Category: Avalon

One of the most prominent features in downtown St. John’s is Cabot Tower which looms high over the city atop Signal Hill. Signal Hill is a favorite spot in the city for both locals and visitors.  One can find the road that leads to the top of this hill in the eastern part of downtown near the harbourfront.  The road leading upwards is windy and steep but some people still brave it during their daily walk or run.  At the top, there is a large parking lot that allows vehicles to either park facing the ocean or facing the city.  […]

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Cape Spear is located about twenty kilometers from the city center of St. John’s, Newfoundland.  It is known for being the most easterly point in North America. Cape Spear is a National Historic Site and popular attraction in the St. John’s area and provides both a scenic and historic experience to visitors. The landscape of the area is characterized by steep cliffs and rocky coastline.  There is a trail that takes visitors along the coast.  Along this trail there are several interesting points.  The first one is a platform with a sign indicating that you are standing on the most […]

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Middle Cove Beach is located about fifteen minutes from St. John’s in the small town of Torbay.  While it is not advisable that anyone swim at Middle Cove due to the frigid and rough waters, there are plenty of other things to do at the beach. There are picnic tables overlooking the spectacular view consisting of vast Atlantic Ocean and high cliffs and a walking trail is located near the beach.  In the summer months, many people come to Middle Cove in the evenings to sit around a fire.  When the capelin are rolling, hundreds of people, equipped with nets, […]

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The oldest English settlement in Canada is celebrating its 400th anniversary this year.  Cupids, Newfoundland is the oldest official British colony in Canada, the second oldest on continental North America, and was the site of the first child born of European parents on the continent. John Guy, a Bristol merchant, lead a group of thirty-nine men to Cuper’s Cove – later known as Cupids – where they established a settlement in August, 1610.  By 1612 the population was sixty-two and Guy also made contact with the Aboriginal people of Newfoundland (the Beothuk) by trading for furs and sharing a meal.  […]

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The villages of Brigus and nearby Cupids are ideal destinations for a day trip from St. John’s. Brigus Brigus is 86 km (53 mi.) from St. John’s (about an hour’s drive). Nestled in a protected harbour, Brigus is as close to the image of a perfect Newfoundland outport that you are likely to find. The streets of the sleepy village are lined with brightly coloured and well maintained old houses. Stop in at The Country Corner for gifts and fresh cod chowder with blueberry crisp, and visit other welcoming shops in town. If you want to stay the night in […]

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Fascinating archaeology, breathtaking scenery and some unique experiences of nature are in store for those taking a day trip from St. John’s to Ferryland, which is about 75 km (46.6 mi.) south. Ferryland Site of the Colony of Avalon In the little town of Ferryland is the most ambitious archaeological dig in Newfoundland. Over the years the remains of the Colony of Avalon, founded by Sir George Calvert in 1621, have gradually been unearthed and over a million artefacts revealing what was life was like in the colony have been unearthed. Some of them are on display in the Interpretive […]

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Tourists in Newfoundland and Labrador are always amazed at the friendliness of the locals. It is unusual to have a short conversation when asking for directions or explanations of local traditions. Chatty Newfoundlanders or Labradorians are known to “talk the handle off an iron pot”. Often, however, tourists are flummoxed by the conversations. They frequently find that they aren’t quite sure exactly what is being said to them. This is, in part, often due to the accent. Some Newfoundlanders and Labradorians speak like residents of the West Country of England and others sound like they have just arrived from Cork […]

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A twenty minute drive from St. John’s will take you to Portugal Cove where you catch the ferry to Bell Island. It is a short ride across “the tickle”. As you approach the great rock in Conception Bay you will marvel at the extreme height of the steep cliffs that encircle the island. So formidable is the island that one wonders exactly how it’s possible to get to the top. However, on arrival you will easily drive up the slope from the wharf to the tableland of the island above. Exploring the 9 by 3 kilometre rock provides all kinds […]

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Arnold’s Cove is one of the nicest towns that I have had the pleasure to visit in Newfoundland. It is a small town and the people there are welcoming of almost everyone. One of the main attractions of Arnold’s Cove is the houses along the coast. Many of these homes are from the resettlement of Newfoundland when it became a province of Canada. They were floated from across the islands and settled onto the coast. They are houses that are unique to Newfoundland and there are many of them in Arnold’s Cove. The main summer attraction of Arnold’s Cove is […]

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Linda of Bears Cove Inn in Witless Bay reported a Olympic Torch Relay sighting: “I went to see the torch as it passed through the community called Goulds which is 25 km from where I live. It was early morning approx 8 am. I went with my 2 grandchildren 2 yrs and 8 yrs also my son and daughter in law and my daughter in laws brother who was visiting from Halifax. The Torch went by my 8 yr old granddaughters school and she was so impressed by that. The weather was very cold and windy but it was a very […]

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