24 hours in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Disclosure:  I was provided compensated meals for parts of this trip, however, all opinions are my own. 

We poured into Halifax, Nova Scotia around 6am after enduring the longest car ride ever.  After our trip in Portland, we headed towards Nova Scotia.  However, we couldn’t miss seeing Acadia National Park, doing the challenging Precipice Trail hike, and see Bar Harbour!  Because we enjoyed ourselves so much, we were a little late coming into Halifax.

Especially because the fog in the middle of the night was DENSE.  The most dense fog I have ever been in.  Soooo tip: don’t plan a drive in the middle of the night to Halifax. No bueno!

Regardless, we made it safely and got some rest before we hit the ground running.  Halifax is a vibrant city, with lots of history, fresh seabreeze air, craft breweries and a delicious food scene!  Not to mention, they were the nicest people!

Morning and breakfast at Halifax Seaport Farmer’s Market

There is no better way to start your morning than at the Halifax Seaport Farmer’s Market.  The market was packed with vendors selling anything from fresh produce, to local wines, to crepes, and to necklaces and jewelry.

AND this market happens every day!  We realized a lot of towns in this area have daily markets, something not as common in Texas, so it made us very happy.  We got the best tip from our crepe maker to take the stairs to the very top, and enjoy our food up there.  There was a beautiful view of the ocean and it was so peaceful.

Tip: Take the stairs to the very top and enjoy your food with the view!

We indulged in a breakfast burrito, a delicious banana and nutella crepe (why not?), and some fresh produce.  We couldn’t believe the price on the blueberries.  We got an entire quart of blueberries for just $7 CAN!

Halifax Gardens

Take a stroll up Spring Garden Road, where you’ll find some quaint shops, and it will lead you to the gardens.  Not only were these gardens beautiful, but there was live music and the most adorable elder couples dancing.  It was seriously the cutest thing ever.  Bring a blanket and relax in these beautiful gardens!

Lunch The Wooden Monkey

The Wooden Monkey is all about staying local.  They support as many organic and local farmers as possible and they purchase ALL of their beef, chicken, pork, and lamb from Nova Scotia only.  I love it.  Most of their menu can be made vegan, or gluten-free, upon request.

Needing only a small snack, I enjoyed their Fish Cakes.  Their cakes were made of Haddock and Arctic Char, potato, green onions and garlic.  There was also a yummy lemon aioli and side salad to accompany the cakes.  I had my eye on their Lentil Burger and Vegetable Curry, which I had heard great things about!

Beer! At Alexander Keith’s Brewery

Alexander Keith was very involved in Halifax– he opened his brewery, was appointed as director of the Bank of Nova Scotia, served as director of the Halifax Fire Insurance Company, found the Halifax Marine Insurance Association, and was also a director of the Halifax Gas, Light, and Water Company.  And that’s not even all!  Because of his involvement, he was elected in the first city council and eventually the mayor.

This tour goes into the history of the town and how Alexander Keith and his beer evolved.  It’s definitely the most theatrical beer tour that I’ve experienced.  Some parts were a little cheesy, but hey, just drink your sample and roll with it.  There are decent sized tastings… we had these 2 small guys below, and two additional pints!  I barely finished my first one, but if you drink fast enough, you’ll definitely get your money’s worth.  The tour is very interactive, fun and makes you feel like you were living in AK’s time!

Dinner at The Five Fishermen Restaurant and Grille

We had a very enjoyable evening at The Five Fishermen.  Downstairs is a more of a casual grille, and upstairs is more on the fine dining side.  We ate upstairs and I couldn’t get over the beautiful historic building and the murals on the walls.  Not to mention, the food and service were incredible!

We ordered the PEI Mussels to start and they were excellent.  Served with a delicious red sauce and some bread for dipping, of course!

After a few glasses of champagne and wine, I decided on the Shellfish Tagliatelle (Fresh Hand Rolled Tagliatelle, Clams, Wild Nova Scotia Shrimp, Digby Scallops, and PEI Mussels).  Oh my, it was so good.  You could tell the noodles were freshly made and there was a good amount of seafood.  The portion wasn’t overwhelmingly big, but I was definitely content.

He ordered the Lobster Stuffed Scallops and they came with mushroom arancini that I drooled over.

After dinner, we walked along the water which was peaceful at night.  We also found a few little bars that had live music!

The Citadel

We visited The Citadel and enjoyed learning about the fort, weapons used in the war, and the lift of the soldiers.  It gave us a great perspective of being in the Halifax military.  There is a free tour at noon, but unfortunately, we had to head out before.  Definitely take a glance at the clock tower while you are there!

Lunch at The Stubborn Goat

“Do you want to truffle your fries?”  YES.  ALWAYS.

I wish I was asked that question every time I ordered!  The Stubborn Goat was spot on with their food.  My favorite was the Whole Baked Haddock.  The head didn’t scare me (thanks to many Chinese dinners), and I was easily able to de-bone the fish.  I had been craving something a little cleaner, and the baked haddock was perfect.  The white fish was flaky, flavorful, meaty and so mouthwatering that I ate pretty much all of it!  (minus the head, of course!)

And then the truffle fries were obviously amazing.  And the truffle mushroom pizza was also amazing (anything with truffle is amazing to me).

We also ordered the Chickpea Fritters, Roasted Brussels Sprouts and the Lobster Mac and Cheese.   Warning:  there is an entire “Mac N Cheese” section where you can custom make your mac.  Danger.

Overall, Halifax was a very quaint, walkable small town.  We really couldn’t get over how nice everyone was.  Cars stopped for us 99.9% of the time, even if we waived them to continue.  Every one we talked to was so genuine and very excited to share their city with us!

I loved relaxing in Halifax– the water, the people, and the views made our stay so enjoyable.  Halifax is a great maritime hub and I encourage you to go explore it.  If you have any questions for your trip, please don’t hesitate to contact me!

Map

Here’s a usable map of where we went in Halifax, Nova Scotia!