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A map with numbered markers indicating locations in Richmond and Halifax. 1
A group of people in red uniforms standing in front of a building with a large, angular structure. 2
A staircase with metal railings and wooden posts, leading up to a building. 3
A person holding a smartphone. 4
A devastated landscape with debris and wreckage, two women in long coats and hats observing the scene. 5
By Tripvia Tours

Reviews

7.0 out of 10
Good
Free cancellation available
Price is $8 per adult
See tickets

Features

  • Free cancellation available
  • 2h 20m
  • Mobile voucher
  • Instant confirmation

Overview

  • Walk through the Halifax neighbourhoods shaped by the devastating 1917 explosion on a flexible GPS-guided audio tour. Stories play automatically as you follow the 5 km route through memorials, historic streets and the rebuilt Hydrostone district.

    See the HALIFAX EXPLOSION MEMORIAL BELL TOWER, FORT NEEDHAM MEMORIAL PARK, RICHMOND STAIRCASE and HYDROSTONE MARKET while hearing remarkable accounts of survival, rescue and rebuilding. Optional trivia adds to the experience.

    Start whenever you like, pause for photos or breaks and finish at your own pace. Download before you arrive; no mobile data or signal is needed during the tour.

Activity location

  • Hydrostone Park
    • 5547 Young Street
    • B3K 1Z7, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Meeting/Redemption Point

  • Hydrostone Park
    • 5547 Young Street
    • B3K 1Z7, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Check availability

Halifax Explosion Self-Guided Audio Walking Tour in English

  • Earn $0.25
  • Activity duration is 2 hours and 20 minutes2h 20m
    2h 20m
  • Opening hours: Sat 6:00am-10:00pm
  • English
Language options: English
Price details
$8.41 x 1 Adult$8.41
Total
Price is $8.41

What's included, what's not

  • Inclusions
    Download on WIFI before (no signal required or data used during tour)
  • Inclusions
    Live GPS map shows route & your location
  • Inclusions
    Flexible dates - tour is yours to keep and enjoy anytime on Tripvia Tours.
  • Inclusions
    Customer Service via Phone & Email
  • Inclusions
    Trivia questions at each stop (optional)
  • Inclusions
    Tour guide commentary automatically plays at each point of interest
  • Exclusions
    Smartphone/tablet/headphones (audio will play from device speaker)
  • Exclusions
    **Recommended attractions may be closed/inaccessible due to season or reasons beyond our control.
  • Exclusions
    Attraction tickets
  • Exclusions
    Parking fees
  • Exclusions
    In-person tour guide

Know before you book

    • Wheelchair accessible
    • Service animals allowed
    • Public transportation options are available nearby
    • Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
    • Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness

Activity itinerary

Hydrostone Park

  • 5m
HYDROSTONE PARK. Begin a 5 km walk through the neighbourhoods transformed by the 1917 Halifax Explosion and their remarkable recovery.

St. Joseph's Square

  • 5m
ST. JOSEPH'S SQUARE & PARISH. Pause at the memorial to the Catholic parish and community devastated by the explosion.

Novalea Drive & Hennessey Place

  • 5m
FORT NEEDHAM MEMORIAL PARK. Walk through the historic military hilltop reshaped as a neighbourhood park and memorial landscape.

MC72+M7

  • 5m
SS MONT-BLANC, SS IMO & THE EXPLOSION. Discover how the two ships collided and set the disaster of December 6, 1917 in motion.

Halifax Explosion Memorial Bell Tower

  • 5m
HALIFAX EXPLOSION MEMORIAL BELL TOWER. View the striking hilltop monument honouring the people of Halifax and Dartmouth affected by the blast.

Fort Needham Memorial Park

  • 5m
RICHMOND STAIRCASE. See the symbolic staircase and railings bearing the names of businesses destroyed in the explosion.

Canada Family Court

  • 5m
SUPREME COURT FAMILY DIVISION & RICHMOND SCHOOL. View the civic site while uncovering the post-explosion school and the tragedy of Roome School.

M97V+Q8

  • 5m
SECRET OF THE TREES. Discover the surprising natural feature that once made these trees notorious in lumber mills across North America.

3365 Robie St

  • 5m
FRANCIS MACKEY. Meet the Mont-Blanc harbour pilot whose life was forever changed by the explosion and its aftermath.

Robie Street & Wells Street

  • 5m
ROBIE STREET WATER RESERVOIR. See the 1913 reservoir that survived the blast and later received heritage recognition.

M98R+44

  • 5m
PATRICIA & HER CREW. Pause at the firefighters' memorial and learn about the engine crew who lost their lives responding to the disaster.

M99W+82

  • 5m
FIRE, ICE & BLACK RAIN. Picture the brutal weather and terrifying conditions survivors faced after the explosion.

M99W+PH

  • 5m
TSUNAMI. Stand above the harbour slope reached by the powerful wave triggered moments after the blast.

M99W+JR

  • 5m
HOUSE HOLES & THE RAZING OF RICHMOND. Look for traces of vanished homes in the landscape of a neighbourhood levelled by the explosion.

M9CX+66

  • 5m
VINCENT COLEMAN. Discover how the railway dispatcher's final warning helped save hundreds of lives.

Barrington Street & Duffus Street

  • 5m
CAMPBELL ROAD. Trace the former dirt road once lined with North End shops and homes before the disaster reshaped Richmond.

M99X+HQ

  • 5m
THE MIRACLE OF ASHPAN ANNIE. Hear the extraordinary survival story of a baby found alive after the devastation.

IRVING SHIPBUILDING INC.

  • 5m
IRVING SHIPYARDS CONTROVERSY. View the modern shipyard and consider the debate surrounding its development on this historic waterfront.

MC92+3J

  • 5m
THE AMAZING ADVENTURE OF BILLY WELLS. Follow the astonishing escape of a young survivor caught in the explosion's path.

Veith House

  • 5m
HALIFAX PROTESTANT ORPHANAGE. See Veith House, now an active community hub, and its memorial to children lost in the explosion.

MC74+X2

  • 5m
HALIFAX AT WAR & THE ROYAL NAVY COLLEGE. View the former college site and discover how wartime discipline helped its occupants survive.

MC72+7V

  • 5m
TO THE RESCUE. Discover the extraordinary international relief effort and the tradition of gratitude that continues today.

Novalea Drive & Kane Place

  • 5m
HYDROSTONE DISTRICT & OUT OF THE ASHES. Explore the landmark garden suburb built as Halifax rebuilt after the disaster.

M96X+WM

  • 5m
QUAINT FUNCTIONALITY: THE HYDROSTONE'S BACK LANES. See how practical service lanes shaped daily life in the rebuilt neighbourhood.

Hennessey Place

  • 5m
TUDOR REVIVAL DESIGN. Admire the English-inspired rowhouses created for families rebuilding their lives after the explosion.

MC62+M3

  • 5m
HALIFAX RELIEF COMMISSION BUILDING. View the heritage building that coordinated recovery and reconstruction after the disaster.

Hydrostone Market

  • 5m
HYDROSTONE MARKET. Finish among the active shops and eateries of this restored commercial block at the heart of the historic district.

Location

Activity location

  • LOB_ACTIVITIESLOB_ACTIVITIES
    Hydrostone Park
    • 5547 Young Street
    • B3K 1Z7, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Meeting/Redemption Point

  • PEOPLEPEOPLE
    Hydrostone Park
    • 5547 Young Street
    • B3K 1Z7, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

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