Just a short, charming ferry ride from downtown Halifax, Dartmouth is a beautiful place to wander around on a Saturday morning. Over the past few years, a flurry of small businesses opening around the downtown has peaked the interest of Haligonians and visitors alike, so I knew I had to make the time for a quick trip across the harbour to see what the fuss was all about.
One of the best parts about visiting Dartmouth is getting to take the ferry from Halifax.
Fun fact:
The Halifax Harbour Ferry System is the oldest continuously operating salt-water passenger ferry system in North America. For just the cost of bus fare ($2.50) you can hop on the ferry and take a fifteen-minute harbour cruise.
Here are some places you NEED to check out in Dartmouth:
1. Alderney Landing Market: When you get off the ferry, make your first stop the Market – located right next door to the ferry terminal. While the Halifax Seaport Farmers Market might get a lot of the attention in the city, the Alderney Landing Farmers Market has grown into a great collection of baked goods, fresh meats, local vegetables and an assortment of hand-made items.
2. The Canteen: After leaving the market I was feeling a little hungry, so I headed up Portland Street to visit The Canteen. Relatively new on the Dartmouth scene, the Canteen has recently relocated to a new, sunny spot and has developed a reputation for delicious sandwiches (check out their Twitter feed for some photos of what to expect).
I grabbed their amazing breakfast sandwich, the ‘Dartmouth Hangover’
3. Two if by Sea: Two if by Sea has been one of the leaders of the downtown Dartmouth renaissance. Celebrated for their delicious, butter-loaded croissants that are often filled with unique ingredients, as well as amazing coffee, TIBS is certainly a community hub. On the day I dropped in they were celebrating their 5th birthday with balloons, streamers and noisemakers, and lots of happy Dartmouthians.
4. Kept: Next up was Kept. Are you looking for the perfect gift for hostess gift? Kept has a mission to “bring you uniquely well-crafted gifts and housewares that you will love for years to come,” and they hit it out of the park. I was casually browsing for some Christmas gifts, but couldn’t help wanting pretty much everything in there for myself.
Kept is full of beautifully curated local and international gifts for people of all ages, as well as the pets in their life.
Did I miss any other Dartmouth gems? Let me know on Facebook!
Downtown Dartmouth photo taken by Catherine Rose Photography
Crossiant photo via TIBS websites
