Halifax Explosion Self-Guided Audio Walking Tour

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.

1. 1

   Stop 1

   5 min

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

2. 2

   Stop 2

   5 min

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

3. 3

   Stop 3

   5 min

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

4. 4

   Stop 4

   5 min

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

5. 5

   Halifax Explosion Memorial Bell Tower

   5 min

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

6. 6

   Fort Needham Memorial Park

   5 min

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

7. 7

   Stop 7

   5 min

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

8. 8

   Stop 8

   5 min

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

9. 9

   Stop 9

   5 min

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

10. 10

    Stop 10

    5 min

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

11. 11

    Stop 11

    5 min

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

12. 12

    Stop 12

    5 min

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

13. 13

    Stop 13

    5 min

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

14. 14

    Stop 14

    5 min

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

15. 15

    Stop 15

    5 min

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

16. 16

    Stop 16

    5 min

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

17. 17

    Stop 17

    5 min

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

18. 18

    Stop 18

    5 min

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

19. 19

    Stop 19

    5 min

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

20. 20

    Stop 20

    5 min

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

21. 21

    Stop 21

    5 min

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

22. 22

    Stop 22

    5 min

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

23. 23

    Stop 23

    5 min

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

24. 24

    Stop 24

    5 min

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

25. 25

    Stop 25

    5 min

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

26. 26

    Stop 26

    5 min

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

27. 27

    Stop 27

    5 min

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

• 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

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.