Acadia Nature Woodlands Trail The Acadia Nature Woodlands Trail in Wolfville is a fabulous hike to take in all seasons. The K. C. Irving Environmental Science Centre and Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens is located at Acadia University, 32 University Avenue, Wolfville. The entrance to the Gardens is located off University Avenue, to the far left […]
Halifax Museum of Natural History Disclosure: I received a NS Museum Pass so that I could visit these museums to tell you all about them. We kick-started March Break with a visit to one of our favourite places – the Museum of Natural History in Halifax. The museum is a great place to visit […]
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Acadia Nature Woodlands Trail The Acadia Nature Woodlands Trail in Wolfville is a fabulous hike to take in all seasons. The K. C. Irving Environmental Science Centre and Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens is located at Acadia University, 32 University Avenue, Wolfville. The entrance to the Gardens is located off University Avenue, to the far left […]
Halifax Museum of Natural History Disclosure: I received a NS Museum Pass so that I could visit these museums to tell you all about them. We kick-started March Break with a visit to one of our favourite places – the Museum of Natural History in Halifax. The museum is a great place to visit […]
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The Acadia Nature Woodlands Trail in Wolfville is a fabulous hike to take in all seasons.
The K. C. Irving Environmental Science Centre and Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens is located at Acadia University, 32 University Avenue, Wolfville. The entrance to the Gardens is located off University Avenue, to the far left of the main entrance of the building. Look for the cast iron archway featuring the name of the Gardens.
There are so many wonderful pathways through the garden that features the different ecosystems found in Nova Scotia.
You could spend the afternoon traversing the brooks, or walking through the herb gardens. Most of the plants are labelled, so it’s a great learning opportunity, too.
If you want to extend your walk, the gardens connect with the Woodland Trails.
Your best bet is to stop into the Irving Centre and pick up a map. These maps can be found to the right when you go in the main entrance. This way, you can properly map out your walk.
The Woodland trail is a 1.5km hike through the woods that follows an old brook and takes you through a variety of forest habitats. There are 2 shorter loops that you can take if you don’t have enough time for the whole trail.
I have done this walk several times with the boys, and it has easy terrain and is a perfect distance with interesting scenery!
Most recently, my friend and I decided to go here for our weekly snowshoeing adventure.
We parked at the top of University Avenue and picked up the trail from the side entrance (near where the picnic shelter is on the map).
I have an Acadia parking pass, so we could easily park here, but for others, there are parking meters on campus, or you can park for free, depending on the zone, after certain hours. The parking regulations are here. Otherwise, try parking at the top of the hill (near the Kwick Way or on a side street).
The opening to the trail was a bit tricky to find because of all the snow.
But, once we climbed the snowbanks to get in, it was smooth sailing. This is a well-used trail, so the trail was groomed and well-tamped down, making it an easy trail. We just had to follow the snowshoe trail, and didn’t even really need our trusty map!
The trail winds through the forest and is a beautiful, peaceful place to visit. Along the way, there are wooden posts with signs pointing the way back to the Irving Centre.
We chose to follow our map and walked through the Norway Spruce Forest before crossing Skyway Drive to go through the White Spruce Falling Forest.
At the top of this forest there is an old water well that supplied water to Acadia’s farm during the 1800s.
From here, we continued along the path and back across Skyway into the Falling Brook and Old Growth Forest. We ended up on University Avenue across the street from where we entered the trail.
There were a few other offshoot trails and loops that we could do, and will leave to explore another day.
The entire loop took us about 45minutes-1hour. Walking this same route with the children took about the same amount of time.
If you are looking for a nice quiet getaway in a beautiful setting, try exploring the Acadia Woodlands Trail.
As always, I suggest picking up a map, but it’s totally doable without one, even though there aren’t many sign posted.
Disclosure: I received a NS Museum Pass so that I could visit these museums to tell you all about them.
We kick-started March Break with a visit to one of our favourite places – the Museum of Natural History in Halifax.
The museum is a great place to visit with kids as they have a great permanent collection, as well as a wide array of revolving exhibits. Exhibits are always interactive, hands-on for kids, which makes it a great place to visit.
When we were kids, we always called the museum “the place with the frog on the building.” Well, that frog is no longer on the outside of the building, but he can be found inside, now!
The Museum of Natural History is located at 1747 Summer Street in Halifax, near the Commons. There is a (paid) parking lot adjacent to the building, making it easy to visit.
Hours and Admission Open 9-5 from Tuesday to Sunday Family (with 2 Adults and Children) $25 Family (with 1 Adult and Children) $18 Adult $9 Senior $8 Youth $5 Child (5 and Under) Free
Annual passes are available, and of course, with the NS Museum pass, entry is free!
Scavenger Hunts When you buy your ticket, be sure to ask for a scavenger hunt for the kids. There is a scavenger hunt for the current dinosaur exhibit, and there is also one for the general museum. My kids always love filling these out and it gives them a focus for our visit.
However, I find that you have to remember to ask for them, as I don’t think I’ve ever been offered one. The onus is on you to remember to ask!
Dinosaur Exhibit The current exhibit is Dinosaurs Unearthed and runs until May 24, 2015
Here’s the description from the website: The discovery of one fossilized bone can be the start of an amazing story about a particular creature from long ago. This experience presents a number of fossils and animatronic dinosaurs to highlight how discoveries and meticulous research continue to enlighten us about prehistoric species. Showcasing a range of dinosaurs from the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods, this 2,000 sq ft exhibition delivers a larger-than-life, memorable and interactive guest experience.
Since the 1990s, scientists have learned more about the dinosaurs than anything up until this point in time. It is amazing what technology can do!
In this exhibit you will see moving dinosaurs created based on this new research. The depictions of these dinosaurs will challenge your pre-conceived notions! Dinosaurs with feathers and coloured skin! You have to see it!
The dinosaurs all come to life as you go through the exhibit. This by far was Thomas’ favourite part of the museum visit.
I was worried that some small children might find this scary, but when we were there, there were lots of toddlers and preschoolers who were not bothered at all!
There are a lot of interactive components in the exhibit from digging for fossils
to colouring your own dinosaur.
Permanent Exhibits The Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History has launched a new permanent exhibit, Sable Island: Over the Dunes, Beyond Wild Horses.
This is located in the marine room (a showcase of many of Nova Scotia’s native marine animals. Here, visitors get to experience a life-sized replica of a Sei Whale and several species of sharks. This permanent gallery also features a complete skeleton of a pilot whale, the rib of a blue whale and the jaw of a great white shark.)
The best part of the Sable Island exhibit is the sand table. Thomas and I played here for about half an hour! This is a regular sandbox with a data projector above it. As you reshape the sand, the image projected shows the topography of your creation. Higher piles of sand become orange-green showing the height, while the lowest level of sand is the blue water. You can constantly reshape the land – thus showing how wind and waves are constantly changing Sable Island! It’s incredible and a lot of fun to play with it!
Other permanent exhibits include archeology, geology, Natives, and any child’s favourite – the taxidermy section of native Nova Scotia animals!
At the main entrance there is also a woodland of animals to explore – some real and some not.
Lots of buttons to press. Don’t forget the bee display where you can see bees building a hive – as there a tube connected to outside where the bees come and go at will.
Gus Gus the tortoise is a highlight in the museum. He lives at the front entrance and is 92 years old! While we were there, we experienced a first – the curator took Gus out of his enclosure to feed him, and let him go for a walk through the museum – with the kids close at his heels.
The kids were able to ask all sorts of questions and learn so much more! This was another trip highlight!
Time When we visit the Museum of Natural History we usually budget for about 1.5 hours. The kids always learn something new each time – especially if we remember to pick up a scavenger hunt.
Regardless of the revolving exhibit, this museum is always a great place to visit with your family! We love visiting in every season – seeing the bees in different states of activity, and often in the summer they host the butterfly pavilion. Keep checking their website for updates.
If you are in the city, they are constantly hosting interesting events for kids and families, so be sure to check it out!
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