Halifax, Nova Scotia

You want it, you got it

While not a huge city, Halifax has often been described as "having at least one of everything," which makes it a place of many choices. This is especially true of the city's dining and drinking establishments.

From beautifully-designed sushi to fresh lobster, seafood is offered everywhere. Even the most down-to-earth tavern provides crisp fish and chips made from fresh haddock or cod and potatoes that were round and brown only hours earlier. Ask any chef in one of the city's finer dining establishments about the difference between Atlantic and Pacific salmon, and you'll learn that the east coast offers a variety that's far more tender and succulent, even before the addition of lemon or butter.

One way that Haligonians mark the passing seasons is by the presence of chip trucks, which park on the lower end of Spring Garden Road, in front of the city's main library. Spring doesn't really arrive, officially, until someone has parked a chip wagon, offering the best and freshest French fries in town. And the summer hasn't ended until the desolate Sunday afternoon when Haligonians travel downtown and find the chip trucks have gone in out of the cold.

The city's British heritage and the presence of seven universities ensures that pub fare is top-quality. From a Ploughman's Lunch accompanied by an imported beer to an Eggs Benedict plate with complimentary Bloody Mary, all palates are served.

Halifax has a large Lebanese population, which means that fine Middle Eastern fare is readily available. The Mediteraneo Restaurant offers tasty meals and grocery stores like The Mid-East Food Centre and Phoenicia Foods Ltd. can supply all the ingredients to cook your own versions.

The downtown core is divided into two areas. Spring Garden Road is the major artery serving the westernmost area. It begins at Barrington Street and travels uphill to South Park Street. On that avenue are many of the city's finest restaurants and pubs, alongside some of the best shopping.

As you walk up Spring Garden, you'll see a sign for The Thirsty Duck , one of the liveliest pub/restaurants around. The three-room, second floor establishment boasts the building's original wooden beams and walls. The food is hearty and reasonably priced. In the evenings, the Duck buzzes with the after-work crowd, and Thursday through Saturday visiting musical groups play everything from traditional fiddle to light rock.

While the city's strength is seafood, it also offers up sizzling beef the way it should be done. Just before you see the sign for The Thirsty Duck , you'll look up and see the one for Ryan Duffy's Steak & Seafood , which offers beef that is cut and weighed table-side and then broiled over a hardwood fire to your specifications.

Also on Spring Garden Road, you'll find Il Mercato , one of the city's finest restaurants. It is so popular that they don't take reservations. Your best bet is to show up an hour before you want to eat, get on the list and grab a pre-dinner cocktail at the bar.

For a little shopping on Spring Garden Road, visit the Park Lane shopping complex. Inside, you'll find the Birmingham Bar & Grill , which offers fine food and, on weekend nights, live jazz.

Just a few blocks west of Park Lane shopping complex, and one block north, on Doyle Street, is Tom's Little Havana Cafe . Dine on blackened catfish while enjoying some great blues music.

While there is a multitude of restaurants, taverns, coffee shops and boutiques on Spring Garden Road, be sure to check out the waterfront area. Bordered on the north by Barrington Street, the area is chockablock with fine dining. Greek, Lebanese, Japanese, French, Indonesian, Chinese, Indian, Italian, Czechoslovakian and West African cuisine can all be found in this district.

For Greek, go to the city's best-loved Greek restaurant, Opa! . Cheerful Mediterranean blues border a whitewashed exterior. In the summer diners can sit at tiled patio tables surrounded by plants. Inside, salmon-colored hues recall sun-baked walls, and a huge skylight above the main dining area brightens up the atmosphere. The menu is large and varied, and the food leans more toward piquant than pedestrian. When you are down in the waterfront area, go even further south to sample the delights of Cafe Chianti , a charming downstairs bistro with an old-world atmosphere and fine dining.

Northern Italian fare is popular in Halifax. At La Perla , across the Halifax Harbour in Dartmouth, you will feel as though you're sitting in an isolated trattoria where the kitchen and front staff exist only to serve you. This delightful restaurant offers superbly crafted fare. Sip a Campari and soda while smells from the kitchen tantalize your senses.

If you like to be entertained while dining, check out the Halifax Feast Dinner Theatre . Since the mid 1980s, the theatre has staged popular shows that often sends up TV shows and movies. The menu is set, depending on what's available during the season. The venerable building is loaded with entertainment for all the senses.

Haligonians love to party, and you won't be able to go more than a few steps through the downtown area without passing a lively pub or lounge. However, visitors should take note that while bars are open all week, liquor stores are closed on Sunday. In warmer months, from June to October, rooftop patios are filled with patrons enjoying the sea breeze and cold drinks; Spring Garden Road and the waterfront area are packed to overflow. The Sheraton Halifax Hotel has one of the best seaside patios.

As an old city, Halifax doesn't have to create atmosphere. Many of its historic buildings house dining and drinking establishments, lending them a distinct charm. Halifax is a jolly, friendly place, and its bars and restaurants are great places for locals and visitors to socialize.

It all starts on the water

Visitors to a city steeped in a colorful seafaring past won't be surprised to learn that the most popular excursions involve the ocean, the navy, and other things maritime.

Conveniently, most of the city's attractions mingle on the waterfront, within easy walking distance of each other. After arriving in town, head down to the waterfront, where you'll find the headquarters for most tour operations, on sea or land. In the Historic Properties is The Red Store Visitor Information Centre with pamphlets, maps and details about every inch of the province.

Gardeners should sign up for a descriptive walking tour of The Halifax Public Gardens , a large gated park off Spring Garden Road. It's a haven of quiet beauty where long-necked swans navigate the ponds while ducks politely await the shower of breadcrumbs tossed to them by generous visitors. The gardens are beautifully maintained and exquisitely planned, with walkways shaded by trees. In the center of the gardens is an ornate wooden bandstand facing rows of chairs; a weary nature-lover can sit here and enjoy an iced tea while listening to Dixieland jazz.

Boat tours are varied and plentiful. You can sign up for a moonlight cruise aboard the Bluenose II , or take a leisurely afternoon trip up and down the harbor with a narrated history of waterfront landmarks. There are whale-watching tours that guarantee sightings—if not of whales, then of blue herons, sea ducks, dolphins and shiny-headed seals. Just outside the city there are any number of fishing villages that offer seafood restaurants, craft shops, and quiet time by the ocean.

Theme cruises aboard two-deck paddlewheelers provide a buffet dinner accompanied by live jazz, blues, or Boomers' tunes from the 1950s and '60s. These vessels are a lovely sight as they haul anchor and head off into the blue-black waters of the harbor at night, lights blazing and music blaring. In the daytime, they head out into the sunlit harbour with bar and concession services readily available.

Sightseeing tours both in the city and outside it are plentiful. You can take a bus/walking tour of the three Halifax cemeteries that house the remains of Titanic casualties, complete with a spoken historical survey of the tragedy. And while on the subject of cemeteries, Halifax is home to the only known cemetery that contains its own traffic light. The downtown Camp Hill Cemetery, bordered by Robie Street, has a working traffic light in its northwestern corner.

Tours are divided into seven routes, each colour-coded in all information/tourism material. The most popular tour goes to Peggy's Cove, a tiny picturesque community near Halifax that meanders along the South Shore, part of the Lighthouse Route. A tranquil village built on a bold rockscape, Peggy's Cove offers a dramatic view of the Atlantic Ocean. It is also home to one of the province's most famous lighthouses. With daily express runs by motorcoach and boat, it's an easy destination. Once at Peggy's Cove, you can arrange for a half-day excursion to the Pennant Granite Barrens, a tour that describes the evolution of the rocky, moon-like landscape formed by the sea's relentless rhythm.

Another popular tour is the scenic Cabot Trail, part of the Cape Breton Island Route, home to magnificent vistas of massive cliffs and rugged coastline. You can travel to Cape Breton on an escorted bus tour and return by rail on a three-day excursion that includes a comfortable stay at the area's best hotels with stop-offs at sites of interest. You'll see clear, "bottomless" lakes shouldered by huge cliffs. Eagles, osprey and terns surf the breeze as seagulls cry at the setting sun.

"Capers" are a hardy, friendly folk, known for their willingness to work hard and party harder. The Cabot Trail is dotted with bed-and-breakfast establishments and rustic cottages where a weary traveller can stop and enjoy the awe-inspiring vistas or find a kitchen party enlivened by amateur fiddlers and singers.

Another tour option is provided by Classic Journeys and takes you throughout Nova Scotia's Coasts & Villages . This exclusive and fancy six-day walking tour offers all the comfort you'd dream of while taking in the beauty of the area.

The Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site is one of the largest in North America. Settled by the French in 1713, the town of Louisbourg was for many years France's crown jewel in the New World. The town is surrounded by large stone gates, walls and formal gardens. Inside, the citizens, in full period-costume, go about their day-to-day lives as they would have two centuries ago. A blacksmith, ironmonger, full working stable and other businesses operate using only the implements and resources of the time. No fast food here; three period restaurants offer 18th century cuisine, from hearty pea soup to freshly-baked brown bread. Guided walking tours through the town can be arranged onsite, as can excursions outside the Fortress.

The town of Annapolis Royal is a three-hour drive along the Evangeline Trail from Halifax and is a must-see for history buffs. However, most everyone will appreciate its large, gracious houses, unique shops, galleries, studios and fine inns. The town is home to an astonishing 150 designated heritage buildings, many of which are now lovingly restored bed-and-breakfast establishments, restaurants and inns. Annapolis Royal is also the site of the oldest wooden house in Canada, the deGannes-Cosby home, constructed in 1708.

Gardeners of all stripes will appreciate Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens, a 10-acre spread with winding pathways that take visitors through spectacular displays, tranquil settings, theme gardens and unique collection gardens.