Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax

Maritime Museum of the Atlantic

*Disclosure: I received The Nova Scotia Museum Pass allowing our family to visit 27 of Nova Scotia’s museums.*

I cannot believe that I had never been to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic – or at least in my living memory! Maybe I thought I wasn’t that interested in ships and the sea – but, boy was I ever wrong! And, I am sure many of you are, too!

Located in the heart of Halifax’s waterfront, there’s no better place to immerse yourself in Nova Scotia’s rich maritime heritage than the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.

From small craft boatbuilding to World War Convoys, the Days of Sail to the Age of Steam, the Titanic to the Halifax Explosion, you’ll discover the stories, events and people that have come to define Nova Scotia and its relationship with the sea.

Before Christmas we headed to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic with the boys (6 & 8) to find out just what the museum was all about.

Upon entering, we met Merlin the talking parrot!
Did you know that pirates never actually had parrots? It wasn’t until Robert Louis Stevenson wrote Treasure Island that parrots became associated with pirates!

Before going to the museum we had a lot of conversations with the boys to give them a bit of background on both the Titanic and the Halifax Explosion.
Their paternal grandfather was a marine engineer, so they have often heard stories of his work life.
All of this gave the boys a frame of reference for visiting the museum.

However, even without this, they would have been fine.

The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic is a very hands-on and kid-friendly place.

There are a lot of buttons to press, cranks to turn, and displays to touch.

Explanations are short and simple for kids – or more detailed for older children and adults who want to spend more thorough time going through the exhibits.

And, you can’t forget the giant sea creature!

There are several permanent displays including one about the Halifax explosion. Here, you can see actual artifacts and photos from the fateful blast.

Upstairs are exhibits about Nova Scotia shipwrecks and underwater archeology, as well as the story of Halifax’s involvement in the rescue attempts from the Titanic.

When we were there, they had a Lego display of the Halifax waterfront along with an intensive search and find that the boys loved! This dis;lay is on until January 31, 2015!

The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic is renowned for its excellent March Break programs and displays for kids – usually about pirates – so you will definitely want to check that out.

Details

The museum is located at 1675 Lower Water Street, Halifax
Hours and admission prices
It took us about 2 hours to go through the museum with the boys. We didn’t see everything with their attention span, but enough to get a great taste and to want to go back again for more!

What the Boys Say

Thomas’s favourite part of the museum was of course, the giant octopus-like creature.

He also enjoyed learning about the underwater mines and how they exploded.

Daniel’s favourite part of the museum was also the sea creature and the Lego I Spy game. He also loved the Titanic exhibit because of the story that goes with each person.

The Museum Pass

The Nova Scotia Museum Pass is your ticket to experience Nova Scotia’s culture and heritage like never before! The NSM is a family of 27 thematically diverse museums located across the province. The credit card-size Pass buys admission to any and all of the 27 sites for one low price! Simply flash your pass to any Nova Scotia Museum site to gain immediate and hassle-free access to a great museum experience.