St John’s is the capital of the province of Newfoundland & Labrador (prounouced Newfun-land). Known to most Canadians for being the largest and most easterly city, and for having it’s own time zone 30 minutes different than the rest of the east coast. Newfoundlanders have made a reputation for themselves as fun, friendly, difficult to understand, and are widely renown for their ability to drink like fish. While this city filled with friendly characters may not be large by most standards, there are a lot of fun things to do in St John’s, Newfoundland. Let’s check some of them out:
Signal Hill
If you’re looking to work up a sweat, make the hike up Signal Hill. Your legs will be burning by the time you reach the top but it’s a view worth hiking for. If hiking sounds too tough, you can also drive up. From the top of Signal Hill on a clear day you can take in the beauty of St John’s and the Atlantic ocean.
George Street Pubs
If you’ve worked up a thirst, head on down to George Street. No matter the time of the year, and just about any time of the day or night, you’ll find a classical Newfoundland pub that will serve you a cold beer and pub fare. Stretch your legs and hop from pub to pub, I can promise you’ll lose steam before you get through all of the pubs.
Quidi Vidi Brewery Tour
Made famous for their Iceberg Beer, which is made from farming icebergs. Bottled in their famous blue beer bottles, this beer is a superb souvenir and should definitely be tried. It’s only available for a short period and they sell out fast, so plan accordingly. You can purchase it from the brewery as well as in town. Their tour is a quick one, and you can’t pull the wool over their eyes, they know perfectly well that you’re visiting for the sampling. So a lot of the times they’ll just cut to the chase unless people really want to see how the beer is made.
Don’t forget to stop in at Quidi Vidi Inn on the way out, it’s a quirky little pub in Quidi Vidi Village.
George Street Festival
Without a doubt one of the wildest street wide festivals in Canada. George Street Festival is the big leagues of bar hopping. Crowds of people head to George Street to take part in exsessive amounts of drinking, live music, and spontaneous dancing. All of the pubs on George Street open their doors and the street is shut down to allow for all of the overflow. If there’s a night to let loose in Newfoundland, consider planning around George Street Fest. This year (2017) it takes place July 27th to August 2nd. But check their website to confirm dates.
Visit Small Fishing Villages
Newfoundland is a great province to drive around and explore. With countless towns and fishing villages nearby you can easily spend a day checking them out and snapping photos.
Check out Brigus, a cute little part of Newfoudnaldn, try to go during the Blueberry Festival. Or visit Cupids, which has an active archelogical dig. Or push on to Bay Roberts, which includes great views and superb hiking.
Hike the Sugarloaf Path on the East Coast Trail
The East Coast Trail is a 265 km path along the east coast of Newfoundland. Running from Cape St. Francis to Cappahayden. While some are crazy enough for the 10-14 day hike, most locals stick to the shorter sections such as Sugarloaft Path. You can actually access this trail from Quidi Vidi as well.
Check out Leigh’s post over at Hike Bike Travel. She covered the Sugarloaf hike and has some spectacular photos. Make sure you follow her as well, she’s a hiking machine!
Search for Trilobites
Visit the Manuels River Herbnia Interpretation Centre in Conception Bay. They’re a quick 15-20 minute drive from St Johns and open 7 days a week, year round. It’s a superb spot for any fans of natural history. If you’re anything like me then you must have a fascination behind fossils and ancient life. Get your inner Indiana Jones out and search for Trilobite fossils along the River Trails over at Manuels River Experience. Make sure you take one of their guided trail tours to catch everything you might miss.
Visit the Rooms
Fans of art, or even just curious tourists will get a kick out of a visit through the Rooms. Featuring exhibits from local artists and artists from away, it’s a great way to spend a rainy Newfoundland morning. Tours are free with admission price and give you a detailed run through different pieces. “Accidental Finds: Archaeology from the Potato Garden” fits the character of this province so well. A cute mix of Antique Roadshow meets Indiana Jones with a touch of Martha Stewart Gardening Tips.
Photograph Jellybean Row
St John’s is known for it’s vibrant and colourful homes, and nowhere else is that more prevelant than on Jellybean Row. These old houses, painted brighter than Skittles are a must-visit stop while you’re touring St John’s. Don’t forget to snap some photos!
I’ve heard a mix bag of reasons behind why Newfoundlanders would paint houses so bright. Some say it was to help guide the sailors back to harbour. Other’s say it’s because it’s so darn grey out all the time the colour brightens the mood. While others still say it was simply economical recycling of leftover Ship’s Paint. Either way, they’re cute as hell and worth checking out.
Sample Local delicassies
Eat Cod Tongues – You haven’t lived until you’ve downed a plate of fried cod tongue with a cold Blue Star. Cod tongues are in fact a bit of leftover meat where the cod’s “throat” would be. But in true “waste not, want not” fashion, the Newfoundlanders find a use for every good piece of meat.
Eat Fish ‘n Brewis – Don’t forget to try Fish ‘n Brewis. This dish is a popular Newfoundland dish made of salt fish soaked in water overnight to remove some of the salt content. Hard bread is also soaked in water overnight. The next day the fish and bread are boiled until tender then served together. Think of it like stuffing, only salty fishy stuffing. You can’t have Fish n Brewis without Scrunchions. Which are salted fried pork fat. Think tiny pieces of pork crackling with all the fat.
Eat Toutans – Looking for a classic Newfoundland Breakfast? Pancakes look wimpy compared to the mighty Toutan. Touton is basically a big fry bread typically covered in molasses, traditionally cooked in Pork Fat. It goes just great with eggs and coffee.
Eat Seal – When in Newfoundland, do as the Newfoundlanders do. Seal Flipper Pie, is a traditional dish made of Seal Flipper. While Seal is a dark and oily meat, and some might argue, an acquired taste. When prepared right you might find out your become a fan. You’ll find it at Bacalao, which specializes in Newfoundland cuisine.
Eat Moose – Yes, in Newfoundland you can easily find yourself some moose to eat. Or pretty much any other type of game meat available on the island. Newfoundland has grandfathered laws that allow them to serve game meat in Restaurants which means this is the perfect place to harness your inner carnivore. Check out Mallard Cottage for all sorts of game meats.
Cape Spear
One of the best places near St John’s Newfoundland to spot Icebergs. Overlooking a huge swatch of the Atlantic Ocean. It’s not unusual to see humpback whales breach or pods of porpoises frolicking through the waters. If you’re into the history side of Canadiana, take a long hard look at the old lighthouse and get a glimpse of learn how 19th century lighthouse keepers and their families would have lived. Cape Spear and the Cape Spear Lighthouse are a must visit.
Get Screeched In
If you’re a Come From Away, one must not simply drink the Newfoundland Beer, and eat the Newfoundland food. You have to be indoctrinated. Baptized by cod kisses and rum if you will. Visit Christians in downtown for a proper Screech In’, with all of the tricky rhymes and laughs that you’ll expect. I recommend showing up early to have a few before the public event, and kissing a fish seems more normal with a few in your system.
Visit Yellowbelly Brewery
Tasty food, delicious craft beer. This was one of my favourite spots during my visit to Newfoundland. I highly recommend the nachos, although from what I recall all of their food was on point. Though I’ll admit I may have had more than one or two beers there. However, I’ve confirmed with locals that this is in fact a good go-to spot.
Check out some Live Music
St John’s is home of Hey Rosetta!, Great Big Sea, Ron Hynes, and countless other amazing musicians. As one quirky old timer in St John’s said to, if you’re not fishin’, you’re drinking, and if you’re not drinkin’, your singin’. There may have been some expletives but you get the point.
Visit Shamrock City Pub, serving traditional pub fare and nightly live music. Watch for local favourtes Ceiligh, Wabana, and Middle Tickle. A go to for St. Paddy’s Day as well.
O’reilly’s Irish Newfoundland Pub is at the heart of George Street. Serving local go-to’s, including Yellowbelly Brewery’s finest. Bring quality shoes because you won’t stop dancing after you drive a few into you. Keep an eye out for Russell Crowe and his buddy Allan Doyle of Great Big Sea. They’ve been known to show up for a pint or two.
Birdie Molloy’s Newfoundland Irish Pub, located on George Street is the go to for anyone up for a good time. Pop into local hangout Birdy Malloy’s for some live music in one of the most traditional and authentic Irish Pub’s. Another go to for St Paddy’s Day or any day that ends in “Y”.
What are your favourite things to do in St. John’s, Newfoundland? Comment below!
