Newfoundland: Canada’s Hidden Gem
by Howe Sim
Amazing vistas.
Spectacular wildlife. Nature in its full, unbridled glory. As if these aren’t
enough reasons to visit this often-forgotten part of the country, the province
of Newfoundland & Labrador also boasts a cultural identity, charm, and
dialect unique to Canada. The word is out about this land of adventure and
ancient history. Travel media are now acknowledging what locals what long
known: that Newfoundland & Labrador is one of the world’s best kept
secrets. So if you yearn for a magical place that will sweep you off your feet
and elevate your soul, look no further.
Eastern Newfoundland Top Ten:
1. Enjoy foot-stomping
music in the lively pubs of St. John’s George Street
2. Search for all 135 root
cellars in Elliston, the Root Cellar Capital of the World
3. Watch the sun set at
Cape Spear, the continent’s most easterly point
4. Enjoy a gourmet picnic
on the grassy headland around Ferryland’s lighthouse
5. Soak up fishing village
ambience at tiny Quidi Vidi
6. Spend a romantic night
at Fisher’s Loft Inn, favorite destination of visiting celebrities
7. Treat yourself to a
performance of the Rising Tide Theatre in their outdoor seaside venue
8. Explore the charming,
picture-perfect streets of historic Trinity
9. Bring along your
binoculars and watch for frolicking humpbacks in Witless Bay
10. Check out Jellybean Row
in downtown St. John’s
Central
Newfoundland’s Top Ten:
1. Get up close and
personal with a 10,000-year-old iceberg in Notre Dame Bay
2. Drop by Melvin Horwood’s
stage in Durrell and check out his fishing memorabilia
3. Dine in Twillingate’s
popular R&J Restaurant
4. Stretch your legs with
a hike down Nanny Hole trail at Long Point
5. Experience the past at
the Change Islands, Fishing Stage Capital of the World
6. Pick wild berries at
the ‘Top of Twillingate’
7. Spend an afternoon at
the Prime Berth fishing museum for a taste of outport life
8. Explore Twillingate’s
rugged coastline from the cockpit of a kayak
9. Discover the story of
the aboriginal Beothuks at the Boyd’s Cove interpretation center
10. Sample wines made using
iceberg water and local berries at the Auk Island Winery
Western Newfoundland Top Ten:
1. Carefully scan for
moose along the Viking Trail at dusk
2. Pick up folk art and
one-of-a-kind items at the Hunky Dory
3. Watch the slick
30-minute video at Gros Morne’s ultra-modern Discovery Centre
4. Soar across Marble
Mountain Gorge on zip lines 300 feet above the canyon floor
5. Head to the moon-like
Tablelands for a hike through some of the planet’s oldest rocks
6. Laugh till you cry at
dinner theatre in Cow Head
7. Kayak through the
waters of Bonne Bay in search of eagles, terns and other wildlife
8. Search for caribou
along Route 480 (aka Caribou Trail)
9. Cruise Gros Morne’s
Western Brook Pond, a huge glacier-carved freshwater fjord
10. Enjoy a traditional
Newfoundland scoff at the Old Loft Restaurant
Northern Newfoundland & Labrador Top Ten:
1. Marvel at a
400-year-old whaling boat in Red Bay, once the world’s largest whaling port
2. Learn to eat, sleep and
breathe like a Norseman at a Viking village
3. Climb to the top of the
Point Amour Lighthouse, Atlantic Canada’s tallest
4. Visit the burial
grounds of the Maritime Archaic Indians at Port au Choix
5. Experience the barren
landscape of Labrador, Canada’s last undiscovered frontier
6. Dine on smoked char and
baked cod at the Norseman Restaurant
7. Roam the grassy mounds
at L’Anse aux Meadows that were once home to Leif Erikson
8. Learn about Dr. Wilfred
Grenfell, who brought health care to this region
9. Hunt for massive whales
and towering icebergs in an open Viking longboat
10. Catch the ferry to
Battle Harbor and stay overnight in a 200-year-old cottage
