The federal and provincial governments have announced the partial opening of Georges Island National Historic Site to visitors starting on August 8, 2020.
Georges Island National Historic Site is scheduled to be open for visitors from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 pm for five consecutive weekends starting August 8 and 9, 2020, through to September 5 and 6, 2020.
Transportation to the island will be provided by Ambassatours Gray Line/Murphy’s on the Water and tickets are available online or in person on the Halifax waterfront.
The completion of the wharf is an important first step in infrastructure improvements to support visitor experiences on Georges Island. While visitor services will be limited this year, Parks Canada interpreters will present the island’s history at Fort Charlotte and provide short tunnel tours through the lower level rooms and halls of the gun battery – part of the World War II defence works on the island.
More extensive Parks Canada programming, in consultation and collaboration with La Fédération acadienne de la Nouvelle-Écosse and Indigenous partners, will be on offer next year, as well as new opportunities for businesses to create visitor-focused experiences.
The Province of Nova Scotia contributed $750,000 to the Georges Island wharf project through the Tourism Revitalization of Icons Program (TRIP), Develop Nova Scotia invested an additional $285,000, and the federal government provided $1,035,000 through the Investing in Canada Plan. Parks Canada is also investing $1.6 million through the Federal Infrastructure Investment program to support to support public use and programming at the site.