Recommendations from Members of the Department of Chemistry

at Dalhousie University

 Before You Make your Plans:

Visit the tourism website and complete the form to receive a copy of the free, comprehensive tourism guidebook (Doers and Dreamers Travel Guide to Nova Scotia) and a detailed map of Nova Scotia. It will be mailed to you. Alternatively, you can pick one up at any Nova Scotia tourism desk, e.g. at the Halifax airport.

 Destination Nova Scotia is a very useful website for helping plan your trip.

 Other Information Sources:

The Chronicle Herald’s Thursday newspaper contains a comprehensive section on upcoming entertainment events.

An abbreviated list is posted online.

The Coast is a free weekly entertainment newspaper available in many stores and other public places, and in boxes on the street.

It also is available online.

 Getting Around:

Halifax is an excellent city for walking. Many of the main attractions are within walking distance of the Convention Centre.

In addition, there is a public transit system consisting of buses and ferries.

The ferry runs are Halifax-Dartmouth (across the harbour) and Halifax-Woodside (to a more remote location at the mouth of the harbour).

 If you drive in Halifax, you will find it useful to know that the two Halifax-Dartmouth bridges have tolls ($0.75 for cars), and the “rules” for driving the Armdale Rotary are to weave in (one car proceeds on the Rotary for each car that feeds into the Rotary).

 To See and Do Within 30 Minutes Walk of the Convention Centre (WTCC):

•  Walk east from the Convention Centre to the water, and take a walk along the Halifax waterfront, and see all the activities in the harbour, and also Historic Properties.

• Visit the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic  and see some of the artifacts from the Titanic.

• Visit the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History.

• Visit the chip wagon (Bud the Spud) outside the Main Library, at Spring Garden Road, just east of Queen Street. Sit on the library wall to eat and people-watch.

• See the harbour from the ferry to Dartmouth for just bus fare. While there, enjoy dinner at MacAskills, an upscale restaurant on the top of the Dartmouth Ferry Terminal; restaurant reservations recommended.

• Visit the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia.

• Relax in the Public Gardens, a full block of gardens in the heart of the city, to the north-west of the Spring Garden Road/South Park Street intersection but . . . do not walk on the grass.

• Visit the Halifax Citadel, just up from the Convention Centre. It’s a steep walk up, but well worth it for the view and the history. Open 9 am to 5 pm.

• Visit Pier 21, the historic gateway to Canada for immigrants arriving by ship.

• Take a tour on the Harbour Hopper.

• Tour a Tall Ship, “The Silva”.

• Visit Point Pleasant Park, a great place for running or walking. Located at the tip of the Halifax peninsula, a large network of trails both outline and cross the 75 hectare park, allowing great views of the harbour, ocean and forest.   After/before the run/walk get an ice cream at either of the main entrances to the park!

• Visit Dalhousie University.   Tours can be arranged in advance or call (902) 494-2587) or just wander.  Check out one of the best views in the city from the 8th floor of the LSC (Life Sciences Building).  Maps are available. 

• Visit the Halifax Farmers Market on 1496 Lower Water Street in the Keith's Brewery building for great food and local crafts.  Open every Saturday from 7 am to 1 pm.

• Take a tour of the Keith's Brewery, 1496 Lower Water Street. It is really fun (and informative).  Minors are welcome.

 Special Recommendations for Visitors with Children: 

• Visit the hands-on science centre, Discovery Centre, located at 1593 Barrington Street (walking distance from the Convention Centre).

• Visit St. Mary’s Boat Club where there is a lovely playground and great views of the Northwest Arm. 10 minute drive from downtown.

• Climb on the ship jungle gym at the back of the Maritime Museum, on the harbour side at the Halifax waterfront.

• Visit the tugboat Theodore Too.

• Visit the Fun Zone at Dalplex, the sports complex on the Dalhousie campus.

• Visit the Clay Café, at 6413 Quinpool Road and paint your own pottery.  You can have it mailed to you if it is not ready before you leave Halifax.

• Visit the Sportsplex in Dartmouth.

• Visit the Shubenacadie Wildlife Park, 40 minutes drive from Halifax.

• Visit Ross Farm Museum, a working farm in the era of 150 years ago, when Nova Scotia was being settled. This is about an hour’s drive from Halifax.

 Shopping:

• Scotia Square Mall is located at Duke and Barrington Street; it is connected to the Convention Centre  and the Delta Hotels by the Downtown Halifax Link system.

• Barrington Place Shops  have many specialty stores; they are located across the street from Scotia Square Mall.

• Spring Garden Road is only a short walk from the Convention Centre.

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• The Book Room is an independent bookstore at 1546 Barrington Street, with a large selection of local books as well as popular and classic books.

• The closest grocery stores to the WTCC are two Atlantic Superstores, one at 6139 Quinpool Road (just west of Robie Street), and one at 1145 Barrington Street, near Inglis Street and Sobey’s at 1120 Queen Street. Closed Sundays.

• Pete's Frootique is a great place to get fresh food if you get tired of eating out.  It is located on Dresden Row (off Spring Garden Road). Open 7 days a week.

• The Freak Lunchbox at 1723 Barrington Street is an amazing candy shop that is worth going just to look around. You will find all your childhood favourites and more.

• Halifax Shopping Centre is 10 minutes drive from downtown. Closed Sundays.

• Bayer’s Lake, outside the city, off Highway 102, houses the “big box” stores. Closed Sundays.

• Mic Mac Mall is a large shopping centre located in Dartmouth, across the harbour from Halifax. Closed Sundays.

• If you are interested in knitting and crocheting there are several excellent places in Halifax, all carrying some really special yarns including the handpainted yarns from the Fleece Artist: The Loop Craft Café, 1547 Barrington Street; L.K. Yarns, 5545 Young Street; Tangled Skeins, 158 Portland Street, Dartmouth. In addition, there is an Alpaca farm in Rose Bay (near Lunenburg) and the associated Rumour Mill has some amazing yarn. Near Wolfville, Gaspereau Fibres have a lot of roving for spinners and weavers in addition to yarns.

 Night Life:

• When you register for the Conference, buy tickets for the Conference’s Lobster Banquet on Tuesday, May 30. This event, to be held at Pier 22 will be one to remember.

• Halifax has many bars and clubs. Argyle Street is one of the busiest for nightlife in Halifax.  The many bars and restaurants cater to every taste, with many turning into dance-floors as the evening progresses.

• Attend “Evita” at Neptune Theatre running April 18 - May 28, 2006. Tickets might be scarce but can be purchased online in advance.

• Spend and evening at one of the two dinner theatres in downtown Halifax,

  the Grafton Street Dinner Theatre and the Halifax Feast Dinner Theatre.

• Scotia Festival of Music, a two-week chamber music festival, runs May 28 - June 11.

 Half-Day Trips from Halifax:

• Visit the fishing village of Peggy’s Cove, one of the most photographed places in Canada. Tour buses to Peggy’s Cove can be arranged to make pick-ups at hotels (ask at the hotel desk).

• Visit Fisherman’s Cove at Eastern Passage, and have a fish lunch or dinner at Boondocks.  You can drive there or take the harbour water taxi from Cable Warf.

• Hike or paddle the Shubenacadie Canal and waterway. This is close to Halifax and could be a day or half-day outing.

• Visit Sainte-Famille Wines in Falmouth, less than an hour’s drive from Halifax.

• Visit one of our many golf courses.

• Check out the year-round surfing at Lawrencetown Beach.

 Day Trips from Halifax:

• A drive to Parrsboro, Nova Scotia will take you past the world’s highest tidal basin (Bay of Fundy), with great views of the basin from Five Islands Provincial Park, a good place to stop for a picnic. In Parrsboro, visit the Fundy Geological Museum; call ahead to arrange a tour to mineral or fossil sites.

• Visit Hall’s Harbour in the Annapolis Valley, a picturesque fishing village. While in the Annapolis Valley, stay for some of the Apple Blossom Festival activities, or visit historic Grand Pre, or the K.C. Irving Environmental Science Greenhouses at Acadia University, or the Blomidon Lookoff (small roadside stop, located on Highway 358 towards Scots Bay), or take a hike at Cape Split, a superb walk through the forest to the end of the cape for fantastic views of the Bay of Fundy. 

• Drive along the Lighthouse Route, following the south shore to Lunenburg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with stops in Chester and Mahone Bay along the way.  Directions: Take Hwy 103 West to exit 5 (Upper Tantallon), then turn off the highway, and onto Hwy 3. Turn left at hwy ramp, then right on Hwy 3. (Peggy’s Cove is also located off exit 5 if you want to take a detour!) Estimated time from Halifax: 1.5 hours to Chester, 2.5 hours to Lunenburg. Things to see and do: The shoreline is beautiful through St. Margaret's Bay; visit the Captain's House in Chester, see the famous three churches in Mahone Bay, and stop at Amos Pewter or hire a kayak to explore the bay.  In Lunenburg, be sure to visit the Fisherman's Museum of the Atlantic.  The Bluenose II is in port at Lunenburg until May 31st.

• Sea kayaking tours can be taken of Dover Archipelago near Peggy's Cove/Halifax, or of the Bay of Fundy near Cape Chignecto, or from Tangier, along the province's rugged Eastern Shore.

• Ride the tidal bore. Nova Scotia’s exceptionally high tides (up to 15 m), lead to a great wall of water coming up the Shubenacadie River, and you can ride this in a raft as the tide rises.

• Visit Oxford, Nova Scotia, the wild blueberry capital of the world. Giant blueberries line the streets of this small town where there is a place to swim and play, as well as an informative and hands-on museum regarding blueberry farming and processing.  The maple industry also is discussed.

 If You Have a Few Days in the Region:

• Visit Prince Edward Island. You can drive from Halifax to Charlottetown, via the Confederation Bridge, in about 3 hours.

• Visit Cape Breton Island, including the Alexander Graham Bell Museum at Baddeck, the Cabot Trail [http://www.cabottrail.com/], and the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site.