Halifax Tourism | Nova Scotia, Canada - The Sunny Side of Halifax

A cloudy city known for its sunny disposition

Spring had arrived early in Halifax, on Canada’s East Coast, and fine weather had been around for weeks, so they said. But pelting rain greeted me at the airport, and gloomy clouds hung low over the harbor -- a dismal introduction to a city known for its pleasant disposition.

Bob, the taxi driver, dropped me at the C P Hotel Halifax, which at first glance, struck me as a typical, impersonal business hotel. He drove off leaving me in the rain with an old cliché for comfort: “If you don’t like the weather,” he chuckled, “Wait 5 minutes; it’ll change.”

Unamused and with sagging spirits, I rushed inside to escape the downpour. Immediately my ears tuned to cheerful sounds coming from a tinkling piano. A baby grand had a featured spot in the lobby, and a little girl sat there tapping out a childish melody. Not just a typical business hotel after all, I thought, noting the “Just for Kids” check-in counter. Halifax might just live up to its friendly reputation.

Those small welcoming gestures sum up my lasting impression of a short but sweet first visit to Halifax last spring. I quickly felt at home and on a first-name basis with this vibrant, clean, walkable (but hilly) city.

The only companion I needed was The Greater Halifax Visitor Guide. It includes simple maps, accommodation and attraction listings, and details of a variety of self-guided tours you can do on foot or by public transport in and around Halifax and its sister city Dartmouth, just a 15-minute ferry ride across the harbor.

As for the weather, the old cliché held true: At 11:45 I could have sworn I’d have to abandon plans for a picnic on the wharf. At 12:15 I’d be spreading the table under sunny skies.

I’d begin a day of sightseeing with breakfast and a large, hand-warming bowl of café au lait ($3, City Deli) at Brewery Market, Salter and Lower Water streets. From here I’d make a choice to go for the high road or keep to the low road.

If I felt like exercise, I’d take Salter Street, head up hill and jog left at Barrington to Spring Garden Road for strolling, shopping and a tour around Citadel Hill, Halifax’s dominant landmark. This historic fort has displays and audio-visual presentations (open May 15-Oct 15). Halifax has been an important Atlantic port city since the British recognized the strategic potential of its exceptionally long harbor and established a settlement here in 1749.

Alternatively, I’d avoid hilly climbs and wander along the waterfront. A short walk north along Lower Water Street brings you to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic (open year round, $4.50). There’s plenty here to keep your interest for hours while learning all about two fateful events in Halifax history, which are featured in permanent displays: The horrific 1917 Halifax Explosion and Halifax’s role when the Titanic sank.

Visitors may board the CSS Acadia, Canada’s first Hydrographic Vessel, or the HMCS Sackville, the last of the World War II convoy escort Corvettes. Sometimes the Bluenose II docks at the Maritime Museum and offers sailing tours.

Walking further north to Cable Wharf, I found artisans’ studios, including Nova Scotian Crystal, Canada’s only producer of mouth-blown, hand-cut crystal. Here I could sign up for a variety of boating excursions, harbor tours, nature tours, deep-sea fishing, or a water taxi that lets you design your own harbor adventure. Or, I might take a different tack entirely and cross the harbor on the Dartmouth Ferry ($1.50).

In operation since 1752, this is the oldest saltwater ferry system in North America. In Dartmouth I could take a two-hour Heritage Walk, or go canoeing on the historic Shubenacadie canal (Fairbanks Visitor Center, Tel. 1-902- 462-1826).

By late afternoon the pub scene is in full swing on Spring Garden Road, the Historic Properties waterfront, or nearby Granville Mall. Several pubs keep wee hours and offer up an eclectic mix of musicians and homegrown musical styles, blues, jazz, country with a Celtic lilt. Live music filters outward to sidewalk decks and through the streets, and most folks won’t resist stopping in for a pint ($3-5). The gaiety is infectious. You catch it just passing by. It’s all part of the sunny side of Halifax.

For detailed information on Halifax: Nova Scotia’s Check-In Reservation and Information Service.Tel. 1-800-565-0000. Web-site: www.halifaxinfo.com

Author: Diane Redfern