Maritime Museum of the Atlantic

Description:

• All visitors to Nova Scotia owe themselves a stop at this standout museum on a prime waterfront location. The exhibits are involving and well executed, and you'll be astounded at how fast 2 hours can fly by. Visitors are greeted by a 3m (10-ft.) lighthouse lens from 1906, and then proceed through a parade of shipbuilding and seagoing eras. Visit the deckhouse of a coastal steamer (ca. 1940), or learn the colorful history of Samuel Cunard, a Nova Scotia native (born 1787) who founded the Cunard Steam Ship Co. to carry the royal mail and along the way established an ocean dynasty. Another highlight is the exhibit on the tragic Halifax explosion of 1917, when two warships collided in Halifax harbor not far from the museum, detonating tons of TNT. More than 1,700 people died, and windows were shattered 100km (62 miles) away. But perhaps the most poignant exhibit is the lone deck chair from the Titanic -- 150 victims of the Titanic disaster are buried in Halifax, where rescue efforts were centered. Also memorable are the "Age of Steam" exhibit, Queen Victoria's barge, and the interesting new "Shipwreck Treasures of Nova Scotia" section with its stories and artifacts from more than a dozen local shipwrecks.

• © Frommer's 2012

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Highly Recommended 2010