Harbour Hopper Tours in Downtown Halifax *Our family received tickets in exchange for this blog post. Would you turn down such an amazing opportunity? All opinions are our own.* Ribbit Ribbit! All aboard Atlantic Canada’s most popular tour – an amphibious adventure that shows you the best of Halifax by land and sea! As you […]
Day Trips from Halifax The Ultimate Halifax daytripper’s guide by Jon Tattrie *We received a copy of this book for review because it’s a perfect fit for creating family fun! All opinions are our own.* The sun is shining and the kids have a day off school. If you stay home, you’ll just do laundry […]
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Harbour Hopper Tours in Downtown Halifax *Our family received tickets in exchange for this blog post. Would you turn down such an amazing opportunity? All opinions are our own.* Ribbit Ribbit! All aboard Atlantic Canada’s most popular tour – an amphibious adventure that shows you the best of Halifax by land and sea! As you […]
Day Trips from Halifax The Ultimate Halifax daytripper’s guide by Jon Tattrie *We received a copy of this book for review because it’s a perfect fit for creating family fun! All opinions are our own.* The sun is shining and the kids have a day off school. If you stay home, you’ll just do laundry […]
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*Our family received tickets in exchange for this blog post. Would you turn down such an amazing opportunity? All opinions are our own.*
Ribbit Ribbit! All aboard Atlantic Canada’s most popular tour – an amphibious adventure that shows you the best of Halifax by land and sea! As you travel, view places of interest in this historic, yet vibrant city, such as Citadel Hill National Historic Site, the Victorian Public Gardens, St. Paul’s Church and busy Spring Garden Road.
The Harbour Hopper is just for tourists – NO way! The Harbour Hopper is just a drive around the city – NO way! The Harbour Hopper is a fun, family adventure that is great for locals and visitors alike, and an experience not to be missed!
Our Experience
We met the Harbour Hopper in downtown Halifax at the waterfront. It’s easy to find the building because it’s bright yellow and green just like the Harbour Hopper vehicle itself!
We boarded the Hopper, which is actually a decommissioned military vehicle (with the guns removed – much to the boys’ chagrin!). Our tour guide, Luke, welcomed us on board and went over the safety features of the Hopper, especially as we would be going on both land and sea.
We then headed out for our hour-long journey around Halifax. The first half was spent on land, and the second in the Halifax Harbour.
Throughout the entire trip, our tour guide told us stories of Halifax’s history, important people and notable buildings.
I found this so fascinating. Although I have lived in Nova Scotia most of my entire life, there was still so much to learn and hear!
What I found so interesting is that Halifax has so many “firsts” or “longest” or “tallest” or “oldest” records. We really are sitting on a historical hotspot!
The boys found this really interesting, too, and regaled us with as many facts after the adventure as they could remember. They really were listening and taking it all in!
The transition from land to water was really fun to watch, too. And, no, you don’t get wet when you make the splash!
Daniel made another of his YouTube videos talking about our adventure. Check it out.
From the water, we had great views of the waterfront, and heard stories of the Halifax explosion, the Titanic and innovative technology using sea water. Here is the official Halifax Hopper video that shows you the tour is fast motion
We ended back where we started all the wiser, and relaxed after having spent a beautiful day in the sunshine!
“It was so fun and amazing!” “The best part is when you are in the water.”
Age: The Harbour Hopper is great for all ages. The boys (8,9) thoroughly enjoyed the ride, however, the older son really got more out of the tour and the information. He was far more interested in listening than his younger brother. So, if you are interested in having your kids go for an educational purpose, I would recommend ages 9+. There were much younger children on board, and they enjoyed the sights and sounds and the experience of driving on a super-cool vehicle throughout the city.
Ability: there are steep steps at the back of the Harbour Hopper so that you can climb to the top of the vehicle. If you have anyone with mobility issues in your group, take this into consideration.
Tourists and locals: As locals, we thoroughly enjoyed the adventure and learned so much. It would be equally as great to take or encourage visitors to go for a ride on the Harbour Hopper to get a great sense of what Halifax is and its history.
Tips from the Harbour Hopper
• Arrive 15 minutes prior to departure time for boarding • Bring an extra layer of clothing as it can get cool on the water • Always plan extra time for parking
Enjoy a day out in Halifax, learn something new, and appreciate the city from both land and sea with the Harbour Hopper! It’s a fun-filled amphibious adventure that you will never forget!
The Ultimate Halifax daytripper’s guide by Jon Tattrie
*We received a copy of this book for review because it’s a perfect fit for creating family fun! All opinions are our own.*
The sun is shining and the kids have a day off school. If you stay home, you’ll just do laundry and answer emails. Where’s the family fun in that?
Sometimes you just need a little inspiration and help to get those juices flowing of what to do with your day.
As I always say, family fun does not have to be complicated and it does not have to be expensive. Sometimes the best memories are day trips spent close to home, exploring somewhere new!
If you are looking to do some day trips, then you need to pick up a copy of Day Trips from Halifax: The Ultimate Halifax daytripper’s guide by Jon Tattrie.
Remember those days of back packing around Europe or Asia with your Lonely Planet book as your guide? Well, consider Day Trips from Halifax like your Lonely Planet Guide to day trips in Nova Scotia!
Although the book contains day trips from Halifax, it is equally and relevant for us in the Valley!
A densely packed guide to Nova Scotia’s most raucous adventures, inspiring landscapes, and amazing history, this book ensures that visitors to and residents of the region never have a boring weekend again. From tidal-bore rafting on the Shubenacadie River or strolling among lions at the Oaklawn Zoo to searching for ancient fossils on Joggins Beach, Day Trips from Halifax is filled with all you need to know about hidden beaches, unexpected hiking trails and much, much more.
Our Adventures
This summer, our family decided to go on a day trip to the South Shore to try exploring somewhere new. Armed with our Day Trips from Halifax book and our camera, we headed out and ended up at the Ovens Natural Park.
Read about our adventures here!
The guide book was a great help, providing us directions when our GPS couldn’t, and scouting out the best places to eat for us!
Day Trips from Halifax is available online as a hard copy and as an Ebook.
About the Author
Jon Tattrie is a multi-media freelance journalist and author based in Halifax, Canada. He’s won seven awards for his writing, including three Atlantic Journalism Awards (silver) and two Best Book awards from the Coast. He writes for Halifax Magazine, Readers Digest, Canadian Geographic, the Globe & Mail, Business Voice, the Chronicle Herald, Metro Canada and many more. At the CBC, he’s an online journalist, TV and radio reporter and occasionally documentary-maker.
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