©Wildnerdpix/Shutterstock
Newfoundland & Labrador
They call Newfoundland 'the Rock', a fitting name, as this is an island of thoroughly elemental attractions and aesthetics. The muskeg and cliffs are barren and salt-drenched. The trees give off the smell of spruce like the air was spiced. The ocean roils, flecked with icebergs and spouting whales. The wind roars, and at any time, a storm may scream across the bights and coves.
If you enjoy the rugged and the rough, there are few more beautiful places. Yet ever contrasting the harsh geography is a culture that is, simply, magic. Bright houses painted like rainbows spill over the cliffs; menus advertise cod tongue and crowberries; at night, fiddles compete with the howling wind; and the ever-present chill is countered by the warmest locals you'll ever meet. This, then, is Canada's easternmost, most idiosyncratic province, a marriage of land and salt and storm all its own.
Latest Stories from Newfoundland & Labrador
Top attractions
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Newfoundland & Labrador.
See
Torngat Mountains National Park
Named from the Inuktitut word torngait (place of spirits), this national park is the ancestral home of Inuit and their predecessors. Its spectacular wilderness features herds of caribou, polar bears and even seals in a freshwater habitat. The park comprises 9700 sq km, extending from Saglek Fjord in the south, including all islands and islets, to the very northern tip of Labrador. No superlatives can do the beauty of this place justice. Visitation is difficult since there is only plane and boat access. The park office is in Nain.
See
Signal Hill National Historic Site
The city's most famous landmark is worth it for the glorious view alone, though there's much more to see. The tiny castle atop the hill is Cabot Tower, built in 1898 to honor both John Cabot's arrival in 1497 and Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. In midsummer, soldiers dressed as the 19th-century Royal Newfoundland Company perform a tattoo and fire cannons. The Signal Hill Visitor Centre features interactive displays on the site's history. The last North American battle of the Seven Years' War took place here in 1762, and Britain's victory ended France's renewed aspirations for control of eastern North America. The tattoo takes place next to the center at O'Flaherty Field. You can see cannons and the remains of the late-18th-century British battery at Queen's Battery & Barracks further up the hill. Inside Cabot Tower, educational displays relay how Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi received the first wireless transatlantic message from Cornwall, England, at the site in 1901. An amateur radio society operates a station in the tower in July and August. Various activities and events kick off throughout the year, including guided walks, ghost tours ($15) and beer tastings ($39.50). Call ahead or check the website for details. An awesome way to return to downtown is along the 1.7km North Head Trail, which connects Cabot Tower with the harborfront Battery neighborhood. The walk departs from the tower's parking lot and traces the cliffs, imparting tremendous sea views and sometimes whale spouts. The trailhead isn't marked; look for it right before you enter the lot. It's the path leading furthest to the right. Because much of the trail runs along the bluff's sheer edge, this walk is not something to attempt in icy, foggy or dark conditions. Free maps are available at Cabot Tower. If you're looking for an easier walk, take the 710m hike to the Ladies Lookout. The site sits 1.5km from downtown, up Signal Hill Rd.
See
Greenspond
This windy island, which seems to dangle somewhere between the Atlantic and the end of the world, is one of Newfoundland's oldest continuously inhabited outports. While connected to the mainland by bridge, Greenspond (and its population of roughly 270 souls) still has the feel of existing somewhere out of time. Walking trails thread over this 2.85-sq-km island, some winding through cemeteries, others dipping past rocky coves and bays. It's a 30km drive from New-Wes-Valley.
See
The Rooms
Not many museums offer the chance to see a giant squid, hear avant-garde sound sculptures and peruse ancient weaponry all under one roof. But that's The Rooms, the province's all-in-one historical museum, art gallery and archives. The building itself, a massive stone-and-glass complex, is impressive to look at, with views that lord it over the city. Has an on-site cafe and excellent restaurant.
See
Cape Spear Lighthouse
Constructed in 1835, the oldest surviving lighthouse in the province sits on the dramatic headlands of the continent's most easterly point. The wind here is deafening, the ocean enormous, and all in all, this is a space to feel humbled by the province's vast beauty. An on-site interpretive center details the evolution of lighthouse-keeping over the years.
See
Rose Blanche Lighthouse
Built in 1873, this is the last remaining granite lighthouse on the Atlantic seaboard. It's a slate-grey, rugged beauty, overlooking a stormy coast that matches the lighthouse for sheer stark aesthetics.
See
Tablelands
Dominating the southwest corner of the park, near Trout River, are the unconquerable and eerie Tablelands. This huge flat-topped massif was part of the earth's mantle before tectonics raised it from the depths and planted it squarely on the continent. Its rock is so unusual that plants can't even grow on it. You can view the barren golden phenomenon up close on Rte 431, or catch it from a distance at the stunning photography lookout above Norris Point. West of the Tablelands, dramatic volcanic sea stacks and caves mark the coast at Green Gardens.
See
Quidi Vidi
Over Signal Hill, away from town, is the tiny picturesque village of Quidi Vidi. Check out the 18th-century battery and the lakeside regatta museum, but make your first stop Quidi Vidi Brewery, which whips up Newfoundland's most popular microbrews. Located in an old fish-processing plant on the small wharf, it's a scenic place to slake your thirst. Nearby there's one of the oldest cottages in North America, the 1750s-era Mallard Cottage, a restaurant that serves Newfoundland comfort food. Nearby is the Inn of Olde Pub, a dive bar located in what is not the oldest cottage in North America, but sure feels like it. Also in this vicinity is the Quidi Vidi Village Plantation, an arts center that hosts a rotating collection of local creatives. The 1762 Quidi Vidi Battery, atop the hill end of Cuckold's Cove Rd, was built by the French after they took St John's. The British quickly claimed it, and it remained in military service into the 1800s. Inland from the village, Quidi Vidi Lake is the site of the St John's Regatta. The Royal St John's Regatta Museum is on the 2nd floor of the boathouse. A popular walking trail leads around the lake. Quidi Vidi is about 2km from the northeast edge of downtown. Take Plymouth Rd, go left on Quidi Vidi Rd, then right on Forest Rd (which becomes Quidi Vidi Village Rd). For the brewery, bear right onto Barrows Rd. For the battery, veer off on Cuckold's Cove Rd. For the regatta museum, take a left off Forest Rd onto Lakeview Ave. You can also walk from Signal Hill via the Cuckold's Cove Trail, which takes about 30 minutes.
See
CA Pippy Park
The feature-filled 13-sq-km CA Pippy Park coats downtown's northwestern edge. Recreational facilities include walking trails, picnic areas, playgrounds, a golf course and a campground. Memorial University, the province's only university, is here too. The university's botanical garden is at Oxen Pond, at the park's western edge off Mt Scio Rd. Cultivated areas and a nature reserve fill the botanical landscape. Together, these and the park's Long Pond marsh give visitors an excellent introduction to Newfoundland's flora, habitats (including boreal forest and bogs) and animals (look for birds at Long Pond and the occasional moose). Take the 3km Long Pond Walk for the full effect. The Fluvarium, a glass-sided cross-section of a 'living' river, is located across the street from the campground. To get here from downtown, take Bonaventure Ave north to Allandale Rd and follow the signs; it's about 2km.
Featured videos
Where to travel based on your Harry Potter Hogwarts house
2:27