First Fishers exhibit at the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic.

Nova Scotia Museum

Telling Nova Scotia’s extraordinary stories. What began as one museum of science and history in 1868 is today, a family of 16 sites & over one million artifacts & specimens. 

Discover our Museums

Pjila'si gallery.

Museum of Natural History

 Halifax
Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, exterior.

Maritime Museum of the Atlantic

 Halifax
Museum exhibit displaying an antique car

Museum of Industry

 Stellarton
Visitors on a tour of the Black Loyalist Heritage Centre.

Black Loyalist Heritage Centre

 Shelburne
Prosauropod skeleton on display in the gallery at the Fundy Geological Museum.

Fundy Geological Museum

 Parrsboro
Three white domestic ducks stand on the grassy bank. Beyond the pond, a weathered wooden stave mill on a gentle hill, surrounded by vibrant green trees and a clear blue sky dotted with large cumulus clouds. A dirt path curves to the left, and a split-rail fence runs along the foreground.

Ross Farm Museum

 New Ross
Close up of the front of a fire engine

Firefighters' Museum of Nova Scotia

 Yarmouth
Exterior view of the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic

Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic

 Lunenburg

Explore Our Museums

What's On

Good to the Core: An Exploration of Northumberland High School Art, 2003–2026 graphic
  • Exhibition
Art In the Hall
3 Jul 2026 - 18 Oct 2026
Good to the Core: An Exploration of Northumberland High School…
Museum of Industry
We and the Sea: Honouring the Marine Heritage of African Nova Scotians exhibit panel
  • Exhibition
We and the Sea: Honouring the Marine Heritage of African Nova Scotians
1 Aug 2026 - 24 Oct 2026
We and the Sea explores more than 400 years of African Nova…
Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic
Hope and Survival Quilt Laurie Swim MMA display.
  • Temporary Exhibition
The Hope and Survival Memorial Quilt: Laurie Swim’s Halifax Explosion Commemorative Project
12 Aug 2026 - 31 Jan 2027
Maritime Museum of the Atlantic
promotional poster for The Ghost Light of Sherbrooke Village.
  • Tour
The Ghost Light of Sherbrooke Village
1 Sep 2026 - 31 Oct 2026
This fall, darkness returns to the streets of Sherbrooke Village…
Sherbrooke Village
Frog close up looking at the camera.
  • Drop-in
Museum of Natural History - Daily Programs
10 Sep 2026 - 31 Oct 2026
What's happening at the Museum today?
Museum of Natural History
Explore What's On
Close-up of a hand holding a small clump of green moss and soil between two fingers, with a softly blurred natural background in shades of brown and green.

Natural History Field School

The Nova Scotia Museum’s Natural History Field School is a specialized educational institute whose goal is to provide and facilitate short courses on natural history topics that fill a ‘skills’ gap in post-secondary education for natural science disciplines, and that builds our community of dedicated amateur and professional naturalists. It is a joint endeavor between staff from the Collections Unit and the Museum of Natural History at the Nova Scotia Museum. 

Explore upcoming courses

Stories

Handcrafted ceramic cat figurine with a glossy brown glaze positioned next to a round pottery bowl featuring green and brown drip-glaze colours, photographed on a white background.
  • Mi’kmaw Cultural Heritage
Each year, September 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The day honours the children who never returned home and Survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and…
A historic, two-story weathered wooden building with reddish-brown shutters along a grassy waterfront, featuring small yellow dories and a black park bench in front under a dramatic sky.
  • Cultural History
Captain Matthew Mitchell, his son David and the bell from the Cape Norman. The bell was found on George's Bank by David Mitchell, 27 years after his father's trawler lost it during an icy trip. The bell is a featured display aboard the Museum vessel Cape Sable.
  • Marine History
The bell from the Cape Norman was lost while fishing on George's Bank in 1965. Captain Matthew Mitchell, shore captain of the Fisheries Museum vessels, was master of the Cape Norman at that time. In…
Cape Sable
  • Marine History
Cape Sable is proudly docked at the museum with its deck and wheelhouse open for museum visitors to explore, bringing to life the era of “money boats”.
A visitor walks through a museum exhibit featuring a large timeline wall with sections labeled “Africa,” “America,” and “Birchtown.” Blue ceiling panels printed with clouds hang overhead, while polished reflective flooring mirrors the displays, benches, and interpretive panels below.
  • African NS Cultural Heritage
In Canada the first day of August is designated Emancipation Day, recognizing the anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the British Empire in 1834. In Nova Scotia, Minister of African Nova Scotian…
Explore Our Stories