Visiting Halifax, Nova Scotia the Gem of Maritime Canada

When our son who is now 27 years old was only 18 months old and our daughter was not yet on the scene, our family spent several weeks in Halifax, Nova Scotia one July. My husband is a political science professor and he had been invited to participate in a conference/seminar that was being held at Dalhousie University. We packed our bags and headed north in our white station wagon with the luggage carrier on top.

We Visit the Halifax Children's Hospital

On our way through all those states in between Maryland and Maine our son became ill and started throwing up and running a fever. We decided to hurry up and try to get to Halifax and take him to a doctor there. By the time we got to Halifax at the crack of dawn he was acting so sick that we just drove directly to the Children's Hospital emergency room. The physicians there, who seemed so much more "laid back" than we were used to in the U.S., proclaimed him to be somewhat dehydrated but otherwise not seriously ill.

Relieved, we went off to find our assigned housing in an amazing high rise dorm in downtown Halifax. Our flat was on the twenty-somethingth floor! Although the views were spectacular, it was hot up there, there were no screens on the windows, and we were terrified that our active toddler would climb up onto a window sill and fall out. We figured out some way to barricade access to windows, but I still remember how scary that was.

Mom and Toddler Explore Halifax

While my husband was off conferring with all the brilliant academics at the conference, Dougie and I were on our own to hang out with the brilliant moms and brilliant children of the conferees. I still remember an 8 or 9 year-old boy who was talking constantly and had the vocabulary of a college student. Without question he was another professor in the making. I'm sure if we looked him up now, he probably is a full professor with tenure at the University of Chicago.

After we grew tired of the local playgrounds, we took a bigger hike to the Halifax Public Gardens. The gardens were beautiful and refreshing in the summer heat, but to be honest, chasing an 18-month-old was not so relaxing. He refused to sit in his stroller and so I wound up carrying him and pushing the stroller, much to the amusement of the passers by. I'm sure Jo the Super Nanny would have been appalled. (Note: despite our wimpy and inept parenting, this son is now a college graduate, earning a living, and furnishing his first real apartment.)

Visiting Halifax Today

I would love to return to Halifax and so I have gathered some information about the major sights we look forward to seeing.

Halifax Public Gardens

The Public Gardens opened in 1867 and remain today an outstanding example of formal Victorian gardens, with winding pathways, statuary and fountains, pavilions and gazebos and of course, elaborate flowers, trees, and shrubs. There is a summer concert series on Sundays in the park, which is open from 8 am until dusk, spring through fall. The gardens are located 5665 Spring Garden Road, Halifax.

For details, click here.

Halifax Citadel National Historic Site

One of the most visited sites in Canada, the star-shaped Halifax Citadel is a nineteenth century British fortification. Visitors can see performances by the pipers and drummers daily, May through October. During the remaining months of the year the grounds are open, but no services are available. The Citadel is on a hill above the city. By the way, Nova Scotia means "New Scotland," and the Scottish influence is heavily felt here at the Citadel.

For details, click here.

Peggy's Cove, South Shore

A short drive from Halifax, Peggy's Cove is one of the most photographed spots in Nova Scotia. Lighthouses, fishing villages, and rustic buildings are highlights of this region.

For details, click here.