Page 82 - 2024-25 Travel Guide to Canada

Collectively, they offer activities ranging
from snowshoeing and mountain climbing
to hiking, biking and botanical treks, along
with kids’ programs and campfire events for
all ages. These parks, however, don’t hold a
monopoly on outdoor fun.
Take the Humber River area. Known
primarily as a skiing and snowboarding
destination, it promises warm-weather
pursuits like hiking, golfing and caving, too.
On-the-water options in the province
include world-class salmon fishing,
kayaking and whitewater rafting. Increasingly,
scuba divers and snorkellers are donning dry
suits for a peek at what lies beneath as well.
If you would rather see the sights from a
boat deck, whale and birdwatching trips are
widely available, but that’s just the tip of the
proverbial iceberg. From April to July, berg
chasing is so popular that the tourism board
maintains a website to track the movement of
these mountains of ice
(www.icebergfinder.com).
HERITAGE AND CULTURE
The past is proudly displayed at dozens of
historical attractions and more than 100
museums. Some are modest operations;
others, such as The Rooms—St. John’s
provincial museum, gallery and archives
complex—are state-of-the-art. Yet the true
beauty of Newfoundland & Labrador’s strong
culture is evident everywhere. History and
folklore, for instance, are passed on orally
with the number of tales being matched only
by the number of enthusiastic tellers. Music
is handed down as well, so old tunes from
Europe sound as fresh as they did when they
were first carried across the Atlantic.
Traditional influences are equally apparent
in the visual arts because the motifs that
knitters, quilters and other craftspeople
used for generations have been adapted by
today’s cutting-edge artisans.
MUST SEE, MUST DO
Start your day by watching the sunrise at
Cape Spear Lighthouse. Dawn breaks at this
easternmost point before anywhere else on
the continent (www.parkscanada.gc.ca/
capespear).
Get a bird’s-eye view of gannets at Cape St.
Mary’s Ecological Reserve or pretty Atlantic
puffins at Witless Bay Ecological Reserve
(www.gov.nl.ca/ecc/natural-areas/wer/
r-wbe).
Twillingate is the place for vacationers
wanting to go with the floe. This old-school
outport on Notre Dame Bay calls itself
“The Iceberg Capital of the World”
(www.visittwillingate.com).
A series of architecturally advanced studios
turned tiny Fogo Island into a big art-and-
design destination. Now a stunning inn
provides five-star lodgings (www.town
offogoisland.ca).
Norstead, a recreated Viking village near
L’Anse aux Meadows, features costumed
interpreters, authentic-looking structures,
and a full-scale replica of a period ship
(www.norstead.com/main.asp).
SCENIC DRIVES
Moose alert! Newfoundland’s 120,000 moose
can be a major hazard for motorists. So be
especially careful when driving highways at
dusk and dawn.
The Viking Trail, 526 km (327 mi.) on
Newfoundland’s west coast, paves the way to
a pair of World Heritage Sites—L’Anse aux
Meadows and Gros Morne National Park—
providing a crash course in history en route.
The 349-km (217-mi.) Discovery Trail winds
along Newfoundland’s east coast. The ample
cod stocks John Cabot observed in 1497 have
been depleted, yet fishing villages, fertile
farmlands and tall timber stands remain.
The Kittiwake Coast—Road to the Isles Route,
187 km (116 mi.) in the province’s Central
Region, stretches from Notre Dame Provincial
Park to Notre Dame Bay where icebergs,
whales and coastal hiking trails await.
FAMILY FUN
Kids will love the Johnson GEO Centre on
Signal Hill in St. John’s. Viewing the innova-
tive exhibits, participating in the interpretive
programs, then enjoying the Amazing Earth
Theatre show is like taking a cool geology
class without having to worry about
homework (www.geocentre.ca).
NL
80
THE PROVINCE IS ISOLATED ENOUGH TO
WARRANT ITS OWN TIME ZONE (NST, 1.5
HOURS AHEAD OF EST).
Quick Fact
FRESH SCALLOPS, PETTY HARBOUR • NEWFOUNDLAND
AND LABRADOR TOURISM/ ERIC HANSON
ST. JOHN’S CITYSCAPE, AVALON • NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR TOURISM/BARRETT & MACKAY PHOTO