Discovering Newfoundland: Top Activities and Must-Do Experiences
- Lynn Abbey
- Aug 31, 2024
- 4 min read
This post was written by Lynn for the Trinity Times September 22
In this final installment of our travels to Newfoundland, I thought I’d mention a few must-do activities in case someone out there is planning a trip to The Rock! I had lots of great input using the Newfoundland and Labrador (free!) tourist resources, and through both travel and RV groups on Facebook. Personal connections like our own Janice Ketchen shared many tips too, and we were grateful to have those to support our planning.
1. Get Screeched In
Our friends in NL are friends of a fellow, Brian Day, who owns Christian’s Pub on George Street in St. John’s. Established in 1979, Christian’s offers one of the most famous screech-ins on the island. Brian spends some time teaching visitors Newfoundland song and lore, memorizing every participating Come-From-Away’s name in the process. By the end of the ceremony, we’d learned how to speak like a Newfoundlander, eaten bologna AKA Newfoundland steak, toasted each other with a shot of Screech rum, and yes! Kissed a cod! With an official certificate in hand, we left Christian’s touched by the ceremony and now official honorary Newfoundlanders!
(It’s official!)
2. Visit Local Historical Sites
We spent a lot of time driving up and down as many peninsulas as we could so that our trip saw very little time on the Trans Canada Highway. The towns and villages we passed through were full of beautiful vistas, busy working harbours, and local craft shops – all of which we enjoyed. Many towns have set up small museums in historical buildings like general stores, fishermen’s premises, homes of renown. We visited many of these locations, and found the staff to be extremely knowledgeable and so happy to share the local history with us. In Bay De Verde we were delighted to be served scones and tea in the restored kitchen following a house tour, chatting away with the museum volunteers who’d done the baking! There are also notable heritage towns full of history so don’t miss places like Brigus, Trinity, or Cupids.
(Tea in the kitchen at Bay de Verde)
3. Go to a Kitchen Party or a Shed Party
Newfoundland is famous for its hospitality, and folks just love to share stories, jokes, skits, and songs in all kinds of venues. In both Rocky Harbour and Twillingate there were excellent evenings scheduled for public Kitchen Parties where local talent regales the audience with tall tales and all the famous sea shanties. These are very well subscribed and get great reviews from visitors. Of course, if you can get to know somebody who is actually having a private kitchen party or shed party, wangle an invite and we promise you won’t be disappointed! One of our favourite nights was in the shed of a couple we now consider friends – great seafood feed, lots of laughs, and an introduction to many great Nerwfoundland songs including a new fave of mine, “Music and Friends”!
(Dave helped cook the lobster at our shed party!)
4. Eat Local
We love finding out about local cuisine and looking for hidden gems serving the specialties of the region. Nerwfoundland did not disappoint! You’ve already heard about some of our great meals – I think Dave ate fish and chips about ten times during our trip! And when seafood comes from right down the street, I promise you the mussels, scallops, crab, lobster, calamari and shrimp are out of this world whether from the lowliest food truck up to fine dining and home chefs’ offerings. But it was the different things that stuck in our minds: how about fish and brewis made from salt cod, potatoes, and hard bread? We tried cod cheeks (loved them) and cod tongues (not as much). We loved bakeapple pastries. One of the best new foods we tried were Newfoundland Toutons. Delicious and fluffy fried bread served with molasses became a real addiction and I spent a lot of time finding the best ones all over the island (Madrocks Café in Bay Roberts in case you’re wondering!)
(op right clockwise - Cod and Chips (0ne of many locations), Raw Oyster ( St. Johns), Cod au Gratin (Ferryland), Toutins (MadRocks Cafe, Day Roberts)
5. Get Out In Nature
Newfoundland is a fantastic place to get outside and enjoy God’s creation! At every turn in the road we found ourselves thinking we were seeing the most beautiful coastal vista, only to come around a curve to see something even more spectacular! Miles and miles of rocky coastline are rimmed with excellent hiking trails of all lengths and difficulty levels, so there is truly something for everyone. Trails like the East Coast Trail and the Skerwink Trail are well-marked and highly travelled, with interpretations signs and way markers for hikers. There are many nature preserves where you can see species only found in Newfoundland. Two of my favourite outdoor activities were whale watching and puffin watching. We saw whales both on tour boats (we used O’Brien’s in Bay Bulls) and from shore, and I grew enchanted by their majesty and agility. In Elliston, near Bonavista, we visited a Puffin preserve and I was completely mesmerised watching these charming little birds! You will see puffin wares for sale all over Newfoundland and they are as enticing as the birds themselves!
You can probably tell that our RV trip to Newfoundland this past summer was a true highlight of our life! We do plan to go back to Newfoundland to catch a few things we missed and to reunite with new friends made during our visit. We cannot recommend a trip to the Rock more highly. If you go, Newfoundland will be in your heart forever!!!!!!
Safe Travels
Lynn
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