Halifax is considered to be one of the smaller cities in Canada with just under half a million residents in the Greater Halifax region—but don’t let that fool you. The capital of Nova Scotia is a wealth of culture, history, and contemporary art waiting to be explored. The following museums and galleries are some of the standout options in the downtown core with great permanent collections and visiting exhibits as well.
Here are the best museums and galleries to add to your itinerary if you want to get a feel for the contemporary art and history of Atlantic Canada and beyond:
Museum of Natural History
The Museum of Natural History on Summer Street is just as historically informative as it is quirky—just ask the 101-year-old mascot, Gus the Gopher Tortoise, who has been living at the museum admissions gate since 1942. The museum has several great permanent exhibits including a 2,000-square-foot space dedicated to the fabled Sable Island. There’s also a visiting Dinosaur Exploration exhibit on until the end of June that showcases full-sized dinosaur skeletons and fossils for visitors to peruse.
Africville Museum
Africville was one of the first Black communities in the city—dating back to 1848—and served as a refuge for Black settlers who were pushed to the margins of society by the city of Halifax. The close-knit community was unceremoniously demolished by the municipality in the 1960s and its residents continue to push for justice to this day. That’s where the Africville Museum comes in. The museum is situated within a replica of the Seaview United Baptist Church and serves as a physical location to learn about and remember the Africville community while celebrating African diasporic history. It allows former residents and their descendants to learn about and rediscover their personal history but is also a welcoming place for travelers and locals who want to educate themselves on this dark part of Nova Scotian history.
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Maritime Museum of the Atlantic
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If you’ve spent more time than you want to admit watching and re-watching Titanic, you’ll want to pay a visit to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic for a look at the role Halifax played in the disaster. Survivors might have been shipped to New York but those who lost their lives were sent to Halifax, where cable ship crews were left to come up with a system for identifying nameless victims. The permanent Titanic exhibit showcases the artifacts and stories of many of these victims as well as a glimpse into what life was like on the ship before disaster struck.
Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia is arguably the best permanent art collection east of Montreal—and it’s especially worthwhile if you’re hoping to better discover contemporary Nova Scotian artwork. The gallery was closed in February for required maintenance and will be re-opening this spring with a fresh coat of paint. If you’re going to be in Halifax before the re-opening, you can still attend one of the many scheduled in-community events including an upcoming artist talk with Séamus Gallagher, the 2023 Sobey Art Award finalist for Atlantic.
Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21
Halifax was the first stop for many immigrants arriving in Canada throughout the first half of the twentieth century; there were nearly a million immigrants that landed in Halifax from 1928 to 1971. Located in the Pier 21 National Historic Site (the exact site where said immigrants first stepped onto Canadian soil), the Canadian Museum of Immigration aims to share the ongoing story of immigration to Canada by way of archival photographs, artifacts, immersive experiences, and more.