Nova Scotia Vacation (trip update)

[allical1284]

I will be traveling to Nova Scotia late next month (last week in July-first week of August) with my 26mo DD and my 3mo DS.  My husband has a conference in Halifax and will join is in the evenings and the weekends, but during the day on the weekdays it will be just me and the kids.

I am looking for some fun activities that I can do with the kids.  Any advice?

We will be staying in Halifax, but will have a car.  We are coming from Houston where we are very used to driving an hour to get anywhere, so I don't mind driving. 

Any great parks, children's museums, zoos, farmer's markets, etc... that we should check out? Anything outdoors would be fantastic! We are looking forward to a reprieve from the 100+F temps here in Texas!!

Thanks!

[clutterbug]

I don't have links at the ready for all these places, but they are google-able:

outdoor stuff

Ross Farm is about an hour out of Halifax

Shubenacadie Wildlife Park also about an hour (in a different direction)

Atlantic Playland is an amusement park type spot within Halifax municipality, about 30 minutes from downtown

Hatfield Farm has hay rides and stuff, they are not far from the Playland so within city limits

Halifax waterfront is a great spot for just walking, grabbing an ice cream etc.  I *think* your timing lines up with the Busker Festival, which is loads of fun but very crowded.  You can also grab the ferry over to Dartmouth and back, kids love that.  It's part of the city transit system, so it's cheap and a short trip, you can sit up on the top and enjoy the sunshine (if we ever get any, LOL!  Actually, it's sunny today, so here's hoping).  There is a city library (closed Sunday and Monday) in the Dartmouth ferry terminal with a nice kids area, you could head over, check out the library, and then head back to Halifax for an inexpensive outing.

Dewolfe Park in Bedford (part of Halifax, probably 10 minute drive from downtown) is right on the waterfront and has a big pirate ship themed play structure for the kids.

indoor stuff

Discovery Centre - a kids science centre

NS Museum of Natural History - new forest display just opened up, interactive for kids to play.  They also have a butterfly house and various kids programming.  I think they have an exhibit right now on the deep sea.

Maritime Museum of the Atlantic - lots of kids programming, I think

The Halifax Farmers market is in two locations.  Worth checking out.  Not sure of the hours, actually - one location (in an old brewery, it's pretty fun to wander around) is weekends only, the newer one (beautiful new facility on the water) might be weekdays, too, I am not sure.

Oh and you should check out Peggy's Cove some evening (during daylight) as a family (soyour Dh gets to see it too!).  It is gorgeous there.  Pick a clear day that isn't too windy.  It's about 45 minutes from the city.  And read the signs - they are not kidding about staying off the rocks by the water, it's dangerous!  The lighthouse area gives a beautiful view and no worries about stray waves.

I love where i live, can you tell? :P

[allical1284]

Thank you!!! I am printing off your reply now and will sit and google all of these locations! This was so incredibly helpful!! We are very excited about our upcoming trip!

Thanks again!!

[childsplay]

If it's nice there's some fantastic beaches as well - Clam Harbour Beach and Martinique Beach, outside of Dartmouth, not too far from Halifax.

Sandy Lake (Bedford) is a perfect beach for little kids, it's lifeguarded and shallow with no currents.

If you google recconnect hrm you should find links to all recreational activities and sites in hrm (Halifax Regional Mun.)

Oh and I second Ross Farm! It rocks, kids love it. 

[allical1284]

Thanks! I read that the beaches were beautiful in the area, but I have to admit, as native Texans, we are ultra cold water wimps :) We may definitely go and just play on the sand though!

I am getting ready to go dig out the kid's winter clothes so that I can pack for the trip.  We have seriously had Christmas days here that are warmer than the average NS summer day!!

[~Amy~]

I LOVE Halifax...hope you have fun!  I grew up in Truro, about 1 hour away.  Our favourite stuff to do there (some may have been mentioned by the PP):

Public Gardens...DS loves the swans

Ride on Theodore Too Tugboat

Ice cream at Sugah

Maritime Museum of the Atlantic

Seaport Farmer's Market

For restaurants, we love the Wooden Monkey, Your Father's Moustache (especially great for brunch), Turkish Delight, Cabin Coffee, Uncommon Grounds (coffee shop with a play area in the back...very family friendly!), Hart & Thistle

About clothing, make sure the kids have sweatshirts & long pants for cool evenings, but during the day, it will be quite warm that time of year.  We wear shorts, t-shirts, etc and add a sweater as the sun goes down, especially along the water front.

For beaches, Queensland is my favourite in the area.  The water is pretty warm there.  And yes, check out Peggy's Cove if you have a chance.  Enjoy your trip!

[Magali]

You are all getting me exited to move closer to Halifax!  I live in the middle of nowhere NB and we are so far away from anything, but hopefully we are going to be moving to Nova Scotia in the next couple of years.  I can't wait to wake up in the morning and actually have fun things to do!!! 

[allical1284]

Thank you again everyone! Amy, super thanks for the food recommendations! I've been slowly working on my itinerary this week...

[allical1284]

Trip update! We got back from our 11 day adventure around Nova Scotia this week, and I just wanted to thank everyone for their wonderful suggestions.  We had a really fantastic time.

Our first weekend we flew into Halifax and got settled into our room at the Prince George Hotel (we stayed here for 8 days during DH's conference).  That weekend we drove out to Peggy's Cove, ate Dee Dee's ice cream, had a wonderful day at a beach in Queensland, and had another great day at Ross Farm Museum (awesome place!).  

During DH's conference, the kids and I hung around the Halifax area.  We happened to be there during the Natal Day festivities, so we got to watch the fireworks at the Commons (we watched from the Citadel), and then went to watch the next set along the harbor.  That Monday, I took the kids over to Sullivan's Pond Park in Dartmouth (via the ferry) for the Natal Day Festival thing.  We also went to the Maritime museum, the Seaport Farmer's Market (twice.  We loaded up the hotel room with fresh apples, berries, and plums to snack on), the Public Gardens, and the Discovery Centre (twice here also. DD loved it!) We ate dinner several times at the Wooden Monkey and had lunch at Your Father's Mustache.  I had more than my fair share of Sugah ice cream and Propeller root beer :)

For our last weekend there, we drove out to Brier Island.  The drive through Digby and across the 2 ferry crossings was spectacular! The weather was great! We had an amazing time on Brier island.  We did lots of hiking, bird watching, and rock collecting.  We also went on one of the best whale-wathcing tours; watching the humpbacks breach the water next to our boat was incredible! 

Thank you for sharing your beautiful little province with us! On a side note, I was sooo impressed with all of the babywearing and public nursing I saw while I was there! Where we live, nursing in public is a very rare sight! I almost danced with excitement a few times when I saw moms in Halifax with older nurslings; I felt very welcomed the whole time we were there.  

On a side, side note, holy moly those hills in Halifax are no joke!!! One day I had to do laundry a few blocks from the hotel so I strapped the laundry bag in the umbrella stroller, wore DS in a mei tai on my front and DD in a Boba on my back, and I seriously thought I may die as I trudged up the hill back to the hotel!!

[~Amy~]

Oh your update gives me the warm fuzzies:D. I'm so glad you had a great time! I miss Nova Scotia so much. Thanks for updating us!