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8 Events to Celebrate Heritage at this Holiday Season
It seems like we were just carving pumpkins and snacking on Halloween candy, but the cold weather has creeped up and leaves are slowly making their way off the branches. Atlas, the Holiday Season is right around the corner and it’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas! It’s time to get into the holiday spirit and there’s no better way to do that (in my humble opinion) than exploring local heritage and celebrating historic traditions. Why not put a vintage twist on your Christmas season by attending these exciting events? This year I have found 8 (yes, 8!) exciting events at heritage sites or celebrating the history of the…
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Tufts Cove Cemetery: A Small Cemetery with a Large Historical Footprint
Tufts Cove Cemetery is a must visit for history and cemetery enthusiasts alike. Though a small space, it is filled to the brim with in depth local history.
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“This Is What I Wish You Knew”: Mi’kmaq Identity and History at the Museum of Natural History in Kjipuktuk, Mi’kma’ki (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
Here in Nova Scotia, I think many of us take advantage of our history. We grow up sitting through history classes that we write off as boring. Or maybe we dismiss Canadian history as a whole, chalking ourselves up as uninteresting in comparison to our American neighbours. Yet this is untrue. No history is plain and lifeless. And though I am happy to share with you my passion for the history of this province and actively prove to you that Nova Scotian and Canadian history is anything but uneventful, there is also a darker side of this conversation. How our disinterest in our own histories not only comes from a…
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7 Nova Scotian Virtual Tours and Exhibits You Should Visit
Though March Break is quickly approaching, there’s no doubt that this year will be vastly different than those in the past. Barely over a year since Nova Scotia and the rest of the world entered lockdown, museums and public history has changed drastically too. Many museums nowadays feature part of their collection or exhibits online for viewers to experience. Virtual tours are becoming more popular. And with that development, we can experience an array of history from our homes. But have you been wondering which museums in Nova Scotia offer virtual tours? Or where can you visit virtually to feel as though you’re immersed in an exhibit? And are there…
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York Redoubt National Historic Site: Halifax’s Hidden Historic Fort
I think we can all agree, finding something free AND fun can be challenging. And in the winter? Seemingly impossible. However, what if I told you there was a free, outdoor historic site that you could visit year round that is only a 20 minute drive from Halifax? Yes, it exists. I’m talking about York Redoubt, the National Historic Site. As a seaside city, so much of Halifax’s history is ingrained in its military presence, with a large naval presence to this day. York Redoubt had a large role protecting Halifax Harbour for over a century. Through these visits to forts on Georges Island, McNab’s Island, Point Pleasant Park and…
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A Tour of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in Halifax, NS
Do you have a local spot that friends keep telling you is great but you never get around to visiting? Yeah, me too. Now more than ever, many of us have redirected our attention from trips far from home to places right around the corner. For me, the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (AGNS) has lingered on my list of “must sees” for awhile now. Once the winning design of the new Art Gallery of Nova Scotia was announced for the new Halifax waterfront location, I knew I needed to visit the current AGNS. The new design is sleek and modern. Surrounded with innovative curves and interestingly drafted community spaces,…
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The Mills Brothers Holiday Village at the Museum of Natural History
Tis the season for eggnog, tree decorating and toasts around the warmth of the fireplace. Or perhaps more realistically, shoveling snow off the doorstep and frantically running to the post office with your handwritten cards before the business day’s end. Regardless of the stresses that gift shopping and cooking can bring, this time of year is generally filled with delightful decorations and the excitement of holidays that are just around the corner. If you’re like me, when you think of holiday decorations, you think of driving by lavishly decked out houses in Halifax’s South End or walking down the city’s streets to look at the amazingly lit up tree in…
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Mills Brothers Building Meets Wrecking Ball
You’ve likely walked by it dozens of times and never given the building a second glance. Or maybe you noticed the oddity of a Tudor styled building in downtown Halifax. I’m talking about that long, beige and brown trimmed shopping centre on Spring Garden Road that up until recently housed a variety of shops, including the well-known Duggers. This location is the Mills Brothers building. Over the last years, stores have been emptying out in preparation for the block to be torn down. The demolition will make way for a new development by Micco Group, set to be finished by 2023. Originally the demolition was planned for this summer, but…
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The North Carolina Museum of History
This post is a bit of a throwback! Join me as I share my story of traveling to North Carolina over the December holiday break of 2019. I visited two state museums during my stay. This blog post focuses on the first. The day after Christmas I boarded a plane for my first solo international flight. After dating my partner for over a year, I was headed on my first visit to his home state: North Carolina. He had spent the holidays with his family and I was excited to meet them. I got up in the wee hours of the morning to start my journey at the Halifax Stanfield…
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History over Hot Drinks: Open Book Coffee
There’s a little coffee shop I know, where the roasts are local and shelves are lined with history books. This café is called Open Book Coffee. Nothing quite pulls at my heartstrings like a local coffee shop. To be completely honest, I had no clue that this cafe/ bookstore existed a few weeks ago. It was entirely by chance that I discovered its existence. There’s a specific book that I have been searching for online, in bookstores and thrift shops. The Terry Punch book, called “Genealogical Research in Nova Scotia” is one of the must-reads when it comes to Nova Scotian genealogy. I had to have it. I saw the…
My name is Kirby and I’m a 20-something year old with an M.A. in History. Needless to say, history is a huge passion of mine.
