10 Best Sights in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Affectionately dubbed "Canada's Front Door," Pier 21 served as the entry point for nearly a million immigrants—refugees, evacuees, war brides, and others—between 1928 and 1971, and in a country where the population is only slightly more than 36 million, it's a significant number. It's now a national museum, honoring the huge contribution that these immigrants have made to Canada. Personal and often very moving stories have been collected from immigrants, offering insight into their quest for a new life and the success (and occasional failure) of the system. The Scotiabank Family History Centre is often buzzing with new generations of Canadians discovering their genealogy, while temporary exhibitions highlight issues such as asylum seekers, peace through diversity, and the foreign cultures that continue to enrich Canadian life. The museum also offers a work experience and mentoring program to help ease newly arrived immigrants into the workplace—your guide might have his or her own personal immigration story to tell.

Erected between 1826 and 1856 on Halifax's highest hill, the Citadel still dominates the skyline and, as Canada's most-visited National Historic Site, remains a magnet for tourists. The present Citadel, with its dry moat and stone ramparts, was the fourth defensive structure to be built on the site, and formerly was linked to smaller forts and gun emplacements on the harbor islands and the bluffs above the harbor entrance. You can visit the barracks, guardroom, and powder magazine before heading for the parade ground to watch reenactors, sporting kilts and tall feather "bonnets," practice their drills. Tours help bring the history of the fort and the city to life throughout the day in high season, but the best time to visit is just before noon when the Noon Gun is fired—a tradition since 1857. The Citadel is also home to the Army Museum, with excellent exhibits and a War Art Gallery.

Running from the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 to Casino Nova Scotia, this photogenic 3-km (2-mile) footpath offers backdoor access to the Historic Properties, the Marine Museum of the Atlantic, and the Discovery Centre. Newer landmarks such as Purdy's Wharf (site of Halifax's two grandest skyscrapers) and Bishop's Landing (an attractive complex with condos and shops) are on the route; while others, including the Seaport Farmers' Market and the cruise-ship terminal, are only a few minutes’ walk away. Shops and restaurants line the section between Sackville Landing and the Historic Properties, and in peak season, festivals and events, ice-cream peddlers, and street performers do, too. The water, however, remains the real attraction. To get out on it, take one of the many boat tours that depart from the boardwalk's Cable Wharf.

In an 1867 Italianate-style building that previously served as a post office, bank, and the headquarters of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, this provincial art gallery has an extensive permanent collection of more than 17,000 works—so many that there are also two floors of gallery space within the neighboring Provincial Building. Some are primarily of historical interest; others are major works by contemporary Canadian painters like Christopher Pratt, Alex Colville, and Tom Forrestall. The gallery also has a major collection of Annie Leibovitz photographs. The gallery's heart, however, is an internationally recognized collection of maritime folk art by artists such as wood-carver Sydney Howard and painter Joe Norris. The Provincial Building annex also contains the actual home of the late painter Maud Lewis (Canada's answer to Grandma Moses), whose bright, cheery paintings cover the tiny structure inside and out.

One of the oldest formal Victorian gardens in North America, this city oasis had its start in 1753 as a private garden. Its layout was completed in 1875 by Richard Power, former gardener to the Duke of Devonshire in Ireland. Gravel paths wind among ponds, trees, and flower beds, revealing an astonishing variety of plants from all over the world. The centerpiece is an ornate gazebo-like bandshell, erected in 1887 for Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, where free Sunday afternoon concerts take place at 2 from mid-June through mid-September. Grab a coffee and a treat at Uncommon Grounds Cafe, which is housed in the historic Horticulture Hall. The gardens are open year-round and a pleasure in every season.

The exhibits in this waterfront museum, housed partly in a restored chandlery, include small boats once used around the coast, as well as displays describing Nova Scotia's proud sailing heritage. The most memorable ones, though, are devoted to the Titanic and the Halifax Explosion. The former includes the ship's only surviving deck chair. Also on display are a section of wall paneling, a balustrade molding and part of a newel from the dual curving staircase, a mortuary bag, and the log kept by a wireless operator in Newfoundland on the night the ship sank. In the Halifax Explosion exhibit, newspaper accounts and quotes from survivors are poignantly paired with everyday objects recovered from the rubble. Other exhibits cover the Canadian Navy, sailing ships, the Age of Steam, and shipwrecks. On the wharf outside is the hydrographic steamer CSS Acadia, permanently moored here after a long life of charting the coasts of Labrador and the Arctic, and museum-ticket holders can board for tours from May through September. Be sure to say hello to the museum's resident talking rainbow macaw, Merlin. 

This is the place to learn about fossils, as well as the flora and fauna prevalent in Nova Scotia today. It's also home to star exhibit Gus, a friendly Gopher Tortoise born in the 1920s, who is usually out and about around 3:30 pm. The Nature Centre is home to other live creatures, including snakes, frogs, and insects. The museum has a program of daily events and hosts major traveling exhibits as well as nature talks, walks, and workshops that appeal to all interests and ages.

Most of the city's former fortifications have been turned into public parks, including this one, which encompasses 186 wooded acres on a headland south of downtown with walking trails and seafront paths. The major military installation here is a massive round tower dating from the late 18th century, but the greatest threat the park ever faced came from Mother Nature. In September 2003, Hurricane Juan tore through, uprooting or damaging 75,000 trees (about 75% of the park's total) in a matter of hours, in the process leaving present-day parkgoers the same harbor views that must have inspired its use as a military command post in the first place. Having been nurtured since the storm, Point Pleasant is again immensely popular with strollers, joggers, and dog walkers. It's the perfect vantage point from which to watch ships entering the harbor, and in summer it's the site of Shakespeare by the Sea performances.

For ocean swimming, this sand and cobble beach is the closest serviced option to Halifax, although it's a 30-minute drive from downtown, and the area near the channel should be avoided when the tide is going out because of strong rip currents. Lifeguards, on duty in July and August, set out markers to indicate the dangerous areas. Elsewhere, Rainbow Haven is safe and great for families. The beach is free for day use, and there is a campground (fee) with its own swimming area. Change houses are available, and boardwalks aid accessibility. The beach's access road closes at 8 pm, so plan your time accordingly. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (free); showers; toilets. Best for: swimming; walking.