Halifax has certainly seen its share of both, but pay a visit there today and you ll find a city that wears its history well . It s become a pleasant and lively place where the fortresses of past centuries have aged into charming relics, and the once-gritty waterfront has been recast as a shopping and entertainment district . You might want to start your trip by diving right into the city s nautical heritage. The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic , located on the waterfront, contains a large collection of artifacts, including Queen Victoria s royal barge.
Entire ships are also on display, moored outside in the harbor.
I munitions ship collided with another vessel, and the resulting explosion the largest in the world prior to the dropping of atomic bombs killed more than 2,000 people and flattened half of Halifax and parts of neighboring Dartmouth. As the closest major port to the downed ship, it became the center of operations in recovering the dead. In addition to outlining the events surrounding the sinking, the exhibit contains a large collection of artifacts from the ship . If you re looking for more Titanic drama, you can visit the graves of 122 of the ship s victims at Fairview Lawn Cemetery , most of whom were either unidentified or had families too poor to s ee the bodies home. Other victims rest in nearby Mt. Olivet and Baron de Hirsch Cemeteries.