Halifax, Nova Scotia

The capital of Nova Scotia is a beautiful city that seat on the Atlantic Ocean coast. Halifax has quit the maritime history that was a large trading port. Our trip to Halifax started with a drive around the Citadel Hill. We drove up the large hill to drive around the fort that was built to overlook the harbor for defense. The fort was built in a star shape to provide more coverage while defending the city. You can walk around to explore the fort as well as watching the changing of the guard.

Fairview Lawn Cemetery

Our first stop of the trip was the Fairview Lawn Cemetery. It may seem strange that we are stopping at a cemetery but this isn’t just any cemetery, this is the resting place of 121 victims of the sinking of the Titanic. When the Titanic hit the iceberg and sunk ships were dispatched to bring back any survivors and dead. The victims that were either not claimed or identified were buried in Halifax. The White Star Line paid for the funerals and grave markers. The grave markers are elevated and somewhat resembles a sailing ship. Some of the grave markers have been changed due to family members finally claiming the victims or being identified through DNA testing (such as one young child). The section of the cemetery is well kept by locals and family member with flowers and trinkets such as a rock that is painted for one of the musicians that is buried here. It may seem like a morbid stop while visiting Halifax, but if you have a chance I highly recommend visiting.

Halifax Public Gardens

After visiting the cemetery we made a stop at a more serene and happier place – Halifax Public Gardens. The day we visited Halifax was cool and rainy and the weather leading up to early June was not typical weather for the season so a lot of the flowers and trees that would usually be in bloom unfortunately were not. Despite this it was still enjoyable and lovely to walk though the gardens. It was peaceful and refreshing. The garden is a large open space that has many varieties of flowers and trees as well as lakes and water features. There is also a gazebo where they hold open-air concerts. Another unique feature of the garden is a tree that was planted by Queen Elizabeth II with her father, King George VI when they visited Halifax in 1939.

Peggy’s Cove

Our last stop on our tour was Peggy’s Cove. We took a scenic ride from downtown Halifax to the sleep fishing village where Peggy’s Cove is located. Some people had anticipated a small town similar to what you would have seen in the old tv show ‘Murder She Wrote’ but in actuality this town is even smaller! There are a few homes that sit along the road that leads to the gift shop and where the lighthouse is located. The water around the lighthouse was slightly rough due to the storms that were around when we were there. This stop was not exactly what I anticipated. I thought there would be a little town to walk around, shop, eat, etc. but in actuality it is just the gift shop and lighthouse. Even though this was not a stop that I expected it is still a location that I would suggest making while you are in Halifax.