Maritimers take a mid-winter break to enjoy family

Some Maritimers are spending valuable time with their families on this holiday Monday.

When it comes to local history, the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax offers, “a little bit of everything,” according to Andrew Aulenbach, who overseas visitor experiences at the museum.

A Heritage Day display to honour African Nova Scotian and Victoria Cross recipient William Hall is popular with museum visitors.

According to Aulenbach, every day, especially this holiday, is an opportunity to soak in history and heritage.

“We can discover and rediscover people, places and things that are a part of our history and culture,” said Aulenbach.

Across the city, the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History was jam-packed.

“We’re spending this day with the family,” said mother of two Ceymone Findlay, who went to the museum with her husband and children. “We both ended up with a day off work, so we’re surprising our kids today with various things around the city.”

The dinosaur display at the museum is a major attraction.

“You can see a Coelophysis, which did live in Nova Scotia,” said museum spokesperson Jeffrey Gray. “And we have fossils from the museum’s collection that are part of the museum as well.”

In New Brunswick, Family Day featured outdoor fun at Moncton’s Polar Fest.

“We have an augmented sliding hill and we have horse-drawn wagon rides,” said Moncton Community Development Coordinator Ellen Jeffries. “We have activities, goats, food trucks and an incredible beer garden.”

In Prince Edward Island, Islander Day offered a mid-winter break.

“Kids are having so much fun,” said Tyson Nicholson, who dressed up in a yellow sunshine suit and entertained children. “They love their mascots and it’s surprising how many big bouncy castles there are and they can go all day long.”