[hollyhill]

I think that's how you spell it???

I am headed to Halifax/Dartmouth and want to know the best (cheapest) Grocery stores.... We rented a cabin so I hope to do most of our cooking. We are staying for 5 Days in Mahone bay and 5 Days in Chezzetook...

Any other advice? Must dos/sees? Bargains etc.... would be much appreciated.


Rosi

 

[monkeywrangler71]

:cheergrl: Me! :cheergrl:

Unfortunately there is no such thing as a cheap grocery store in NS. There is only Sobeys and Superstore, and they are both pretty much the same. There are no discount groceries.

Are you renting a cabin in Mahone bay and also renting a cabin in Chezzetcook? Where are you going first? Are you flying and renting a car?

 

[hollyhill]

:cheergrl: Me! :cheergrl:

Unfortunately there is no such thing as a cheap grocery store in NS. There is only Sobeys and Superstore, and they are both pretty much the same. There are no discount groceries.

Are you renting a cabin in Mahone bay and also renting a cabin in Chezzetcook? Where are you going first? Are you flying and renting a car?

First Mahone bay and second Chezzetcook. Both are cabins. We found the one in Chezzetcook first and thought it was availabe the whole time but found out a few days later he had double booked and so it was only available half the time. We wanted that one because it is close to Banook (and VERY cute), where my daughter is racing in Nationals. So Dh suggested we look for a cabin somewhere south of Halifax for the first half of our trip.

We are flying (all on Airmiles) from BC on the red eye Friday night. And renting a car.

It is our first time out east.

Thanks about the info about Sobeys and superstore. We don't have a sobeys here.

Any other tips????

 

[monkeywrangler71]

First off, congrats to your daughter racing in the nationals and good luck to her!

Is she racing the whole time? Mahone Bay to Dartmouth is a bit of a haul, also kind of a pain traffic wise. If you are coming into town in the morning give yourself lots of time because it will likely be slow at rush hour, although not as bad in the summer. It's also a bit more complicated coming from that direction. Make sure you get off the highway in Halifax and then go across the bridge to Dartmouth, you don't want to end up going around the basin. Either bridge will get you there, personally I'd take the MacKay if traffic's heavy as it's pretty well all highway; the MacDonald is a more direct route but also involves smaller roads and is a bit more complicated. The bridges cost .75 per trip - cash only so make sure you have some before you get on it (toll is on the Dartmouth side). BTW if locals are talking about the bridges they do not call them by name - the MacKay bridge is called "the new bridge", the MacDonald Bridge is called "the old bridge"

Hopefully you won't be going in every day on that first week, as it is quite a distance and gas is expensive in NS. Get the most fuel efficient car you can.

Chezzetcook is not so bad, still a good distance but more direct. Just take the 107 all the way into Dartmouth, then exit onto Prince Albert Road. The lake is right there.

I don't know where you'll park, it will be a busy spot.

If you are at the lake on the first day, there is a big Superstore right up at the interchange where Prince Albert meets Braemar. If you are going right to Mahone Bay there is a Sobeys on one of the exits off the 103, I believe it's the exit to Hubbards but not completely sure. If you are looking you can see it from the highway. I don't know if there is a big store in Mahone Bay, but if not there are all the major stores in Bridgewater (Sobeys, Superstore, Walmart, Zellers, etc).

Mahone Bay is absolutely beautiful, lots of little shops and such. You'll want to take an afternoon or evening to just stroll along the waterfront and windowshop. You should also go down the waterfront in Halifax. I would park in Dartmouth, since you are there anyway, and take the ferry across. There is a walkway all along the harbour, just don't look in the water

As far as other things to do and see, it depends on how much time you have between races and what you are interested in.

 

[hollyhill]

Thanks for all the info!!!!

Nationals start on Wed and so we will be commuting in the first two days from Mahone bay. Her first race is at 11:30 AM so we will be there about 10 AM ish. She will be going in Mon. and Tues. for practices though if the boats get there early enough.

If it is a real pain we could probably pawn her off onto one of her team mates.

Initially we were all booked in at the super 8, but it was $159 a night (not. incl. taxes) + a cot at $10 and didn't even include a fridge. I thought, it was conveniently close but we wouldn't even sleep well (all 5 of us one room). The whole team started looking elsewhere, some found bed and breakfasts etc. The cottages work out to $100 (incl. taxes) a night, have 3 bedrooms, washer and dryers ( a must with athletes), full kitchen and are on water front!

Thanks for the tips on the tolls and the exits for the grocery stores.

We hope to spend time in Mahone, Lunnenberg etc.... Halifax, and take a day trip to the bay of fundy.

We really love history (don't have much in BC HaHa), so will probably gravitate to historic sites.
We aren't much for shopping, but love scenery and atmosphere.

Maybe we will go to some beaches too....

 

[monkeywrangler71]

If you love history you will definitely want to go downtown Halifax. If you go on the boardwalk at the harbourfront, Historic Properties is at one end (the inland end, turn right when you get off the ferry). It is a mall/market made out of buildings from the 1800s (I think? Not sure, maybe earlier) As you head down the harbour (towards the ocean) there is the Maritime Museum, which I believe still has the Titantic artifacts on display. Halifax was the port where the bodies and survivors were brought so there is a fair bit of Titantic related sites if you are interested in that. Pier 21 Immigration museum is at the far end of the boardwalk (not sure if the boardwalk goes quite all the way there). I find that kind of a boring place, but it's also not a subject that interests me. Of course there is the Citadel. It is a NHS, and Parks Canada has put all the fees up in the last few years, so it is unfortunately quite expensive now. But if you were going to splurge on an historic site this would be the one. And there are plenty of other old buildings all over the downtown area.

In Lunenburg, again walk downtown there is history everywhere. According to the schedule online the Bluenose is only in town until the 24th, so you likely won't see her (you'll remember her from the back of the dime, up until a few years ago anyway). There are a lot of artists in Lunenburg, so there are a fair number of galleries as well.

When you are staying in Chezzetcook you can go to the beach at Lawrencetown. That will give you the true North Atlantic experience

I think the Bay of Fundy is beautiful, you'll want to see it at low tide, it truly is something else. Drive by a wharf at low tide and the boats are hanging in midair above completely dry land, at high tide they are sitting in the water. I don't know which side of the Bay you're going to but if you are going to the Annapolis Valley, go to the look-off just past Canning, you can see the whole valley and the bay in the distance. Blomidon Prov. Park is a nice scenic spot if you are out that way.

Since you're going to be in Mahone Bay, you probably should go to Peggy's Cove. It's the place on every postcard you've ever seen of Nova Scotia.

 

[hollyhill]

Well we are getting ready to leave tomorrow!!!!

I am very excited.

Thanks for all the tips and advice. I printed it all off.

I just received an e-mail from one of my 11 yr.olds fiddle aquaintances , Gordon Stobbe, who lives in Halifax... telling us to bring her violin... their maybe an opportunity for her to busk and Jam....

It is going to be a great trip!

 

[prftstrngr]

I live very near Halifax...the exit you want(off 103) with the Sobeys is actually Tantallon and there is also a huge Sobeys there now too. We do some of our grocery shopping at Walmart and if you are here on the weekend watch the Shoppers Drug mart flyer as they usually have good weekend specials on food...especially drinks. Gas was $1.32 yesterday but since it is regulated will have changed at midnight last night and I havent been out yet to check if it went up or down! There really isnt alot of parking near Banook so you will want to arrive early for sure. And as noted above traffic will be bad coming in the mornings from Mahone Bay so give yourself plenty of time. Also watch for deer early mornings on both highways! If you like historic things definately the waterfronts in Halifax and Mahone Bay. Lunenburg is beautiful as well as Chester. Monkeywrangler covered most of them so you should be all set!! If you walk straight down toward the harbour from Banook the ferry terminal is there to go to Halifax and there should be a tourist bureau in that building as well. Have a great trip!!

 

[prftstrngr]

Thought of something else too...the boardwalk in Eastern Passage is a great place to eat and see some sights. Its not far from Banook either.