Gros Morne National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the epitome of an outdoor classroom. The setting of one of Canada’s great geographical wonders, this 1805-square-kilometre park is home to the Tablelands, where you can walk on Earth’s mantle. Visit Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse while you’re here too.
Location: Rocky Harbour, N.L.
Discover North America’s only Norse site outside of Greenland, L’Anse aux Meadows. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is an archeological treasure trove, and also offers the perfect vantage point for whale watching, iceberg viewing, birdwatching (from the “Seabird Capital of North America”), and more.
Stretching from the coast of Labrador to the southeast coast of Newfoundland, Iceberg Alley is full of glacial wonders in mid-spring and can be viewed by boat, kayak or from the shoreline.
Visit the Trinity Loop remains to see what was once a remarkable railway loop and former amusement park. Devastated by storms and abandoned due to waning tourist interest, it remains a spectacle from days past. While in town, hike the Skerwink Trail, Gun Hill, and feel the heat of the six-generation Green Family Forge.
Location: Trinity, N.L.
The one-room Museum of Whales and Things houses a collection of whale artifacts, including a 46-foot sperm whale skeleton. Be sure to ask about the neighbouring art collection.
Location: Port au Choix, N.L.
Newfoundland’s first regular ferry, the SS Kyle, sits aground in Harbour Grace, but in its 54-year-old history, it was the fastest vessel in its fleet until 1967. This 16th-century town also boasts the former U.S. airforce Spirit of Grace aircraft and a lifelike Amelia Earhart monument marking her solo Atlantic departure point.
Location: Harbour Grace, N.L.
Take a short ferry ride to the 12 communities that reside on Fogo Island and Change Island, where you will fall in love with the native Newfoundland pony and see the Great Auk statue, a monument to a seabird hunted to extinction. A trip to the Flat Earth Museum reveals a collection of research exploring flat Earth ideas.
The Sacred Heart Grotto at Lance Cove is a site featuring a crescent of crosses representing the 12 stations of the cross. Nearby is an abandoned church and a well-preserved 220-year-old graveyard.
Location: Bell Island, N.L.
The hub of whale oil production in the 1500s was in Red Bay. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this former Labrador whaling town lets you walk on the paths of the past. Check in at the Right Whale Exhibit Museum and hike along the Boney Shore Trail.
If you have made the trip to Thunder Bay, Ontario, then be most certain to bookend your experience by visiting the Terry Fox Mile 0 monument on the famous Water Street. Location: St. John’s, N.L.
Ink in a visit to see the Giant Squid that graces Glover’s Harbour. The giant sea creature caught here made the Guiness Book of World Records.
Get to the root of the matter when you visit the “Root Cellar Capital of the World.” With over 130 natural root cellars, this tiny vegetable-loving community has cold storage figured out! If veggies aren’t your thing, you can also enjoy a trail hike and the colony of chatting puffins nearby.
Location: Elliston, N.L.
Find the pun or play on words that suits you when you visit Dildo. After your street sign pictures are captured, hike the Seaview Trail, try some craft beer at the Dildo Brewing Company and stroll through the Dildo Whaling and Sealing Museum. This is a town that isn’t shy about its name!
Get your steps in on a 565-million-year-old ocean floor at Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve. This UNESCO World Heritage Site boasts some of the most historically important fossils in the world, which you can touch right up close, as they are embedded in the rock formations. Its shoreline has a reputation for shipwrecks, and the stately Cape Race Lighthouse, which received the first distress signal from the ill-fated Titanic in 1912, is here too.
Snap your personal version of Album Rock when you visit this iconic stoney landmark made famous 160 years ago by French naval officer and amateur artist Paul-Émile Miot. Burnt Cape Ecological Reserve, Nuddick Trail and Pistolet Provincial Park round out the sights at the tip of the Great Northern Peninsula.
Location: Raleigh, N.L.
Want to see the other provinces, click the links below:
- Why We Love the East Coast – New Brunswick
- Why We Love the East Coast – Nova Scotia
- Why We Love the East Coast – Prince Edward Island
- Why We Love the East Coast – Newfoundland and Labrador
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An editor with 15-plus years in the publishing business, Catalina Margulis’ byline spans travel, food, decor, parenting, fashion, beauty, health and business. When she’s not chasing after her three young children, she can be found painting her home, taming her garden and baking muffins.
