Going to Newfoundland..?

Question

My finace and I are going to Newfoundland for our honeymoon...

we are both looking forward to going.. Our first stop is George St.. (thats where all the bars are right??) in St. John's

what else should we not miss

Answer 1

Cape Spear... Canada's most easterly point.

Cabot Tower...Marconi received the world's first transatlantic message at this place over a hundred years ago.

Ship Harbour...Churchill and Roosevelt met here to sign the Atlantic treaty which helped turned world war 2 to their favour.

If you are in St. John's during the first week of August, check out the St. John's Regatta, the oldest in North America.

Have fun.

Answer 2

Depending on when you go take a boat cruise to whale watch and see icebergs up close.

Answer 3

George St. is definitely a fun night-time idea ;)

Be sure to check out the hiking trails on the Avalon Peninsula (unless you don't like hiking). This is the same peninsula that St. John's is located (so it's not like you have to drive across the province or anything).

It's filled with fantastic scenery; watersheds, cliffs, even wild-blueberry patches if you go in the Fall.

In St. John's itself, though..hmm, a local would be able to tell you more, but, when I went, I enjoyed going up Signal Hill for the great view of the city and the ocean, as well as some interesting historical information. Just a bit down from the top of the hill, there's also the Geo Centre, if you like going to those kinds of places to leanr all sorts of interesting facts.

Otherwise, I find that simply talking with locals is loads of fun! (As long as you make an effort to understand their accent, or they make an effort to be understood more clearly...)

Answer 4

It depends on where your travels will take you.

I will tell you that if you plan to rent a vehicle while you are there, be sure to book one well in advance and if you are driving to Newfoundland, be sure to book a ferry crossing both ways so that you don't have to wait days on end to get on one.

If you are just staying in St. John's, you will basically do all the city life things. There are many tourist things to see in the city and you will have plenty of brochures to pick and choose what you want to do.

I would recommend rather that you tour the island by car. There are many things to see and do and it only takes about 10 hours to drive across the Island to Port Aux Basque.

Five hours west of St. Johns, there is a little town called Springdale. There is an incredible little 5 room, extravagant hotel there called The Riverwood (or Riverview). You must book a night there in your travels. I have stayed at many 5 star hotels and this is probably in my top 3 favs. (We are having our ceremony there in August).

Be sure to go to Gros Morne National Park. There is a beach there called Glass Bay that is truely breathtaking. You can walk out into the water for about 300 yards in ankle deep water and the dunes are incredible. Go all the way to the top of the island, and you can see some of the original settlements from the Vikings who first inhabited the island.

In Gros Morne, you will see sights that many people compare to Ireland with beautiful vista views and huge mountain bluffs.

Another city you could visit, and is about an hour west of the entrance to Gros Morne is Cornerbrook. It is very rich with Newfoundland history and a great place to meet the locals.

Along your travels, you will come to many little towns and villages. The person above me is right... it can be fun to just stop, have a few beer and catch up with the friendly locals. They can be difficult to understand but if you realize they are talking in a very fast southern drawl, it can help you pick out their words.

Finally, beware of the Moose at dusk and dawn. There are over 150000 on the island and they love to dodge cars. Keep your eyes peeled during those times and your speed to the limit and you should be able to avoid them.

Congrats on your engagment! have a blast in Newfoundland and if you are in the Springdale area on August 22nd, stop by for our week long party! Just ask where the Bulmer/White wedding is and everyone will be able to tell you!

Good Luck!

Oh, and yes, George Street is where all the bars are. Watch out for the Mounties though!

Answer 5

Go whale watching!

Answer 6

You have been given lots of good ideas so far.  I can add a few thoughts.

I assume you will be mostly in the St. John's area.  A really interesting thing to do is to check out Dale Jarvis' haunted walk through the old streets of the city.  He will take you to a  number of old chuch yards, cemetaries, old houses, etc. that are supposed to be haunted, and you will learn a great deal about the history of the city.

Make sure you try Moo Moo's ice cream at Rawlins Cross and try Stogger's Pizza on Harvey Road at the top of Long's Hill.  Moo Moo's ice cream is the best ice cream I have ever eaten - homemade on site, and rich rather than sweet.  And Stogger's Pizza is also the best pizza I have ever eaten.

In St. John's you may also want to check out the Fluvarium, the many walking trails, the Geo Centre, the Rooms (museum and provincial archives), and walk through the historic downtown area and visit the many local stores.

Drive just a few minutes outside the city to Portugal Cove and take the ferry across to Bell Island.  There you can see the old mines and catch an awesome view.

Outside the city in the other direction is Petty Harbour - only about 20 minutes, and along the road to Cape Spear.  A tour boat, the Skademia, operates out of Petty Harbour.  The cost is reasonable, and you should get to see whales, ice bergs, and sea birds up close if you are there in the right time of year.  If you like birds, drive to Cape St. Mary's and the Bird Sanctuary.  That would be part of the Irish Loop drive, which has some spectacular scenery.  If you go to Petty Harbour just a little detour will take you to a community called "the Goulds".   There is a grocery store there called "Bidgoods" - well worth a visit for the traditional Newfoundland food items it carries.

Just to comment on the other comments about the Newfoundland accent - there are many Newfoundland accents, and they originate in Ireland and England.  For the most part, you will have no difficulty understanding people in Newfoundland, but sometimes the Newfoundland accent is more Irish than that found in Ireland.

The comments about making ferry reservations and reservations for a rental vehicle are good ones.  Newfoundland does not have enough rental vehicles for the busy two months or so of tourist season because there is such a low demand for rental vehicles during the rest of the year.

If you have time check out the set of the mini-series Random Passage.  If you do a search you will find out about it.  It is about a 3 hour drive from St. John's.

Best of luck and have fun!