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Here's what's happening across the Nova Scotia Museum.

Celebrate African Heritage Month 2024

The 2024 African Heritage Month theme is Our Smiles, Our Joy, Our Resilience as African Nova Scotians. This month is a time to celebrate and recognize the history and culture of people of African descent. The theme aligns with the final year of the United Nations’ International Decade for People of African Descent (DPAD) 2015-2024. The goal is to strengthen global cooperation in support of people of African descent, increase awareness and recognize their full and equal participation in all aspects of society.

Nova Scotia has more than 50 historic African Nova Scotian communities with a long, deep and complex history dating back more than 400 years. African Heritage Month provides an opportunity to celebrate and promote the culture, achievements and contributions of people of African descent in Nova Scotia – past and present.

Heritage Day - Monday, February 19

Celebrated the third Monday in February, Nova Scotia Heritage Day is an annual reminder of our storied past and an opportunity to honour the remarkable people, places and events that have contributed to this province’s unique heritage.

The 2024 Honouree, William Hall was one of the first people to receive the British Empire's highest award for bravery, the Victoria Cross. You can see William Hall's Victoria Cross in person at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.

As the first person of African descent and the first Nova Scotian to be awarded the Victoria Cross, William Hall became an inspiration for the military and a source of pride for Canadians and persons of African descent everywhere.

Museum of Natural History

Halifax, Nova Scotia
naturalhistory.novascotia.ca

Dinosaur Exploration
February 2 until June 23

Experience the age of dinosaurs! Dinosaurs roar into the Museum of Natural History. Dinosaur Exploration features two of Research Castings Internationals Exploration Exhibits. Visitors will see full size skeletons, dig for dinosaur fossils, and appreciate the enduring awe and power of this prehistoric time on Earth.

Wee Wild Ones
Tuesdays in February from 10 am to 11am

Join us for Wee Wild Ones, a fun program where kids under 5 and their caregivers explore the wonders of nature at the Museum of Natural History. Enjoy stories and puppet shows; explore real museum specimens; build with tree blocks; and learn through play!

• February 6 Tyrannosaurus rex
• February 13 Teeth
• February 20 Coyote
• February 27 Animals that swim

Heritage Day – Free Admission
Monday, February 19 from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm

In honouring William Hall, the 2024 honouree for Heritage Day, we will be open, with free admission, on Monday, February 19 from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm.

Maritime Museum of the Atlantic

Halifax, Nova Scotia
maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca

Temporary Museum Closure
February 5 to 16

The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic will be closed for staff to work in the exhibits, and improve museum spaces. We will reopen on Saturday, February 17. See you then!

Heritage Day – Free Admission
Monday, February 19 from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm

In honouring William Hall, the 2024 honouree for Heritage Day, we will be open, with free admission, on Monday, February 19 from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm.

Tuesday Night Talks
Tuesday, February 20 and 27

This year’s African Heritage Month provincial theme is Our Smiles, Our Joy, Our Resilience as African Nova Scotians. We are excited to host special guests on February 20 and 27 from the community. Stay tuned for more details by following us on Facebook, Instagram and X/Twitter.

Welcome Wednesdays
Wednesday, February 21 and 28

This February is extra special – it’s African Heritage Month, and for 2024, it’s a leap year month! Programmed for preschoolers and young families, join us for a game of Red Light/Green Light on Feb. 21 and help us leap into March on Feb 28! Welcome Wednesday mornings will have crafts, games, and lots of fun in our Small Craft Gallery! More details coming soon on our website.

Museum of Industry

Stellarton, Nova Scotia
museumofindustry.novascotia.ca

Game Changers and Ready to Play
February 15 until June 23

Are you ready to level up your gaming experience? You won’t want to miss the two new video game exhibitions at the Museum of Industry in Stellarton

Game Changers, from the Canada Science and Technology Museum, looks at what shapes the player’s experience and explores how innovations have transformed the way we interact with computer technology. Test your skills with one of the 16 playable video games.

Ready To Play, developed by the Museum of Industry, introduces the birth, evolution and contributions of the video game industry in Nova Scotia. This industry has grown from a few small startups in the early 2000s to more than 20 studios today!

Heritage Day – Free Admission
Monday, February 19 from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm

In honouring William Hall, the 2024 honouree for Heritage Day, we will be open, with free admission, on Monday, February 19 from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm.

Baile nan Gàidheal | Highland Village

Iona, Nova Scotia
highlandvillage.novascotia.ca

Age of the Mastodon
Monday to Friday from 10 am to 4 pm until March 15

Baile nan Gàidheal | Highland Village is proud to present Age of the Mastodon, a travelling exhibit from the Museum of Natural History. Mastodons were one of the largest mammals of the ice age and for many years, they called Nova Scotia their home! This exhibit features a real Mastodon femur discovered in Middle River in 1832 by an Alexander McRae. This will be the first time in 190 years the femur is on display in Cape Breton. Other features include a full-size mastodon cast and artifacts discovered at the Milford Gypsum Quarry in 1991.

Fundy Geological Museum

Parrsboro, Nova Scotia
fundygeological.novascotia.ca

Heritage Day – Free Admission
Monday, February 19 from 10 am to 4 pm

In honouring William Hall, the 2024 honouree for Heritage Day, we will be open, with free admission, on Monday, February 19 from 10 am to 4 pm.

Beachside Rug Hookers and Fibre Arts Weekly Gathering
Mondays from 10am to 2pm

All are welcome to join the Beachside Rug Hookers and Fibre Artists Weekly Gathering at the Fundy Geological Museum every Monday from 10am – 2pm. Bring along your projects. A $2 donation to the Museum is encouraged.

Game Night
Wednesday, February 7 from 7 pm to 10 pm

All-ages are welcome to attend the Fundy Geo Game Night on the first Wednesday of every month. Bring along tabletop games, board games, card plays, and puzzles. Feel free to bring snacks.

Heritage Day – Free Admission
Monday, February 19 from 10 am to 4 pm

The Fundy Geological Museum will be open on Heritage Day. The exhibit gallery will be free admission all day. The Mesozoic Market will be open. There will be a Family Science Fun Day from 2 pm to 4 pm in the Community Room.

Ross Farm Museum

New Ross, Nova Scotia
rossfarm.novascotia.ca

Winter Frolics
Saturday, February 3 and Sunday, February 4
Saturday, February 17 and Sunday, February 18

Come experience Winter at Ross Farm Museum! Visit the farm workshop and sample some homemade ice cream. Enjoy a horse-drawn sleigh ride, experience snowshoeing, or even bring your own sledding equipment and join the fun on our visitor favorite hill located by the Larder Barn. (depending on snow conditions) During your visit you will have the chance to warm up and satisfy your taste buds with a cup of hot chocolate. Visit the buildings on site to engage your mind with various games such as: checkers, tic tac toe, cards.

Toboggan Making Demonstration
Saturday, February 10 and Sunday, February 11

This weekend our interpreters will be demonstrating how to make a wooden toboggan in the Workshop. While you’re here, make sure to stop by Rosebank Cottage to see what the interpreters are working on. Make your visit the perfect time to warm up and enjoy a tasty sample.

Snowshoe Making Demonstration
Saturday, February 24 and Sunday, February 25

Our interpreters will be demonstrating the traditional art of snowshoe making in the Workshop. We will have snowshoes available for you to experience snowshoeing firsthand (if we have an adequate amount of snow). During this weekend our Blacksmith Shop will be open, so make sure to stop by for a visit. On Saturday, our interpreters will be demonstrating butter making in Rosebank Cottage.

Black Loyalist Heritage Centre

Birchtown, Nova Scotia
blackloyalist.novascotia.ca

The Black Loyalist Heritage Centre tells the story of the world’s largest free African population outside of Africa, in the late 18th century in Nova Scotia.

Enjoy the view of Birchtown Bay when you climb up the Shaw Turret, which commemorates all Black Loyalist communities in Nova Scotia. Enter the Centre’s Lindsay Gallery and immerse yourself in the multimedia presentation of the Black Loyalist journey from Africa to the American colonies, then to Nova Scotia and back to Africa. Explore the virtual copy of the Carlton’s Book of Negroes and search for an ancestor who may have experienced part of this incredible journey.

Firefighters’ Museum of Nova Scotia

Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
firefightersmuseum.novascotia.ca

Visit the Firefighters’ Museum in Yarmouth to discover the history of firefighting in this province.

Imagine the clang of the fire bell, the smell of smoke and the feel of hot steam as firefighters of the past raced to save burning homes in communities across Nova Scotia.

See the types of fire engines used from the 1800s to the 1930s. Marvel at antique hand-drawn and operated engines such as Canada’s oldest horse-drawn steam engine, an 1863 Amoskeag Steamer. Take the wheel of a 1933 Chev Bickle pumper and see collections of antique toy fire engines, shoulder crests, patches and badges from fire departments around the world.