Halifax, Nova Scotia: Pier 21 and the Canadian Museum of Immigration

Our Visit

It was on our last day after we checked out of the hotel that we made our way down to the pier. The kids were not entirely thrilled to be going somewhere that I had no idea how to explain but we managed to lure them in with promises of an experience that was interactive and they could touch.

On the first floor of Pier 21 also houses the Scotiabank Family History Centre which houses immigration records for all of Canada. We didn’t go in because it was full of people trying to find their roots but I couldn’t get over the fact that it actually even existed.

First up for us was the Empress of Ireland exhibit. The kids got to look at all of the artifacts of this doomed ship and we happily walked around and took it all in. Our favourite was the porthole though.

Upstairs is where the real magic was for us. The Pier 21 Museum let us really get a feel for the past and the contribution that immigrants had in shaping Canada into the country it is today. The whole exhibit was interactive. You could open the luggage of passengers, play with the same toys that were brought over by immigrants and even see a train caboose that would take families accross Canada. The kids could have stayed there all day.

This though was the part where both my husband and I were in tears. It somehow ended up being the last area we explored and I am glad. It gave us time to read what real visitors to Pier 21 felt about the Pier. Reading these cards and seeing messages from descendants about just how thankful they were that their relatives made the journey was heartwarming. 

To read the first part of this series on Halifax about our stay at the Lord Nelson Hotel you can click here.

Aneta Alaei

Aneta is a Toronto-based mom of four that loves a good meal, great company, and learning something new. In her free time, you can find her trying to keep yet another plant alive.

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