Travel Guides to Canada

2016 Travel Guide to Canada

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TRAVEL GUIDE TO CANADA synchronized drills on the broad parade ground. Special add-on packages allow vacationers to dress up and join them. SOMETHING NEW As you would expect in a bustling urban centre, there are more recent landmarks that underscore Halifax's equally appealing modern-day side. In fact, this city has been on an architectural roll ever since the distinctive Seaport Farmers' Market opened on the waterfront back in 2010 (www. halifaxfarmersmarket.com). A green grocery in more ways than one, the airy edifi ce sports rooftop windmills that are visually distinctive and energy effi cient. A stone's throw away, the relocated Discovery Centre, slated to open late this year, already has children cheering (www.thediscovery centre.ca). Covering four fl oors, it will contain galleries devoted to topics such as water and fl ight, plus a state-of-the-art Innovation Lab and Immersive Dome Theatre. Downtown, towering cranes mark the spot where a stunning new convention centre is set to debut in 2017 ( www.halifax conventioncentre.com). It is part of one of the largest development projects in civic history, but even the buzz surrounding that cannot dampen the enthusiasm locals and visitors alike feel for the eye-popping Halifax Central Library, which was shortlisted for the "2015 World Building of the Year Award" ( www.halifaxcentrallibrary.ca). Cantilevered glass boxes, a camera-ready interior, welcoming media stations, contem- porary cafés, lots of space for lounging, and stellar views combine to make this a destination for some 6,000 people per day. Of course, it is not just up-to-the-minute architecture that helps keep "Hali" on its 21 st century toes. The vast number of university students here gives it an undeni- able exuberance: Dalhousie alone has about 18,500 of them enrolled in over 180 undergraduate, graduate and professional programs. They energize the arts scene and ensure that fun, funky offerings feature prominently on the events calendar—the International Busker Festival being one high-octane example ( www.buskers.ca). Their youthful taste also manifests itself in music, which explains why night owls are as likely to hear techno dance tunes as old sea shanties; it infl uences menus, too, meaning innovative international cuisine is as readily available as classic Eastern Canadian fare. AND A BLENDING OF THE TWO. . . Happily, many Halifax attractions have managed to create an au courant character while simultaneously taking pride in their pedigree. The top-rated Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, which occupies an erstwhile immigration shed where around a million prospective citizens were processed between 1928 and 1971, is a case in point ( www.pier21.ca). Known as our answer to Ellis Island, it morphed into a museum in 1999 and benefi tted from a $30-million makeover that doubled its display space in 2015. Now, the re-imagined facility uses cutting-edge digital technology, multimedia experiences, and hands-on activities that are touching in more ways than one, to illustrate the immigrant experience in both a local and national context. A few blocks away, another converted building—an 1868 Italianate beauty housing the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia— yields similar surprises ( www.artgallery ofnovascotia.ca). Its collection of 17,000-odd works includes paintings by venerated Canadian artists along with a strong assortment of Maritime folk pieces, most notably the wee, whimsical, paint- slathered home of Maud Lewis, which was reassembled on the premises. Yet curators keep things current by mounting dynamic shows that spotlight up-and-comers, then shake things up further by hosting trendy events, like the after-hours ArtParty which aims for cool rather than quaint. And therein lays the true essence of Halifax. This is a place that honours its storied past without being stifl ed by it—one that blends the hip and historic in perfect proportion. HarBoUr HoPPer • nS toUriSM/Len WaGG arGYLe Street • SHUtterStoCK/PaUL MCKinnon

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