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Maritime Museum of the Atlantic
Category: Arts & Entertainment Museums Museums [Edit]
1675 Lower Water StHalifax, NS B3J 1S3
(902) 424-7490
- Hours:
Tue 9:30 am - 8 pm
Wed-Sat 9:30 am - 5 pm
Sun 1 pm - 5 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
16 reviews for Maritime Museum of the Atlantic
Review Highlights
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"the Titanic, and the Halifax explosion." In 12 reviews -
"...exhibits such as ship wrecks and Titanic exhibit, the..." In 3 reviews -
"Artifacts are well-lighted and arranged in an easy to..." In 6 reviews
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16 reviews in English
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Review from Miranda J.
Dartmouth, NS
10/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
Where to start? I visited the museum for the first time this summer and loved it. My personal favorite exhibits were the sunken treasure and the ship out back.
All of the exhibits were interesting and it's very fitting for the museum to be on the waterfront.
This museum should be a must for everyone to visit--not just tourists. You learn more here than you would/did in a classroom. Thought I think that goes for most museums anyway.Listed in: Yelp 30 Day Challenge!
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Review from Ben B.
10/22/2011 2 Check-ins Here
When you really need a good Maritime binge, you'll find all the east coast Canadiana you'll ever want right here. Starting with a parrot who actually, no seriously, says hi and bye if you make the first move, and ending with full lighthouse bulbs and ship cannons, this is an adventure on the high seas without having to leave your land-lubber ways behind.
I'll be honest, I usually end up here for various events ranging from networking mixers, to award shows, to Nocturne art installations so I honestly don't know that I've ever paid to get in. That said, having gone so many times, I know that I'd never hesitate to pay their cover charge knowing the cool stuff there is to explore within. -
Review from Jim G.
7/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
This museum is a must for tourists. They have a wide selection of boats on display and some of the finest ship models I've seen. They have some really neat smaller items on display as well with nice write-ups, though the labels seemed a little faded and are hard to read. The Titanic display is wonderful, as is the display for the Halifax explosion. In addition to the inside museum, you can step onto an actual ship outside, complete with period items in some of the quarters. The gift shop is smaller than I would have expected for a museum of this size.
On the downside, and this is odd and might have just been me, but I found the museum to be quite stuffy, especially upstairs where the Titanic display is. At one point I wanted to go outside for some fresh air, which is when I took the opportunity to step onto the ship.
The temporary exhibit had to do with gay culture in the navy. I didn't spend much time in it. It had potential to be quite interesting, but I found it a little sparse and some of the items--a teddy bear that a gay sailor carries with him to think of his partner--a bit of a stretch.
Overall, I think this is something that tourists must do while in Halifax. -
Review from Brian S.
1/9/2010 40 photos
See the sea
from the
safety
of land
In the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic there is a huge map with all the ship wrecks that have occurred off the coast of Nova Scotia. There are literally thousands of them. It almost seems that every ship that went near this place either hit a rock, collided with another vessel or blew up. That certain explains the large amount of extremely cool artifacts that the museum has.
Of course the Titanic displays are prominent and are fascinating to look at. Actually sends a chill up the spine knowing that you are staring at the real items from the doomed ship. But the Titanic is only a small part of this incredible place.
Another whole area is dedicated to the massive explosion that ripped Halifax apart in 1917 when two ships collided and blew up. The blast was the largest man made explosion until Hiroshima. It killed over 2,000 people, injured thousands more and literally flatten a large section of the city. Very poignant and amazing displays explain just how devastating the blast was.
The museum also contains a huge number of ship models in many different sizes and shapes. I could and did spend hours just looking at all the types of ships, especially the life sized examples on the bottom floor. An amazing collection.
Halifax played a vital part in both world wars and a plethora of information and displays delineates how important the area was in fighting and winning the battle of the Atlantic. Torpedos, mines, guns, artifacts and models of the warships are everywhere.
Displays and exhibits are always changing and there is so much stuff to look at and read that no matter how many times I visit this place I still feel the need to go again. The museum is in a great location right on the Harbor Walk and it even has a gift shop to buy some cool books or a crummy t-shirt.
One of my very favorite museums anywhere. You not only get to read and learn about the maritime history of Nova Scotia but can actually feel, hear and experience it. An absolutely wonderful place, I would love to be able to give it more than five stars.
See the sea
from the
safety
of landListed in: In the wild, wild north
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Review from Ian W.
9/3/2008 5 photos
We decided to check out the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic located on the downtown waterfront. This museum details the rich maritime history of Nova Scotia through exhibits and galleries of large ships, sail boats, naval ships, model ships, artifacts, maps, images, tools and other neat treasures on two levels. Guided tours of the museum are available.
We spent most of our time on the second floor checking out interesting exhibits such as ship wrecks and Titanic exhibit, the unsinkable ship. A 3D movie of the Titanic is also shown every hour for an additional cost ($4). Be sure to check out the Museum Gift Shop (Maritime Heritage Store) which sells souvenirs, books, gifts, and more. Our enjoyable visit to this museum lasted 2 hours and we still had plenty of time left check out the CSS Acadia docked in the harbour in back and take a nice stroll out on the boardwalk on a warm sunny afternoon.
For more information, check out the website at http://museum.gov.ns.c...
CAA/AAA discounts are offered on admission. -
Review from Katrina N.
2/16/2010
If you can only go to one museum in Halifax, go to this one!
I went with my family in early August of 2007, and it exceeded any expectations I had! It is a very captivating museum with quality collections and exhibits. When I went, they had a fabulous exhibit on Pirates, with great pirate artifacts, history, and even a live Macaw in the lobby. Apparently, the macaw is there to stay, so yay!
Other great exhibits included shipwreaks (neat!), the Titanic, and the Halifax explosion.
Yay Pirates!
Disclaimer: I totally copied this review from my Trip Advisor account. Since I never use Trip Advisor anymore, I'm migrating my reviews over here. Hee! -
Review from Ruth D.
Halifax, NS
1/8/2010
I hardly know where to start...probably with the Titanic exhibit that is truly remarkable. It's an incredible glimpse into the ship, the passengers and through survivor testimony, the ordeal itself.
Another interesting exhibit is about the pirates, in particular the ones in and around the coastline of NS. That was cool! You are introduced to some of the characters, where they hid and where they plundered, shipwreck treasures and let's not forget the bootleggers during Prohibition. Fascinating!
If you're into the ships themselves, whether steam or sail, military or pleasure...this is the place to discover all about them. -
Review from David W.
I wish I had more time...
The Maritime Museum was somewhere I could easily spend the entire day.... perhaps two. Unfortunately I only had a few hours to spend here...
Being somewhat fascinated by the history of the Titanic, I spent most of my time in the Titanic portion.... reading nearly everything there was to read, watching every video, thumbing through the log books.... I really enjoyed myself.
I really would like to go back someday and see the rest of the museum. -
Review from Bethany J.
Halifax, NS
4/20/2010
The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic is the quintessential Halifax experience. From the Days of Sail to the Age of Steam, seagoing vessels are celebrated here in every incarnation.
Permanent exhibits include the Titanic display, the Navy gallery, and many others sure to capture your attention. Be sure to take in the temporary exhibit of the SS St Louis: Ship of Fate, which was supposed to carry over 900 German Jews to safety, until it was refused access by Cuba, the US and Canada. The ship returned to Germany, where many of the passengers were eventually killed in the Holocaust.
The museum's admission prices are reasonable, especially if you go during the off season. It is also available for bookings for birthday parties and special events. The Night Watch program is a hit with kids of all ages. -
Review from David T.
3/20/2011
Wow, what a surprise! There is a lot to see here so allow at least two or three hours; more if this is your thing. Artifacts are well-lighted and arranged in an easy to follow sequence. The museum is very clean and the staff are there to answer your questions or provide further historical details. We really enjoyed ourselves. Good value for the money. Probably very boring to young children and adults not really interested in ships and related artifacts.
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Review from Marc W.
2/21/2010
If you have any interest in history, especially maritime history this museum is not to be missed. It may be small, but it has some interesting exhibits.
There is a unique exhibit son the Titantic and the Halifax explosion and another on naval warfare (mostly War of 1812 and WW2).
Halifax is where the floating victims of the Titanic (those who could be found) were buried. Lots of floating wreckage was taken back to Halifax and is now in the museum.
It is interesting to see parts of the USS Chesapeake that was captured by the HMS Shannon during the War of 1812. In fact, the upright naval cannons around the harborfront are from the USS Chesapeake.
The staff at the museum are also very nice and informative. -
Review from Joshua Y.
Vancouver, BC
10/24/2009
Overall a very good Museum!
The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic is a great museum. Of course they have the infamous Titanic exhibit which features shoes from Titanic's, "Unknown Child," along with replica's of chairs and other items so you can see what it was like to be on the Titanic. And they have the video that costs an extra $4 to watch. The video has some great archival footage of the ship being launched along with some very interesting facts.
But that's not all this Museum is about. I love their Navy Gallery that has artifacts and warship models. I am a huge fan of model ships and trust me when I say, if you are to, you will love these exhibits. Their small craft gallery is also impressive, but wasn't of much interest to me. That didn't matter however, because the Maritime Museum has almost an exhibit for everyone.
The staff at the Maritime Museum are friendly and knowledgeable. I co-produced a documentary and was very pleased with the support everyone at the Maritime Museum gave us. So whether you are a tourist wanting to take a look at Maritime History, or a business, wanting to learn more about it for your presentation, they are their to help.
I always have a great time going to the Maritime Museum. Its fun to go back in time and see ship wrecks, the Titanic, Naval exhibits and a big lighthouse light in the middle of the room. When you are downtown and have an hour to roam around, stop by the Museum. Its not as boring as it sounds. -
Review from Shawna D.
Chester, NS
1/23/2010
When visitors come to town, they always want to go here. The Pirate Ships were one of the areas we spent a lot of time. There is so much here, it would be hard to talk about one area over the other. Each of us had our favorite section. Of course the area where the Titanic is , is just amazing.
Take your time going through everything , there is a lot to see. The staff here are great. -
Review from emma l.
8/19/2011
This is an amazing museum. My favorite section was the Halifax Explosion exhibit and visiting the ship out back. I went on one of the tours of the Halifax Explosion area and that was great. The guide linked it to what was going on in the world at the time. For part of the time there was also a man signing sea songs in one of the galleries and that was great. Overall it had interesting stuff too see, but not so much as i felt overwhelmed. I'll definitely be back to see the parts I missed!
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Review from Ang M.
Halifax, NS
10/7/2009
I can't explain it, but I have always been strangely drawn to the big lighthouse lens that welcomes visitors to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. The lens was from the Sambro Island lighthouse and was in use there from 1906 to 1967, when it was finally replaced by an "airport-type" beacon. But to me, the lens is like a beautiful sculpture, a pod-shaped series of glass layers, mysterious and storied. To others, perhaps it's just a big hunk of glass. Anyway, that's just the introduction to this interesting collection which explores Nova Scotia's maritime heritage. Anyone with an interest in boats, shipping, the Titanic, or anything else sea-related will enjoy this museum.
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Review from Joe J.
10/8/2010
The museum offers an excellent overview of maritime history in this part of the Atlantic, as well as some history of Halifax. The best parts of the museum are on the Titanic (they have numerous actual artifacts), the Halifax disaster (amazing that we have never heard of it in the US), and the various shipwrecks in the area. It is well signed and taking a walking tour on your own is very doable. The art collection is particularly impressive.
