Maritimes Road Trip | Halifax & Dartmouth Guide
What to Do
Halifax Harbour Tours
The enduring romance of slow (boat) travel is alive and well on the all-electric, 1930s-style refitted vessel, The Violet Mac. It’s all thanks to Captain Colin Smith whose loving handiwork fused a century-old wooden steamboat, ‘29 Dodge motor, and ‘Frankenstein’ interiors cobbled together from old church pews and a former hockey rink.
The small eight-person passenger boat makes for a relaxing pace to take in the views that Georgie, our guide, points out along the way, like the lighthouse on George’s Island. “You’re getting the full Nova Scotia experience – on a boat, shrouded in fog,” says Georgie, an Ontario transplant who now calls himself a bluenoser.
As we sail around Halifax Harbour, he provides colourful anecdotes including how the Canadian Institute for the Blind came about because so many people were injured by shrapnel during the 1912 Halifax Explosion.
A new solar vessel (65% solar powered), offering heat and air conditioning, suitable for all weather use, will launch for the 2026 season with ninety-minute tours. “Designed specifically for what I think are the most important points of harbour tours, it is not only energy efficient but silent,” says Smith.
Eat & Drink
Oxalis Restaurant
This is not your grandpa’s farm to table experience. Instead, chef Andreas Preuss’ Michelin-trained skills are on full display, with approachable plates showcasing finessed presentation. Exemplary service and a warm atmosphere round out this stellar, intimate restaurant in Dartmouth.
In warmer months, the outdoor patio surrounded by edible plants and hanging string lights is where you’ll find most diners, but we choose inside. Upstairs is a cozy affair of cottage-chic wooden chairs and banquettes, with gothic floral wallpaper to greet us.
The playful picnic starter announces itself by way of a physical basket hiding artisanal bread, flavoured butter, pickled vegetables, charcuterie and a wee bottle of lemonade. Next, a trio of jewel-box pretty plates arrives at our table – grilled octopus, caramelized citrus, apple and piment d’Espelette for a touch of piquancy; golden ricotta gnudi is elegantly presented as long hand-rolled fingers in lieu of stubby cuts and sits adjacent to itty-bitty vegetables and delicately foamy mushroom sauce. The trompe l’oeil peaches and cream dessert is refined both in appearance and flavour garnished with sorghum popcorn and a luscious brown butter caramel – a stellar finale to a fine meal.
22 Wentworth Street, Dartmouth
Field Guide
An industrial hip vibe, complete with polished concrete floors, an open kitchen and long bar greet guests at the tiny establishment. Since 2013, the restaurant has grown a cult-like following for those in-the- know. Service is polished with helpful explanations given before each dish is presented, as if you were at an intimate gathering of friends.
The wine and cocktail lists offer well-curated, intelligent and vast offerings, (think: Basque Txaoklina, Greek Xinomavro and calamansi gimlet) while the understated, concise menu belies exceptional culinary skill, and restraint. Mediterranean-North African inflections make their way into dishes, beginning with ‘olives,’ a warm-your-soul starter infused with cinnamon, allspice and orange peel and cheese board with addictively crunchy house-made pickled vegetables.
Proceeding standout plates continue with addictive prawn toast and punchy toum (a Lebanese garlic sauce), elegant basil gnocchi with tomatoes and asparagus, and the halibut with cucumber, melon and mint with gentle hint of spice. The chocolate torte is the perfect send-off to end one of the most memory-making meals we enjoyed on this road trip.
2076 Gottingen St., Halifax;
Annapolis Fine Cheese
The dairy on Nova Scotia and indeed the entire Maritimes, is world-class, so says cheesemaker Catherine Keeler whose deft hands are making a mark at Annapolis Fine Cheese.
Keeler spent years learning her craft as master apprentice in France before returning to her native Nova Scotia. Last year, the company’s Truffle and Herb and Garlic Fresh Cheeses (fromage blanc) were awarded first and second place respectively, in the flavoured cheese category at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto.
A small portfolio of three styles in the French and Swiss tradition, includes the alpine-style, three-year-old washed rind Valley Gold (a superb melter!). But for Keeler, it’s her Blomidon brie, which takes pride of place. “These are my babies, these are my favourite. They’re very technically difficult to make. It’s a really good exercise of my skills as a cheesemaker because it can be so sensitive and delicate. It’s a fun challenge every time.”
Clearwater
Founded in 1976 selling lobsters out of a truck, today, the company is the largest shellfish producer in North America, and is Indigenous-owned through the Mi’kmaq Coalition. Pick up MSC-certified scallops or live lobster.
Stay
Shobac
An architectural showcase in a stunning rural landscape
LOCATION
Standing in the corner of the Gate House, over several hours, our eyes follow a flock of sheep gently roaming the hillside. The remote yet dramatic setting, amidst Hirtle’s Beach, Gaff Point is a quiet escape, seamlessly honouring its past, while embracing modern design.
BACKGROUND
Brian MacKay-Lyons is the architect behind this other-worldly collection of new and reclaimed historic buildings encompassing rental cottages, as well as Shobac Campus, an educational centre for students akin to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin.
The project took shape over two decades as MacKay-Lyons painstakingly cleared 25 acres of land. His two-storey Gate House is a marvel of modern sepia-hued Corten steel, juxtaposed by classic gabled roof.
LOWDOWN
Inside, modern amenities play against cozy touches, like an outdoor fire pit, while interior and exterior steel creates continuity, bringing the outside in. “I hope guests leave feeling re-centered and renewed—nourished by the landscape, the architecture, and the sense of history that permeates the place,” he says.
SPECS
80 Net Yard Lane, Upper Kingsburg;
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Halifax-Dartmouth
The first dual IHG brand in Atlantic Canada is close to the airport, downtown and Dartmouth Crossing
LOCATION
Late 2025 will mark the opening of the first dual IHG brand in Atlantic Canada with the addition of Staybridge Suites to the existing Holiday Inn Express & Suites Halifax-Dartmouth. Just 15 minutes from Halifax Stanfield International Airport, one of the Maritimes’ most important transportation hubs, and a few blocks from Dartmouth Crossing Shopping, the hotel is in a prime location, though you’ll need a car to get around. If you’re here to trace your family’s history at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, downtown Halifax is only 20 minutes away.
LOWDOWN
Built in 2019, there’s plenty of sensible modern touches, like a microwave in every room (no need to call for housekeeping every time you need something heated) and EV charging stations in the parking lot. A hot breakfast is included (and replenished often) and you’ll see a mix of conference goers, visitors from around the world and local families. The pool is also a magnet for families and sports teams in the city for tournaments. Whether you’re in Halifax for a short stay, a meeting or jetting off to another locale, staff are friendly and willing to accommodate your request.
SPECS
335 John Savage Avenue Building 1, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
This original article first appeared in the WINTER 2025 2026 issue of City Style and Living Magazine.
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