Things To Do in Nova Scotia

Through trials and tribulations, Dacane Surf Shop owner Lance Moore has always strived to provide the best opportunities and gear for wave-tamers. Having hatched the shop's first incarnation in his mother's basement and moved on to locations where break-ins and robberies were rampant, he maintained his focus on learning his trade before finally settling in Halifax. Always looking to stay one step ahead of the sport, Lance and his team seek out the most cutting-edge surfing equipment available from reputable designers such as Channel Islands, Santa Cruz, and Watercooled. His instructors customize surf camps and lessons to help mould burgeoning aquanauts of all ages and skill levels, and hip threads from the likes of Quiksilver and Billabong keep them looking the part. The surf shack also sets up adventurists with stand-up paddleboards, skim boards, body boards, and all the accessories needed to coast the whitecaps or add authenticity to an online dating profile.

Noble Grape arms amateur vintners and would-be brewmasters with the equipment and supplies they need to craft their own reds, whites, and brews at home. The store's winemaking starter package includes 15 items crucial to turning lowly grape juice into nectar worthy of Bacchus, including a fermenting device, racking accoutrements, a 23-litre glass carboy, a bottle filler, sanitizer, and a moody yet talented wine whisperer to tame the grapes. Oenophiles can choose from a stock of 25 Vintners Reserve wine kits designed to yield 23 litres in varietals ranging from pleasantly acidic chardonnay to bold, palate-blanketing cabernet sauvignon, or opt for a Twisted Mist wine-cocktail kit in flavours such as strawberry margarita and mojito. This option also includes $20 off a future wine-kit purchase.

Noble Grape arms amateur vintners and would-be brewmasters with the equipment and supplies they need to craft their own reds, whites, and brews at home. The store's winemaking starter package includes 15 items crucial to turning lowly grape juice into nectar worthy of Bacchus, including a fermenting device, racking accoutrements, a 23-litre glass carboy, a bottle filler, sanitizer, and a moody yet talented wine whisperer to tame the grapes. Oenophiles can choose from a stock of 25 Vintners Reserve wine kits designed to yield 23 litres in varietals ranging from pleasantly acidic chardonnay to bold, palate-blanketing cabernet sauvignon, or opt for a Twisted Mist wine-cocktail kit in flavours such as strawberry margarita and mojito. This option also includes $20 off a future wine-kit purchase.

Trendz Cafe & Wine Bar's certified Chef de Cuisine Daniel Delorme arouses mouths with an array of local and seasonal ingredients. The lunch menu’s curried lobster ragout links arms with mango to high-kick atop a cornbread stage ($14), and the Italian chicken sandwich traps sundried tomato and free-range, rosemary chicken between two slices of focaccia ($13). At Dinner, diners bow to pan-fried halibut that dons a saffron-sauce robe and sits regally atop a vegetable-risotto throne ($25). In the grilled bison striploin, Chef Delorme quells a 6-ounce steak's temper with a calming blanket of redcurrant jus and mood crystals that take the tasty form of grilled summer vegetables and roasted potatoes ($28).

Bowlarama welcomes rollers of all ages to challenge each other in matches of traditional 10-pin bowling. Once fitted into rental shoes, groups of up to five players suppress pin rebellions on one of 18–24 lanes. Players aim their sights down narrow, hardwood fairways at murals depicting neon bowling balls and the Norse god of strikes. Keep eyes active on overhanging flat screen TVs or hands focused in matches of pool, air hockey, and video games (amenities vary depending on location). In addition to food and bar services, each Bowlarama hosts cosmic bowling events.

Paddy's Pub & Rosie's Restaurant blends fresh microbrews and munchable meals into a merry mortar for the foundation of a cornerstone Irish country pub. Stifle stomachs looking to score a record deal with "raven" wings ($9.99) tossed in a choice of savoury sauces including barbecue, honey garlic, and hot, or capture mozza sticks under a net before incasing their golden wings in an ornamental honey curry sauce ($6.99). The filet mignon ($12.99) cradles a 6 oz. cut of beef in the loving arms of bacon, who tenderly sings it into a vulnerable slumber. The classic fish and chips ($10.99) accompanied by seasoned fries and coleslaw is paralleled in deliciousness by the dexterous Emerald Isle stew and bowl ($7.49), simmering braised lamb and a blend of fresh vegetables drenched in Chimney Swift Stout. One of Paddy's freshly brewed draught beers expertly saddles meals and wards off the wrath of Irish fairies who wait perched to pounce on inadequately lubed esophagi.