Dartmouth (Nova Scotia)

Dartmouth is a city in the Halifax Region of Nova Scotia, on the eastern shore of Halifax Harbour. Dartmouth has the nickname the "City of Lakes" due to its large number of lakes.

Understand
City population is approximately 95,000. With the Halifax side becoming more developed, some of this investment has crossed the water to Dartmouth, updating the downtown and surrounding areas from the grittier past.

Dartmouth was incorporated as a town in 1873. In 1955 the town was permanently linked to Halifax by the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge which led to rapid suburban growth. The Town of Dartmouth amalgamated with several neighbouring towns and became the City of Dartmouth in 1961. The A. Murray MacKay Bridge opened in 1970, which spurred residential and commercial growth.

Getting there/away
A shuttle bus runs hourly with stops at all the major hotels in Halifax and Dartmouth ($16 one-way, $28 return). There are cabs for a $53 flat rate. Halifax Transit regional express route 320 is an express bus from the airport to downtown Dartmouth and downtown Halifax ($4.25 one-way) which runs once or twice an hour; the trip from the airport to the Bridge Terminal in downtown Dartmouth takes about 40 min.

By train

 * Train services available from Halifax.

By bus

 * Operates the following routes to Dartmouth:
 * Between Halifax and Kentville including stops in Dartmouth and Wolfville.
 * Between Halifax and Moncton including stops in Dartmouth, Halifax Airport, Truro, Amherst, Sackville, and Moncton Airport.
 * Between Halifax and Sydney including stops in Dartmouth, Halifax Airport, Truro, New Glasgow, Antigonish, Port Hawkesbury, and North Sydney.
 * Travel to Dartmouth from the following destinations involving same day transfers is as follows:
 * From Charlottetown with a transfer in Amherst.
 * From Bathurt, Campbellton, Edmundston, Fredericton, Miramichi, and Saint John with a transfer in Moncton.
 * From Bathurt, Campbellton, Edmundston, Fredericton, Miramichi, and Saint John with a transfer in Moncton.

By car
Highway 118 connects Dartmouth to Highway 102, which runs between Halifax and Truro. From there, Highway 104 (the Trans-Canada Highway) goes west to New Brunswick and east to Cape Breton.

By bus
Dartmouth shares a transit system with the City of Halifax; regional buses run to Halifax, Bedford and Sackville. With the sprawling nature of the city, ask for a transfer ticket that allows you to use more than one bus for the same fare. Going from one neighbourhood to the next may take 10 min by car, but could be 30 min to 1 hr by bus.

By boat
Halifax Transit operates the Harbour Ferry service between Halifax and Dartmouth. The is the more convenient of the two Dartmouth ferry terminals, downtown along Alderney Drive near the foot of Queen Street. Service operates seven days a week, every 30 minutes, and every 15 minutes during weekday rush hours. The other option is the which is just off Pleasant Street and Atlantic Street in the suburban Woodside area. Service operates every 30 minutes on weekdays, no weekend or holiday service. The fare is $3 in coin, which includes a 90-min transfer ticket, allowing you to use a bus too for the same fare.

By car
Two toll bridges join Halifax to Dartmouth.

By taxi
Any local taxi will make the crossing from Halifax to Dartmouth, and back.



See

 * The A. Murray MacKay Bridge, linking Halifax and Dartmouth
 * Somme Branch No. 31 Royal Canadian Legion Military Museum The museum exhibits authentic wartime costumes, with statistics of wartime activities both at home and abroad. Collection of shoulder and divisional flashes, battalion photographs. Special tours by request. +1 902 463-1050.
 * Shearwater Aviation Museum, Shearwater Airport, Dartmouth, NS.
 * Shearwater Aviation Museum, Shearwater Airport, Dartmouth, NS.

Do

 * Natal Day, celebrated in the first week of August since 1895 to commemorate the arrival of the railway. Large celebrations are held throughout the city, with the largest being at the grounds of Alderney Landing. Outdoor concerts play throughout the day and night.

Eat
With Dartmouth's downtown changing rapidly, many of these older establishments have been replaced by newer culinary treats. Just walk up Ochterloney or Portland street to see the difference of new and old.

Drink
There are several Nova Scotian pubs and bars in Dartmouth, however your best bet is to cross the bridge to Halifax where there is much more nightlife to speak of. The infamous Ralph's Place, Nova Scotia's only tolerated strip club, is a thing of the past - the business shut their doors in early 2018. If you're looking for anything adult oriented, you'll have to drive to Moncton.



Sleep
If your main destination is Halifax, it is best to stay over on that side. The ferry stops service just past midnight on weekdays, and the bridge is subject to seemingly random closures.

Stay safe
Lots of Halifax residents will overplay the dangers of Dartmouth, commonly referring to it as the "Dark Side". Dartmouth is quite safe, with many family neighborhoods and high end apartments being built in the downtown. Though, like any other city, and especially of a residential sister city, common precautions should be taken. The areas of high crime are of no interest to tourists and are away from the downtown (Highfield Park, Albro Lake, Caledonia, Windmill Rd going towards the MacKay bridge). You might experience beggars or generally rough characters in the downtown off the ferry landing or by the bus terminal- they're all harmless, just give a smile or a "sorry". Prostitution is a problem on Windmill Rd, and muggings are infrequent but not unheard of. Violent crimes do occur, but most are related to gang violence or local conflicts.

Go next
Dartmouth can be a nice place to stay while visiting the Halifax area. There are many small towns and villages in the area worth exploring as well. Also, as Dartmouth is the 'City of Lakes', its quite easy to find a quiet, secluded lake and enjoy the fresh Atlantic air.