Discover the Halifax Explosion with a Smartphone Audio Walking Tour

Hydrostone Park

Join tour guide Jeff as you discover one of the greatest tragedies in Canadian history. You'll not only see historical sites & landmarks, but hear the stories of survival & perseverance that surfaced during the 1917 Halifax Explosion. During the 5km tour you'll see the Memorial Bell Tower, Hydrostone District & various memorials, learn about the miracle of Ashpan Annie, the adventure of Billy Wells, the ensuing Tsunami & much more! Live GPS map shows where you are and where to go next. As you get close, tour guide commentary will automatically play. The tour also comes with a location based trivia game. After the commentary plays, look at your device and tap your guess at the answer. Keep the professional tour guide experience, ditch the crowded tour groups, tight schedules and high prices. It’s yours! Enjoy anytime, not just on your booking date. Stop & start anywhere along route. Note: the number of travelers you select is the number of devices you can download the tour to.

Duration: 5 minutes

St. Joseph's Square

Three moments in time...we'll tell you about the memorial to the Catholic Parish of St Joseph’s.

Duration: 5 minutes

Novalea Drive & Hennessey Place

We'll tell you how the park began as military grounds to it's rebuilding of a neighbourhood park and memorial today.

Duration: 5 minutes

MC72+M7 Halifax

SS MONT BLANC, SS IMO & THE EXPLOSION. Here we'll tell you about the ships involved and the events leading up to the explosion.

Duration: 5 minutes

Halifax Explosion Memorial Bell Tower

We'll tell you about the impressive monument to the people of Halifax and Dartmouth, who experienced first-hand, the devastation of the Halifax explosion.

Duration: 5 minutes

Fort Needham Memorial Park

RICHMOND STAIRCASE. We'll tell you the symbolism of the staircase and railings, into which are the names of businesses that were destroyed in the blast.

Duration: 5 minutes

Canada Family Court

RICHMOND SCHOOL. Here we'll tell you how this building, originally built to house a school, was constructed immediately after the explosion and the tragedy of the Roome School..

Duration: 5 minutes

M97V+Q8 Halifax

SECRET OF THE TREES. We'll tell what secret made them infamous in lumber mills from Canada to the southern states of America.

Duration: 5 minutes

3365 Robie St

THE STORY OF FRANCIS MACKEY. You'll hear his story, the pilot onboard the Mont-Blanc, and how his life was profoundly changed after the explosion.

Duration: 5 minutes

Robie Street & Wells Street

ROBIE STREET WATER RESERVOIR. We'll tell you about the reservoir, built in 1913, it's survival as well as it's special designation.

Duration: 5 minutes

M98R+44 Halifax

PATRICIA & HER CREW. Here stands a monument to the firefighters of Halifax who lost their lives on that day in 1917. We'll tell you a bit about the "Patricia" as well.

Duration: 5 minutes

M99W+82 Halifax

FIRE & ICE & BLACK RAIN. As you are walking, we'll talk about the horrific conditions the explosion and weather caused for the survivors.

Duration: 5 minutes

M99W+PH Halifax

TSUNAMI. We'll tell you how it swept up this hillside and would have reached your feet had you been standing here then.

Duration: 5 minutes

M99W+JR Halifax

HOUSE HOLES AND THE RAZING OF RICHMOND. You'll see the changes in the land around you and hear about the ghostly markers of where people once lived and died.

Duration: 5 minutes

M9CX+66 Halifax

VINCENT COLEMAN. Hear why Haligonians will always remember Vincent Coleman as a hero who is credited with potentially saved hundreds of lives

Duration: 5 minutes

Barrington Street & Duffus Street

CAMPBELL ROAD as it was once know, was a simple wide dirt road lined with shops and houses. We'll tell you a bit about it.

Duration: 5 minutes

M99X+HQ Halifax

ASHPAN ANNIE. We've got a wonderful surprise at this stop - good news about a baby’s miraculous survival!!

Duration: 5 minutes

IRVING SHIPBUILDING INC.

We'll tell about the controversy around this structure and why it ended up being built here.

Duration: 5 minutes

MC92+3J Halifax

THE AMAZING ADVENTURE OF BILLY WELLS. As you are walking we'll tell you his incredible story.

Duration: 5 minutes

Veith House

HALIFAX PROTESTANT ORPHANAGE. You'll see a colourful memorial on the white picket fence painted by the children of the Veith House.

Duration: 5 minutes

MC74+X2 Halifax

THE ROYAL NAVY COLLEGE once stood across the road, we'll tell you how the efficiency of the co-commander helped everyone survive.

Duration: 5 minutes

MC72+7V Halifax

TO THE RESCUE. We'll tell you about the amazing help Halifax received from around the world and a tradition that is still followed today.

Duration: 5 minutes

Novalea Drive & Kane Place

HYDROSTONE DISTRICT. You'll hear about the town planner and how he brought the idea of English garden cities to Halifax.

Duration: 5 minutes

M96X+WM Halifax

QUAINT FUNCIONALITY - THE HYDROSTONE'S BACK LANES. Hear about the reason for "back-lane" business!

Duration: 5 minutes

Hennessey Place

DESIGN: TUDOR REVIVAL. As you walk along you'll see a block of rowhouse cottages, built using the English style, for surviving families.

Duration: 5 minutes

MC62+M3 Halifax

HALIFAX RELIEF COMMISSION BUILDING. We'll tell you about the committee formed to deal with the emergency in this building, now designated a cultural historic site.

Duration: 5 minutes

Hydrostone Market

We end our tour here at the Hydrostone Market. This tour was not about monuments or buildings but about the people who lived through that awful day and those who raced to help them. We hope their stories are an inspiration. Our starting point is just across the road in the park.

Duration: 5 minutes

HMCS Sackville

Not a point of interest on the tour, but it's nearby and you can spend as much time here as you like.

Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo

Not a point of interest on the tour, but it's nearby and you can spend as much time here as you like.

Point Pleasant Park

Not a point of interest on the tour, but it's nearby and you can spend as much time here as you like.

Fairview Lawn Cemetery

Not a point of interest on the tour, but it's nearby and you can spend as much time here as you like.

Halifax Central Library

Not a point of interest on the tour, but it's nearby and you can spend as much time here as you like.

Alexander Keith's Brewery

Not a point of interest on the tour, but it's nearby and you can spend as much time here as you like.

Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21

Not a point of interest on the tour, but it's nearby and you can spend as much time here as you like.

Halifax Waterfront Boardwalk

Not a point of interest on the tour, but it's nearby and you can spend as much time here as you like.

Fort Massey Cemetery

Not a point of interest on the tour, but it's nearby and you can spend as much time here as you like.

Old Burying Ground

Not a point of interest on the tour, but it's nearby and you can spend as much time here as you like.

St. Mary's Basilica

Not a point of interest on the tour, but it's nearby and you can spend as much time here as you like.

St. Paul's Church

Not a point of interest on the tour, but it's nearby and you can spend as much time here as you like.

Old Town Clock

Not a point of interest on the tour, but it's nearby and you can spend as much time here as you like.

Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History

Not a point of interest on the tour, but it's nearby and you can spend as much time here as you like.

Halifax Public Gardens

Not a point of interest on the tour, but it's nearby and you can spend as much time here as you like.

Victoria Park

Not a point of interest on the tour, but it's nearby and you can spend as much time here as you like.

Holy Cross Cemetery

Not a point of interest on the tour, but it's nearby and you can spend as much time here as you like.

Halifax Citadel National Historic Site

Not a point of interest on the tour, but it's nearby and you can spend as much time here as you like.

Maritime Museum of the Atlantic

Not a point of interest on the tour, but it's nearby and you can spend as much time here as you like.

Halifax Central Library

Not a point of interest on the tour, but it's nearby and you can spend as much time here as you like.