Discover Dartmouth

Dartmouth offers a mix of lakes, trails, and historic homes. When planning your stay, you can organize destinations according to the experiences you’re looking for: Shubie Park focuses on scenery and outdoor activities, while Lake Banook is known for paddling and rowing. Quaker House and Evergreen House offer different insights into the city’s history. This makes it easy to plan a stay around water, activity, and historic heritage.

Shubie Park and Outdoor Activities

Shubie Park is a 40-acre city park between Lake Micmac and Lake Charles, both of which have beaches. The park has well-maintained multi-use trails as well as numerous information panels. Activities include hiking, cycling, camping, and cross-country skiing. The same park therefore offers both trails and a range of different recreational options.

Lakes and Water Sports

Lake Banook is a popular place for paddling and rowing—for beginners as well as professional athletes and Olympic competitors. Dartmouth has 23 lakes offering opportunities for kayaking, windsurfing, canoeing, and swimming. You can focus on a particular lake associated with paddling and rowing or consider the variety of waters and activities available in Dartmouth.

Shubenacadie Canal and Lock 3

The Fairbanks Centre, the main information centre for the Shubenacadie Canal Waterway, is located at the entrance to Shubie Park. A working model illustrates the canal’s lock system: running water and a scale-model canal steamer demonstrate how the waterway works. Lock 3 is next to the Fairbanks Centre and Shubie Park’s main parking lot. The waterway is also of interest to visitors interested in how things work.

Historic Homes in Dartmouth

Quaker House is the oldest surviving building in Dartmouth. The restored house is furnished to reflect the period in which it was built, in 1785. Its rooms tell the story of Dartmouth’s Quaker whalers; their activities and the associated industry lasted only a few years there. Quaker House is listed as a municipal and provincial heritage property. The brief duration of this activity gives the historical story a clear timeframe.

Evergreen House showcases a different type of historic building: it is a restored Victorian home in Dartmouth, built in 1867. The furnishings include antiques from the period. There are also permanent and changing exhibitions from the museum’s collection. Compared with Quaker House, whose rooms tell the story of Quaker whalers, Evergreen House focuses on the Victorian home and the museum collection. This difference can help you choose your historical focus.

Trails for Walks and Outings

The Shearwater Flyer Trail is 8 km long, has a water-bound gravel surface, is mostly flat, and has benches along the route. It starts in Dartmouth and connects with the Salt Marsh Trail in Cole Harbour. There is also a waterfront promenade for a walk along the Dartmouth Waterfront. You can compare a trail with specific details about its length and surface with a promenade for walking.

Discover more destinations: Head Of Jeddore, Timberlea, Glen Haven, Peggy's Cove, Herring Cove, Wellington, Three Fathom Harbour, Tangier.

For the broader travel overview: Halifax County.