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Museum Gift Shops in Halifax to Support this Holiday Season
Every year, the same thing happens. No matter how much I try to prepare in advance or how far out I see it coming, suddenly the holiday season is just around the corner and my shopping list is yet to be completed. However, your local historian is to the rescue! Have you ever thought of checking out your local museum gift shop to cross everyone off your list? Museum gift shops are not just for the history nerd in your life. Many also supply locally made products from a variety of makers, are unique, or are made in house options that offer something extra special. Check out the list below…
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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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Drums, Jewelry & Horns: Jamaican Maroons Inspired Art Exhibition
Art communicates history in ways often records and historical artifacts cannot. It’s a song that keeps on singing the perspective of the painter. The story an artist shares. A peak at what life was like at the time. Creating a replica of a moment, whether a reality or dream. It immortalizes a memory. Forever judged, it continues to stand. Art is strong, often staying in this world much longer than its creator. To be honest, historically I haven’t been very well versed in art. I enjoy art, but I’m not good at it. I’m not an artist or an art critic. Yet you don’t have to be an art connoisseur…
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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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“Egyptian Mummies & Eternal Life” at the Museum of Natural History
There’s many things that one might expect to see in Nova Scotian museums. Models of old schooners, cookbooks from generations ago, furnishings of the rich and poor or weaponry that predates confederation. Typical maritimer artifacts and histories. I can ensure you that I never expected to see a mummy in Nova Scotia. No, I’m not referring to the one that insists you call once a week or will always make your favourite meal when you visit, but the thousands of years old one that died halfway across the world. Yes, I’m talking about Egyptian mummies. You may wonder “What could mummies possibly be doing in Nova Scotia?”. Well, the Museum…
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Exploring McNabs Island, Nova Scotia
You’ve all seen it. Staring at Halifax. Full of mystery, and certainly packed with history. Yes, I’m talking about one of the few islands in the harbour, McNabs. McNabs Island is the largest of the four islands in Halifax Harbour and is a provincial park. The other three islands are Lawlor’s Island, Devil’s Island, and George’s Island. Of the four, McNabs is the only which visitors are currently allowed regularly, though they need to arrange their own transportation. I had been looking back at McNabs Island for quite some time. I had heard of a quarantine, cholera deaths, old forts, houses, fairs and factories which were located on the Island…
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Pre-History Trip: Fundy Geological Museum
The first part of our day was spent at the Joggins Fossil Cliffs, exploring the museum and rocky beach. Once we left Joggins, we headed over to the Fundy Geological Museum. The Fundy Geological Museum, though also focusing on the geological past of Nova Scotia, has a larger focus on dinosaurs! Only about a half an hour drive from the cliffs, we arrived by mid-afternoon. Eldon’s Dinosaur Statue While parking, we (myself, my boyfriend, and a friend) were greeted by a statue that I had seen before. It was a green dinosaur, clearly looking as though it has lived a long life. I first encountered the dinosaur about ten years…
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.
