic Site of Canada
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,717 reviews
Experience an exciting part of Canada's history by visiting this 19th-century fort with a sweeping view of downtown Halifax. Between May and October, the Citadel is brought to life by two historic regiments of the British Army - the pageantry of the 78th Highlanders and the precision of the Royal Artillery thrill visitors daily with live re-enactments. The skirl of the bagpipes mixes with the crack of a rifle and the assembly of recruits for the next foot drill. There's no shortage of authentic experiences to view and participate in! Kids will love the Xplorers Program - an activity book just for them. When the sun sets, it's time to experience the other side of the Citadel - join the Citadel Ghost Walk and experience the dark and errie lore from the early 1800's. Tours start mid-July and run every Friday and Saturday nights starting at 8:30pm until the end of October. Cash at the front gate.
Reviewed By SophiaIneson - Exeter, United Kingdom
I visited the Citadel as a solo traveller. I went on a free guided tour which was very informative and interesting, they have demonstrations throughout the day of shooting the rifles and the canon which goes off at noon. I would advise people to visit in the morning to make the most of it. They also have many exhibitions you can visit to warm up a bit of the weather is poor. The whole site is well maintained and all of the staff are in traditional costume which is really cool.
4. Maritime Museum of the Atlantic
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,164 reviews
Immerse yourself in the rich marine history depicted by this museum's vast collection from binnacles and buoys to anchors and armaments.
Reviewed By B1698RKmichaelh - Burke, United States
This museum has some of the most beautiful ship models, sailboats of unique designs from the Maritime region and artifacts of the wrecks so abundant on the shoreline of Nova Scotia. And to add to this is actual artifacts from the Titanic! Including an actual deck chair. Great displays and fund for the whole family
5. Province House
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 93 reviews
Oldest provincial Parliament building still in use in Canada; a visit to its legislative library is recommended.
Reviewed By beaucaboo - Montreal, Canada
We were two adults that visited this site on August 23, 2019. We had the choice of doing the tour on our own or doing a guided tour. We opted for the guided tour . We only had to wait 5 minutes. Our tour guide was Binta. She was excellent, informative & told us interesting facts, stories & tidbits!! This place is crawling with history. It is also full of many original paintings. Our favourite was visiting the legislature, where laws are proposed, debated and either passed or defeated. Excellent. The library was also fascinating. After the tour, you are free to visit on your own, which we did. We saw two beautiful rooms on the ground floor. One room is called the Veterans' Room and the other room is directly opposite. Province House is well worth a visit!! Please note that you need a photo ID to enter. Also you need to go through a security check, similar to what happens at airports.
6. St. Paul's Church
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 178 reviews
Built from timbers brought by sea from Boston in 1749, this historic site was the cathedral of the first Anglican bishop of Nova Scotia.
Reviewed By yankeefan730 - Burlington, Canada
We just happened to be in Halifax during that city's Doors Open program, and so took advantage of the opportunity to visit St. Paul's Church which dates back to 1749. As a church with so much history, including a constant reminder of the Halifax Explosion, this church blends that history with a testament to its roots with numerous tablets situated around the walls. A colourful brochure helps guides visitors through the sanctuary while providing interesting details including the fact that it is the oldest building in Halifax..
7. Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 408 reviews
Art museum focusing on provincial and Canadian artwork in various mediums.
Reviewed By BenLar137 - Calgary, Canada
There's so much here to like! We love how they used two of the historic buildings in downtown Halifax and joined them underground to make one larger gallery - possibly inspired by the Louvre. All the exhibits we saw on our visit in October were well thought out, and presented in a contemporary way. The highlight of our visit was the Maude Lewis exhibit, where they brought in the actual house she lived in, as well as an astounding collection of her work. What a tribute to an amazing artist! The other exhibits were interesting as well, especially a gigantic work by Ken Monkman. There's even a convenient, on-site restaurant. Having experienced how well they do what they do here, we would unreservedly recommend this for any visitor to the city with an hour to spare.
8. HMCS Sackville - Canada's Naval Memorial
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 380 reviews
HMCS Sackville, the last remaining Flower Class corvette in the world, symbolizes the extraordinary effort of Canadians seventy years ago during the Second World War. Restored to her wartime configuration she serves as a museum and memorial to those lost during the Battle of the Atlantic and to honour those who serve and continue to serve in the Naval Service of Canada. HMCS Sackville is currently undergoing a major refit and unfortunately will not be open to visitors until the summer of 2019.
Reviewed By bcdrader - Drayton Valley, Canada
This ship museum provides a wonderful opportunity to explore one of Canada's WWII Corvette class ships and its war-time importance. It operated by donations only.
9. Old Burying Ground
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 289 reviews
Established in 1749, this is Halifax's first cemetery.
Reviewed By cheryljenn - Red Deer, Canada
I remembered going to this graveyard when I was a kid doing a school field trip and on this visit to Halifax we visited it again. This will be on our “must do” while in Halifax list for years to come. We visited on a mild December day and spent a good 40 minutes just walking around looking at all the headstones. You could definitely spend more or less time here depending on how interested you are/how much time you have to spend. It is free entry but you may have to pay for street parking pending when you visit. There are a lot of very very old graves and they are interesting to check out. Some of them are so old you can’t even read what they say anymore. This would be a great outing for any age as long as you have good mobility. If you are in a wheelchair or have a stroller you will most likely have to stay on the gravel paths. Can not wait to visit again.
10. St. Mary's Basilica
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 216 reviews
Reviewed By 476jael - Long Island, United States
During our “10-Day Canada and New England” cruise aboard Caribbean Princess ship, we visited St. Mary’s Basilica in Halifax, a National Historic Site of Canada. From outside the basilica, its Gothic façade and tall spire looked somewhat unusual, because they were all built with white granite. When we entered the basilica, we were pleasantly surprised by so elegant nave, which gave us such a warm feel, unlike typical Gothic cathedrals’s oppressive feel. Simplistic and, yet, very elegant nave had pristine decors with white columns and beautiful stained glass windows. In spite of high Gothic style vaulted ceiling and tall columns, we felt as if we were inside a warm Renaissance style nave. The pipe organ was also placed in an elegant way. We were so fortunate to witness a wedding ceremony for a lovely couple taking place during our visit. We quietly sat down in the back of the nave, and watched the ceremony in a beautiful setting for a while before quietly leaving the nave. We had such a memorable and pleasant time visiting this basilica. We highly recommend visiting this basilica during your visit to Halifax.
