The Best Of St. John''s, Newfoundland

By Author: Bonny Kominek
Total Articles: 96
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As you stroll along the oldest street in North America, you may well catch a glimpse of massive icebergs at the harbor''s mouth, an event that makes even long-time residents of this 500-year old city guilty of double-takes and excited chatter. For a better look, grab your binoculars and head up Water Street to Signal Hill, a national historic site that overlooks the city, the harbor entrance and the North Atlantic. Be careful of the high winds though; they''re strong enough to blow you over and you don''t want to be hiking along one of the cliff-clinging paths when that happens.

Another favorite perch from which to gaze (and potentially blow away) is a short seven-mile drive from St. John''s, called Cape Spear. You''ll be standing on the most easterly point in North America when you explore this area where you can hike and picnic. June is usually the best month for whale-watching and iceberg spotting, but you can appreciate the spectacular views and tour the WWII defense dug-outs and cannons from spring through fall.

Before exploring the impressive number of pubs and clubs that line George Street, its cobblestone ...
... lanes and alleyways, join one of the whale-watching tours. Small boats line the harbor and if you''ve got a sunny, calm day, you''re guaranteed to enjoy the next few hours. You may be hard-put to understand exactly what the captain and mates on board are saying, but the inimitable Newfoundland accent becomes easier to decipher with time. Your eager scanning of the horizon and attempts to determine between white-caps and true breaches might well be accompanied by traditional Irish music, the kind jigs and reels are danced to. Bring a heavy sweater and sunglasses along to keep chill and glare at bay.

Some of the best souvenirs are made by hand, and artisans abound throughout the province. Row houses, painted on large rocks in bright jellybean colors, imitate real life and will conjure up memories of your visit for years to come. Natural materials like antler and caribou fur are used to produce one-of-a-kind jewelry, sculptures and traditional tuft artwork.

If you''ve got kids in tow (or even if you don''t), head down Waterford Bridge Road to Bowring Park, where you can enjoy duck ponds, playgrounds, walking and biking trails as well as an outdoor swimming pool. Continue driving along that road another few minutes, and you''ll come across Lester''s Farm, a much loved attraction in the city. It''s a little petting farm where the kids can feed pigs, bunnies and goats and you can purchase just-picked veggies. This is also where residents buy many of their flowers, shrubs and herbs, so tourists with a green thumb will be happy to potter around the green houses for a while.

When the weather''s changed again (and it does that every five minutes in St. John''s according to the locals), duck into The Rooms, a combination art and natural history museum. Don''t miss The Fluvarium either (whatever the weather) where you can see a river that runs through it ? really. The only of its kind in North America, this underwater aquarium puts you inside the life of a river. Nine enormous windows open up the world of several fish species interacting and living out their lives in their natural habitat.

A special note to walkers: the oldest part of the city, which is around the harbor, is comprised of steep hills that can be hard to manage for the uninitiated. Wear comfortable shoes and use a map to plan your walking tour so that you get plenty of pit stops. Bonny Kominek wrote this article while on a holiday booked with Dialaflight who provide flight to Canada and other desinations.