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Head out on a 45-minute drive from downtown Halifax to Musquodoboit Harbour, where you can hike coastal trails, walk the beach, surf, and stop into a local café or restaurant. Or check out the weekly farmers’ market while you’re there.

Martinique Beach: Longest sandy beach in Nova Scotia. You can take a surfing lesson here with Halifax Surf School, or just sit on the sand and have a beach day. 10/10 for a walk during the sunset.

Musquodoboit Trailway: 15 km trail that you can walk, run, or cycle. More challenging hikes connect to it, like the Admiral Lake Loop, Bayer Lake Loop, the South and North Granite Ridges, or Gibraltar Rock Loop. You can find really nice views here, especially in the fall. Prepare for ticks by wearing longer pants and do a tick check afterwards.

Musquodoboit Harbour Railway Museum: You'll find an ex-CN GE 44-tonner, a snowplow car, a CN caboose, and a mail crane. Browse posters, tickets, maps, and photographs inside the restored 1918 Canadian Northern Railway station. Grab an ice cream from Polar Bear Express after.

Steeple Green Books: Find $10 paperbacks, events, and meet the store's dog, Frank, and cat, Boo.

Food and drinks

Uprooted: Great for a coffee, sandwich, and a sweet treat. Their crumble bars are out of this world. Good outdoor seating as well and they have a small market area with local produce.

Martinique Desserterie: Go here for amazing cruffins and great Polish desserts. Fantastic sandwiches and coffee as well (really good spot to pre-order a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving by the way).

Noor's Mediterranean: They serve donairs, pizza, shawarma, and burgers. Pizza slices are available if you're in a rush that you can bring over to the beer garden.

Harbour Fish N' Fries: Strong contender for best fish n chips in HRM with outdoor seating available.

Sober Island Beer Garden (open Thursday to Sunday in the summer weather permitting): Grab a beer here after a day at the beach, or if you went surfing or hiking.

Lupin Dining: Drive down West Petpeswick Road for a farm-to-table meal. The dishes have Maritime flavours with Italian and French influences, using ingredients gathered from the garden. You can choose from an à la carte menu or the frequently changing chef's tasting menu.

Musquodoboit Harbour Farmers' Market: One of the main draws year-round. Open Sundays (10 am to 1 pm in the winter and 10 am to 2 pm in the summer), it features local produce, baked goods, meats, honey, artisan crafts, and coffee. Find the market inside the Eastern Shore Community Centre in the winter and by the railway museum in the summer.

Drive through West Chezzetcook for a scenic drive on the way or way back. You'll pass Lawrencetown Beach, Rose & Rooster Cafe - good spot for coffee, treats, and brunch (really nice back deck to watch the waves crash in), and Bentley's Burgers & Fries (cash only), known for smash burgers with house-made seasoning and creative spins on comfort food.

Any other tips or recommendations for a day trip to Musquodoboit Harbour?

Named after the town of Sackville, New Brunswick, HMCS Sackville now rests on the Halifax waterfront as Canada’s Naval Memorial. She's the only remaining Flower-class corvette of the 274 that served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. 

During the war, German U-boats were severing vital supply lines across the Atlantic to Britain, threatening the Allies’ war effort. The losses were staggering. June 1941 alone saw 454,000 tonnes of Allied shipping destroyed, and between January and July 1942, nearly 400 ships were sunk at the cost of just seven U-boats. 

Corvettes were the solution. Small, cheap, and quick to build, they could hunt U-boats and shield vulnerable merchant vessels. Nicknamed “Cheap and Nasties” by Winston Churchill, they became the workhorses of the North Atlantic. Sailing in convoys that often included about 40 ships, Corvettes defended the lifeline to Britain, engaging submarines and protecting cargoes from attack. 

HMCS Sackville escorted these merchant ships carrying food and military supplies from St. John’s, Newfoundland to Londonderry, Northern Ireland during the Battle of the Atlantic. 

Over the course of the war, Sackville faced both successes and losses. In early August 1942, she engaged three German U-boats in a single 24-hour period, putting two out of action. But the dangers went both ways. In September 1943, while part of an escort group, German U-boats sank several merchant ships and four escorts, inflicting major casualties. Sackville herself was rocked by an explosion, severely damaging her number one boiler. Repairs failed, and the defective boiler was removed, ending her career as a warship. She went on to serve as a training vessel for the HMCS Kings officer training establishment and later in loop-layer duties. 

Even without enemy fire, life aboard was relentless. Sea spray and waves drenched the decks, and once you were wet, you stayed that way - sometimes for weeks in freezing conditions. Ships pitched and rolled through the North Atlantic, swaying in every direction on two- to three-week voyages. Sailors had to adjust while battling seasickness, knowing a U-boat could be nearby. 

Many who served had never experienced the ocean, joining the Royal Canadian Navy from Canada’s inland provinces. Some enlisted out of the need for a steady income; others were driven by a desire to see the ocean, and many were motivated by patriotism or the chance to travel. Among them were many teenage boys, facing the same dangers and hardships as seasoned sailors. 

Today, you can take a tour or explore the vessel yourself, you'll move through the many spaces and systems that worked together to keep her running as one cohesive unit.  

At the bow stands the breech-loading four-inch gun, the Corvette’s primary weapon against surfaced U-boats. Without radar, targets had to be spotted entirely by the naked eye, even in rough seas or darkness. Ammunition could freeze solid in the Atlantic cold, a reminder of just how brutal the conditions were. Imagine standing on deck in that weather for hours, or even days. It’s a sobering thought while you’re onboard. 

Learn how orders travelled from the bridge to the wheelhouse through voice pipes, the only way to direct the steerer, who had almost no visibility from their position at the wheel. At night, steering was done completely blind, guided only by orders, as even the slightest escape of light could reveal the ship’s position to the enemy. While in the wheelhouse, you can also study the charts that mark the Corvettes’ convoy routes across the Atlantic. 

The sleeping quarters might offer the clearest glimpse into how rough sea life could be. These cramped spaces were crowded with hammocks, seats, and even cats, as some ships had a mascot to lift the sailors’ spirits.  

The crew’s quarters were also where sailors ate, tried to rest, and found what little entertainment they could. Sharing such close quarters with so many others was uncomfortable at best; without a hammock, you might start the night in a seat and end up on the floor, soaked from the saltwater pooling as the ship rolled and pitched. Boarding her today, it’s hard to imagine that roughly 60 sailors once lived and worked in these cramped conditions. 

Enduring these conditions day after day demanded not just physical stamina but mental grit to keep going in the face of exhaustion, cold, and monotony. You’ll also discover why the daily rum ration was the highlight of a sailor’s day, and how it served as currency on board. 

The senior crew’s sleeping quarters show just how complex even simple tasks could be. It was the job of a junior-ranked sailor to bring meals down - a task that seems simple until you factor in the boat’s constant motion. Navigating narrow passageways while trying not to spill or soak the food, all under the watchful eyes of higher-ranking crew, made it anything but easy.  

You’ll also discover some of the ship’s more technical features, each playing a critical role in keeping Sackville and her crew safe at sea. At the stern, you'll see the paravane, a minesweeping device used to protect the ship and the convoys she escorted through deadly underwater threats. 

First photo from the Canadian Naval Memorial Trust.

Second photo by Riaz Oozeer.

The Halifax Central Library, opened in 2014, was designed by local architectural firm Fowler Bauld & Mitchell in partnership with Schmidt Hammer Lassen. The exterior design resembles a stack of books (first photo by Riaz Oozeer), and the building covers 129,000 square feet, which includes its rooftop patio.

Awards won:

Maritime Architectural Design Excellence Award (2018)

Award of Excellence at the Halifax Urban Design Awards (2018)

Governor General Medal in Architecture of Canada (2016)

Photos by Riaz Oozeer

Here's a list of 10 things to do in Halifax this May. Feel free to use this post as a space to share any other things to do or events happening this month!!

1. Dance and sip mead at Martinique MoonFest

Nova Scotia's first ever moon festival. There will be a full moon ceremony on Martinique Beach and two days of markets, meditation, a moonwater flask workshop, and mead and cider tasting.

Martinique MoonFest | May 1-2 | Multiple locations 

2. Go on Jane's Walk or participate in Open City

Go on a guided walking tour, showcasing the people, places, and history of Halifax. They have mural tours, nature strolls, and an interactive city stamping tour. If you like history, you'll learn about the beginning of democracy in Halifax, the hidden history of Dalhousie University, Halifax's oldest cemeteries, the Halifax Public Gardens, and the fortifications of York Redoubt.

Open City gives you a chance to support the local shops, cafes, and restaurants with special sidewalk snacks, pop-up deals and street performances across the Halifax peninsula and downtown Dartmouth.

3. Enjoy Halifax's craft beverage scene

Rare & Fine Wine Tasting | May 1 | Prince George Hotel 
Science of Beer | May 9 | The Discovery Centre 
East Coast Cider Festival | May 16 | Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel 

4. Shop local at artisan and vintage markets

Halifax Crafters Spring Market | May 2-3 | Light House Arts Centre 
Annual Spring Market | May 3 | Oxalis 
Mother's Day Market | May 3 | Halifax Brewery Market 
Halifax Vintage Paper Show | May 23 | Halifax Forum 
Barn Blooms Night Market | May 28 | Hubbards Barn Market 
Halifax Vintage Glass Show | May 30 | Halifax Forum

5. Cheer on the Wanderers, Tides, Thunderbirds, or Hoopers

Go support Halifax's soccer teams at a Wanderers or Tides match, or the Halifax Hoopers, who are tipping off their second season.

The Thunderbirds begin their National Lacrosse League playoffs journey against the Georgia Swarm this May. Catch them at the Scotiabank Centre on May 9th for some exciting playoff action.

Halifax Wanderers FC Home Matches | May 2, 23, 30 | Wanderers Grounds  Halifax Hoopers | May 8, 10, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, Zatzman Sportsplex  Halifax Thunderbirds Home Match | May 9 | Scotiabank Centre
Halifax Tides FC Home Matches | May 18, 29 | Wanderers Grounds  

6. Go to the Halifax Comedy Festival

More than 30 comedians from across North America, performing in multiple venues throughout the city.

Halifax ComedyFest | May 5-10 | Multiple locations

7. Go beyond brunch for Mother's Day

Go on a hike along the coast, craft pottery, design a signature scent at The 7 Virtues, or cuddle therapy goats at Ataraxy Farm. And purchase some flowers from a local florist.

8. Support Black culinary excellence

For one week this May, ByBlacks Restaurant Week features local Black-owned restaurants with prix-fixe menus or a $10 special.

ByBlacks Restaurant Week | May 11-17 | Multiple locations 

9. Run the Blue Nose

Run one of the six running events, including the full marathon, a Boston qualifying run that takes you through the streets of Halifax and Dartmouth.

Blue Nose Marathon | May 15-17 | Multiple locations 

10. Catch some live music

Go to NovaFest at Alderney Landing, showcasing student ensembles, alumni acts, and local artists, brought to you by NSCC's Music Arts program. For two weeks this month, Halifax is hosting some of the world's most accomplished classical musicians at the Scotia Festival of Music. There will be 20+ guest musicians and a roster of talented young artists.

NOVAFest | May 16-17 | Alderney Landing 
Scotia Festival of Music | May 25 – June 7 | Multiple locations 

In honour of Canadian Independent Bookstore Day tomorrow (April 25), here are some of Halifax's top indie bookstores to check out.

Agricola Street Books: They hold over 10,000 new and used titles, with a kids' corner, spread across three floors.

Trident Booksellers & Café: Find secondhand books and specialty coffee. They also host live performances at night.

Woozles Children's Bookstore: Canada's oldest children's bookstore. They offer a wide selection of kids' and young adult literature as well as community workshops and book clubs.

Strange Adventures Comics & Curiosities: You'll find new and vintage comics, graphic novels, toys, and collectibles, with regular events including signings and free comic book day.

Open Book Coffee: Bookstore and cafe, specializing in Atlantic Canadian literature and espresso. They host lots of community events that are worth checking out.

Venus Envy: An education-forward bookstore and sex shop. A welcoming environment with quality products.

Steeple Green Books: Bookstore on the Eastern Shore with a great selection of books by local authors and lots of new releases. You can also meet their store dog (Frank) and cat (Boo).

Atlantic News: Atlantic Canada's largest independent newsstand, carrying over 5,000 magazine titles and 2,000 same-day international newspapers.

Realms & Roses: Great spot for romance and fantasy readers, they have great merch, plus regular book clubs and events.

Photos 2, 5, 6 and 9 by @littlecanadianbookworm

Photos 1, 3, 4, 7, and 8 by Riaz Oozeer

In celebration of Earth Day, here's a list of some of the best ways to experience Halifax sustainably. Any recommendations?

Tour the harbour in an all-electric boat: The Violet Mac is the Halifax Harbour Tour’s all-electric 1930s-style harbour launch. There’s a maximum passenger load of eight people, making for a personable 60-minute guided boat tour.

Rent bikes: I Heart Bikes offers rentals and e-bike tours on the Halifax waterfront. Ride around Halifax on your own or take a tour with a guide.

Rent skates or roller blades at the Oval: Offers free public skating, rollerblading, and cycling. In the winter, it becomes the largest outdoor, artificially refrigerated ice surface east of Quebec City and is the size of three NHL hockey rinks. They also offer free equipment rentals.

Visit Memory Lane Heritage Village: See what life was like in rural Nova Scotia in the 1940s. The museum is 100% solar powered. You can see the goats, kittens, and enter the historic buildings filled with 1940s artifacts. While there, eat lunch in their cookhouse or at the picnic tables outside.

Kayak rentals and tours in Lower Prospect: East Coast Outfitters offers sea kayak tours, kayak lessons, and kayak rentals. You can learn about the area's natural and cultural history through one of their guides.

Rent a surfboard or take surf lessons on the Eastern Shore: Head to Lawrencetown Beach or Martinique Beach. You can book a lesson with East Coast Surf School, Kannon Beach Wind & Surf, or Halifax Surf School, all of which also offer rentals and local tips.

Go to Ataraxy Farm: Drive over to the Eastern Shore and take a tour or shop the goat milk products. You'll get to spend time with their horses, donkeys, and goats.

Shop at local farmers’ markets: Support local crafters, growers, makers, bakers, and farmers at the Alderney Landing Farmers’ Market, Halifax Brewery Farmers’ Market, Halifax Forum Farmers’ Market, Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market, Musquodoboit Harbour Farmers’ Market, Hubbards Farmers’ Market, Spryfield Farmers’ Market, Tantallon Village Farmers’ Market, and Annapolis Valley Produce.

Visit the Halifax Central Library: Sustainably built and operated with features like water efficiency efforts and responsible material selection upon building. Visit and grab a coffee at East Cup Cafe and sit on the rooftop patio with a book.

If you're visiting Halifax, a great way to estimate your trip's carbon emissions is to use this carbon footprint calculator. If you enter some details about your trip, it'll calculate a suggested donation amount to the Nature Conservancy of Canada (which supports local conservation efforts and protects habitats and wildlife) based on factors like your mode of transport, diet, length of stay, and more.

Here's a list of the best places to see ducks in Halifax. Where are your favourite spots?

Sullivan's Pond: A large pond in downtown Dartmouth and part of the Shubenacadie Canal. Walk around or sit on the benches along the shore. It is famous for its large geese, which can be found around the pond during the summer. There's also a concert pavilion, a cenotaph, and a large fountain in the centre of the pond.

Hemlock Ravine Park: Walking trails, off-leash areas, and a heart-shaped pond. Lots of history that you can read about on the signs at the entrance of the park. Ducks live at the pond here year-round.

Shubie Park: 40-acre park with one of the best trail systems in the Halifax region. It's part of the parks, lakes, and locks that make up the Shubenacadie Canal Waterway. You can find Mallards and American Black Ducks here.

Halifax Public Gardens: Home to over 140 species of trees, beautiful flower beds, bridges, statues, fountains, and an ornate bandstand. The Gardens are home to 75 species of birds, including the American Black Duck and the Wood Duck, in the summer and fall.

Frog Pond Park: Connected to Sir Sandford Fleming Park and features various wooded trails that loop around Frog Pond, a small lake home to many ducks and other waterfowl.

Horseshoe Island Park: Not actually an island - it's along the Northwest Arm and has a curved beach and is home to many ducks. You can also spot sailboats and yachts that are moored along this part of the inlet.

Belchers Marsh Park: A trail in Clayton Park that loops around Belchers Pond and Little Belchers Pond. The complete loop is about 2.5 km. You may spot ducks and other birds, such as bald eagles and cranes. The Belchers Pond Observation Deck gives a great view of the marsh and the wildlife.

Photo: Shubie Park (courtesy of the Shubenacadie Canal Commission)

Few cities are as closely tied to April 15, 1912 as Halifax. When the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank roughly 700 nautical miles off Nova Scotia's coast, Halifax was the city that responded.

As the nearest major port with rail connections, Halifax was the base for the recovery efforts, sending two rugged cable vessels, a lighthouse tender, and a cargo-passenger steamer whose crews were no strangers to heavy North Atlantic conditions. It was these ships that recovered almost all of the victims. Halifax received them at the Mayflower Curling Club, converted into a temporary morgue (swipe to slide 2 to see), and when identifications ran out, the city buried the rest. More Titanic victims rest in Halifax than anywhere else on Earth. 

Learn more about Halifax’s connection to the Titanic and how to experience this history in the region here.

Photos courtesy of the Nova Scotia Archives.

Here's a list of things to do on a rainy day like today in Halifax. Please feel free leave some recommendations for things you like to do on a rainy day!!

Visit the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia: Find works shaped by the sea and everyday life at The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, which holds over 19,000 works and stands as the largest art gallery in Atlantic Canada.

Visit the Maud Lewis display (folk art), the Mi'kma'ki Artists Spotlight (refreshed regularly with new artists and tells stories, traditions, and artistic practices of the Mi'kmaq), and Ta’n a’sikatikl sipu’l | Confluence (depictions and stories by Indigenous artists across Canada, including paintings, carvings, textiles, and historic artifacts).

Go to a pottery studio: Hit up Thinking Ceramic on Spring Garden Road. Guests of all ages can take home the pottery they paint. You can choose from a wide selection of ready-to-paint bisque pieces or join guided clay projects. Grab a coffee or tea while you're there.

In Cole Harbour, Best Kind Mud Shop offers pottery classes, take-home kits, and supplies. After your visit, go to downtown Dartmouth and stop in for a croissant and coffee at Two If By Sea.

Go to the Museum of Natural History: Learn about Mi’kmaw culture and Nova Scotia’s marine life, nature, and forests through exhibits like Pjila’si, the Marine Gallery, and Netukulimk. And make sure you pay a visit to Gus, the 103-year-old gopher tortoise.

Play board and card games at The Board Room Game Cafe: Pick from their large selection of classics along with plenty of games you've never heard of before. Order snacks, burgers, and pizza from their food menu, and get a shake, cocktail, mocktail, beer, or coffee to pair with it.

Check out the Halifax Central Library: Take the Escheresque staircase to the fifth floor, cantilevered out over the front plaza, and grab a coffee from East Cup to sip while you read a book.

You’ll also find community-access computers, a local history room, displays celebrating African Nova Scotian, Indigenous, and Acadian/Francophone heritage and culture, as well as artwork by local artists. Visitors with young children can visit the Lindsay Children’s Room, a preschool play area with books, toys, and more geared toward young library guests.

Climb indoors at Halifax’s bouldering and climbing gyms: Head to East Peak Climbing on Quinpool Road or one of Seven Bays Bouldering’s three locations on Gottingen Street, in Bayers Lake, or in Burnside. Both are very welcoming to beginners and offer rentals.

With the weather hopefully warming up over the next couple of weeks, here are some things to do in Halifax in spring. Feel free to leave some more suggestions!!

Walk through the Halifax Public Gardens: See the first flowers start to bloom in a Victorian-era garden. Recommend grabbing a coffee and a pastry from Bliss Caffeine Bar beforehand and taking them for your walk through the gardens. Keep an eye out for Mallard ducklings throughout the season, or the year-round White-breasted Nuthatch. The best way to see and learn about birds is to join a free guided bird tour, which begins in the third week of May at the Halifax Public Gardens.

Go surfing: Take a lesson with East Coast Surf School or Kannon Beach Wind & Surf at Lawrencetown Beach, or Halifax Surf School at Martinique Beach. It's worth grabbing a coffee or sandwich at Lawrencetown Beach Café after surfing at Lawrencetown.

If you're heading back from Martinique Beach, Uprooted or Martinique Desserterie are great spots to hit afterwards. The crumble bars at Uprooted are unreal, and the Desserterie has some amazing Polish desserts and muffins.

If you want to take a scenic route back from Martinique, drive through West Chezzetcook. You can stop for a smash burger at Bentley's Burgers & Fries (cash only), and at Rose & Rooster for a coffee.

Take a walk through Point Pleasant Park: Watch groups of chickadees and squirrels, or sit and relax on the rocks on the west side of the park, great for sunbathing or picnicking on a warmer day. If you're looking to explore the park in more detail, this brochure by the Halifax Military Preservation Society includes a map showing the locations of historic landmarks throughout the park. It also includes handy information, such as bathroom locations.

Go on a bike ride: Rent a bike from I Heart Bikes and go along the Halifax waterfront; pick up a mountain bike from Cyclesmith and explore McIntosh Run; or go along the St. Margaret's Bay Trail with a rental from Train Station Bike & Bean (grab a panini and coffee while you're there) or bike or e-bike with Scotia Cycle.

Take a tour: Many tours resume their operations in the spring. Take a sea kayak tour of Lower Prospect with East Coast Outfitters and see the bays, inlets, islands, and shorelines, including Cub Basin, Rogues Roost, and the Terence Bay Wilderness Area. If a cruise on the Halifax Harbour is more your thing, go on City Harbour Cruises' retro music cruise and listen to hits from the 80s and 90s on a private chartered Grand Entertainer pontoon boat.

If you want the scoop on some of the best local food, go on a food tour with Curated and sample the best of Quinpool Road or Spring Garden Road.

Taking the bison tour at Lindsay Lake Farms is a great way to experience spring in rural Nova Scotia. Embrace the farm's muddiness and see the bison, horses, and chickens.

Events happening in Halifax this spring:

Soccer: Wanderers (April 18) and Tides (April 25) home openers

Lacrosse: Halifax Thunderbirds' last regular-season home game (April 18)

Blue Nose Marathon (May 15-17)

Halifax ComedyFest (May 5-9)