Halifax, Canada
Exclusive Editor’s Tips:
Writer: Lola Augustine Brown
Pedal your way around the cityAlthough it’s the biggest city in Canada’s Maritime provinces, Halifax is still relatively small with just over 530,000 residents, and it’s super easy to explore by bike. Located in a brightly painted shipping container on the Halifax Boardwalk, I Heart Bikes offers both bicycle and e-bike rentals as well as organized tours that show off the best of the city (highlights include Point Pleasant Park, Citadel Hill, and the Halifax Boardwalk). Pre-book a group outing or private tour or download the I Heart Bikes app to follow one of their 10 self-guided itineraries. The excursions range easy urban exploration to a longer oceanside ride to pretty Crystal Crescent Beach.
Take the ferry over to Dartmouth
Dartmouth, just across the harbor from Halifax, offers an artsy downtown chockablock with boutiques, galleries, and restaurants that’s perfect for exploring on foot. Check out Taz Records, housed in the front of Canadian rock icon Joel Plaskett’s recording studio, and don’t miss the tiny coffee shop tucked into the window. The Canteen serves some of the best seafood in the Maritimes; the fat, juicy lobster rolls are divine. Though connected to Halifax by two bridges, taking the public ferry across the harbor is a fun 15-minute jaunt and offers the best views of the Halifax waterfront (just be sure to have CAN $3 in cash for the crossing).
Discover Acadian culture in Grand Pré
When the British took what was to become Nova Scotia in 1710, they deported more than 10,000 early French settlers — the Acadians — to France, the American colonies, and the Caribbean (this is where the Louisiana Acadians, or Cajuns, originated). The Acadian village of Grand Pré was the setting for Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s epic and tragic poem about the mass deportation, Evangeline. Located in the stunningly pretty Annapolis Valley, an hour’s drive from Halifax, Grand-Pré National Historic Site showcases the history of the Acadians at its visitors’ center, church, and splendid Victorian Garden. Close by is Grand Pré Wines and its award-winning, locavore-minded restaurant Le Caveau, which makes for a perfect lunch stop. The Scallops Mafalde Marinara with housemade pasta is deliriously good.




