This is a continuation of my article ‘Tips to enjoy winter’. I talked about how I decided to enjoy this city despite the cold weather that lingers for more than just winter. In case you missed it, please read it here:
In this article, I’m listing the things you can do in Halifax. To keep it simple, I talked about two seasons here: When it’s cold and when it isn’t.
HOW TO ENJOY LIFE IN HALIFAX
WHEN IT’S COLD/RAINY
Following are my tips to enjoy life in Halifax, NS for when its cold as the winter here can last longer than other places in the world.
Grow
- Spend a relaxing day at the Central Library or your local library.
- Join networking groups in the city and make new friends/clients. Business Networking International (BNI) is a great professional networking group. They have regular events as shared in the link.
- Go to a pottery cafe: Diy studio (Darthmouth) or Clay Cafe (Halifax)
Explore
- Visit the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Maritime Museum, Museum of Natural history, Africville Museum & Museum of Pier 21.
- Visit St. Paul’s Anglican Church, the oldest building in Halifax and the oldest existing Anglican place of worship in Canada.
- Visit Nova Scotia Parliament Province House.
Entertain
- Attend Glow Halifax with family & friends which takes place annually at Halifax Exhibition Center.
- Book a play and enjoy the experience at Neptune Theatre.
- Enjoy a weekend night at Pacifico Disco club with great food and ambiance.
- Spend an afternoon at the board room cafe with friends.
- Spend an evening at a pub with live music. Halifax pubs with live music.
Kids indoor activities
- The Discovery center
- Hop! skip! jump! indoor play space (Chainlake Halifax)
- Ice Patch hollow indoor playground (Bedford)
- Get Air Trampoline park (Darthmouth)
- The kids fun factory (Darthmouth)
- Playdium (Darthmouth for older kids)
- Beyond indoor play (Elmsdale)
Shop
- Haligonians will tell you Saturday mornings are all about—The Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market. Here you can grab a delicious breakfast and coffee from one of the many vendors while browsing local produce, homemade crafts, and more.
- Spend a day at a mall. Here are all the major malls in Halifax: Halifax shopping center, Micmac Mall, Sunnyside mall, Park Lane Mall, Scotia Square.
- Enjoy Retail therapy. (5 best shopping areas in Halifax)
- Attend Halifax Flea market at Halifax Exhibition Center.
- Visit Sunday Market Halifax at the Forum 9 am – 2 pm.
- Spend an afternoon at historic properties in Halifax downtown to check out their stores and cafes with a friend. You can have a yummy brunch at Cacao 70.
Eat
- Drive to the exotic Peggys cove & have lunch at their restaurant SouWester. They have amazing food with amazing views.
- Drive to Fisherman’s cove & enjoy their restaurant Boondocks with a view.
- Food with a great ocean view: Cable Wharf, Birch & Anchor, Stubborn Goat beer garden, Jim’s Family Restaurant
- Book a scrumptious crepe/waffle breakfast at Pur & Simple, IHOP, Cacao 70 or Waffle Love . I’ve also heard that the following are great places for breakfast: Ardmore Tea Room, The coastal, Robie St. Station, Foggy Goggle brunch, Portland Street Creperie
- Book a fancy meal at a hotel: Gio restaurant at The Prince George
- Indulge in a yummy donut from one of these: Fortune, or Vandal donuts.
- Dine-in restaurants: Pizza Delight, Foggy goggle, Montanas, Five guys, Freemans Little Newyork, , Boom Boom Burger, Yeah Yeahs, La Piazza, Salvatore’s Pizzaiolo Trattoria, Heartwood (vegetarian), G-street pizza, Dimitris, Rinaldos, Boston Pizza, Blue olive (Greek), Garden food bar & lounge, 902 (Halal fried chicken & fries) Charger grill, Noodle Nami & .
- Sushi places: Our most favourite places are the first three. The rest are all nice too. JUKAI Japanese&Thai, Mizu – all you can eat, Sushi Jet, Tako Sushi & Ramen, Sushi Nami Royale, Wasabi House & Arirang.
- Yummy fish & chips at Fredies Fantastic FishHouse, Willman’s, Johns lunch and Fries & Co.
- Have breakfast. lunch or coffee with the gorgeous view of Lake Banook at the cottage cafe on Paddlers cove.
- Paneer tikka pizzas at Downtown pizza are with a desi touch. Take out or delivery preferred.
Drink
- Spend some time at your favorite local coffee shop with your friends/family. Or discover coffee shops where you’ve never been.
- Following are some recommendations in order of my preference: Java Blend Coffee Roasters, Dilly Dally cafe, The Mellow Mug, Cabin coffee, Local Jo, Narrow Espresso, Steve o Renos, Trident Booksellers & Cafe, The Old Apothecary & The Nook Espresso Bar.
- Or go to a Starbucks or Second cup near your place with your laptop for work. I love working in cafes with my fav cup of coffee.
- If you drink, you can check out this article.
Drive
Sometimes you need an outing but don’t really want to be outside. Following are some ideas:
- Drive to a beautiful scenic location like DeWolf park or Horseshoe island lake park and enjoy the view.
- Scenic drive on Lawrence town to the Macdonald House cafe & craft shop.
- Afternoon snack at Bike & bean cafe after the scenic drive at St. Margaret’s bay.
WHEN ITS NOT COLD
Peggy’s cove definitely tops the list when it comes to places to see around Halifax. The restaurant there serves delicious food as well. Other places to visit in Nova scotia are Lunenburg and Mahone Bay.
Summer in Halifax
Summer in Halifax is truly breathtaking and blissful. I call it heavenly! Since summer is so short in Halifax, our list is full of outdoor commitments. There are so many things you can do outdoors in Halifax. Following are only some of the ideas where you can go out for a picnic:
Parks
Following are my favourite parks within Halifax area:
- DeWolf park
- Sir Sandford Fleming park
- Africville park
- Chocolate lake park & beach
- Scott Saunders Memorial Park
- Horseshoe island park
- Sullivan’s pond
- Papermill Lake Beach Park
Following are some great options for bbq a little out of Halifax:
- Oakfield provincial park
- Dollar lake
- Jerry Lawrence Provincial Park
- Smileys provincial park & campground (too many insects/ playground)
- Stewiacke River Park
- Uniacke museum estate park
- Laurie provincial park
- Victoria Park, Truro
- Porters Lake Provincial Park
Book a tour
- Harbour Hopper tour
- Tall Ship Silva tour
- Halifax Citadel tours
- Harbour boat tour
- Book a jet ski/canoe with The Harbour Watercraft at waterfront. Jet Ski also available outside Birch & Anchor.
- Experience McNabs Island Tour
- The Halifax Ghost walk
- Historic Halifax Harbour Tour
- Visit Georges Island
- Book a dinner cruise
Sport
- Book Kayaking or Jetski (sea doo) at the waterfront with The Harbour Watercraft.
- Go to a ski resort. Here are the 5 Best Places to Ski in Nova Scotia.
- Ice skating is a great option and here are some locations for that.
Trails/Walk
Following are some walk ideas in order of my preference:
- Bedford harbor walk (entrance from De wolf park)
- Point Pleasant park
- Hemlock rivine park
- Lake Banook
- Darthmouth commons
- Halifax public gardens
- Shubie park loop trail
- Atlantic view trail on Lawrencetown Beach
- Hemlock Ravine park
- Long lake provincial park
- Belchers Marsh Park
- Go for a walk on Spring Garden Road & explore all stores.
- Go for a walk on Quinpool Road to explore all stores.
- Walk at the waterfront & downtown local shops with a friend.
- Walk around fishermans cove and the local stores there.
Explore
- Memory Lane 1940s Heritage Village
- Shubenacadie Wildlife Park
- Hatfield farm
- Splashifax (best for teenagers)
Beaches
Following is list of beaches in order of preference:
- Crystal Crescent beach park
- Rainbow Haven Beach Provincial Park
- Conrad’s beach
- Martinique beach
- Queensland beach
- Lawrencetown beach
- Clam Harbour beach provincial park
- Taylor Head Provincial Park
- List of best Halifax beaches
Lake Beach Parks
- Lake Echo beach (30 mins from halifax)
- Campbell Point Beach Park (20 mins)
- Kidston Lake Beach (15 mins)
- Penhorn Lake Beach (20 mins)
- Long pond Herring cove (15 mins)
- Petpeswick Lake Park (45 mins playground there too)
- Shubie Beach
- Albro Lake Beach (15 mins)
- Kinsmen first lake beach park (15 mins)
- Lions Beach park (15 mins)
- Birch cove park (follow Oakdale Crescent address)
- Brookdale Beach, Brookdale Crescent Park, Brookdale Crescent. (19 mins)
Kids Playgrounds
Within Halifax
This city is full of playgrounds. A few are listed below:
- Isleville park
- Ford Needham memorial park
- Dingle playground at Sir Sandford memorial park
- Dewolf park
- Kiwanis playground at Ferry terminal park
- Halifax commons playground
Super helpful brochure on kids activities.
Out of Halifax
There is a playground next to the following parks:
- Victoria Park, Truro
- Stewiacke River Park
- Uniacke museum estate park
- Mastodon ridge
- Grand lake oakfield playground
- UPPER MUSQUODOBOIT WOODEN PLAYGROUND
Kids Splash pads
- Isleville splash pad
- westmount school splash pad
- Sackville splash pad
- George Dixon center splash pad north end.
- Halifax commons splash pad
Other annual events worth attending
- Shakespeare at the sea at Point pleaseant park
- Busker festival
- Jazz festival
- Burger week
- Here is where you can find details of all upcoming events in Halifax
My Google Map Saved place lists in HRM
Thank you
If this article was helpful, please don’t forget to leave a comment. Yes, it took me hours to create this useful resource esp for new immigrants here. If you know about other good places, please recommend them in the comments below so I can try them out and add them to the list.
Thank you for being here.
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