Things to do in St. John’s, Newfoundland

Pippy Park is an urban campground in the heart of St. John’s and would be my home for the next two days. It makes a great base when you’re looking for things to do in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Here I suddenly became aware of city sounds once again, with motorcycles, helicopters and things I hadn’t heard at other campgrounds around the province.

Not far from Pippy Park is the pride of St. John’s, The Rooms, a magnificent museum overlooking the harbour. The Sobey family’s private art collection was on display and includes work by The Group of Seven, Emily Carr and a host of other famous Canadian artists. Admission is free after 6pm on Fridays and I had arrived just in time. Well, not exactly on time. I got there at 5:59 and was told to wait in the lobby until 6pm. Everything about the museum is first rate. From the history of day to day life in Newfoundland, to the province’s joining the Canadian confederation as well as Newfoundland’s proud military heritage are all represented with fascinating displays. Of all the things to do in St. John’s, this was is on the top of my list.

Once back at the park. I heard live music being played. One of the campsites was having its own concert, a traditional Newfoundland kitchen party, without the kitchen. The music was lovely and played at a respectful volume. Just another reason to love Newfoundland.

Morning came and The Battery Café was the perfect place to get a much needed cup of coffee. There was a notice saying Cuban born Onelvis Hernandez was playing there that night so I made a reservation for that evening’s performance.

The postcard perfect fishing village of Petty Harbour was my next stop. Only minutes out of St. John’s, it feels like another world and is really worth a visit. On the wharf I met a group of men “splittin” cod (cleaning the fish as mainlanders would say). Commercial cod fishing was stopped at one point because cod were nearly extinct. Now sport fishing is allowed a few days a week and these men were taking advantage.

Cape Spear National Park, the furthest point east in Canada, was my next stop,. Here you can explore the museum, lighthouses and take in the ocean views. It is also the home of the earliest sunrise in Canada. Getting an annual Parks Canada Discovery Pass for this site, and all the other national parks and historic sites is a great idea. The province of Newfoundland and Labrador also offers its own passport which gets you into several of the provincially run museums and destinations around the province.

Quidi Vidi is a quaint fishing village and suburb of St. John’s. On weekends it’s a popular place for wedding photos, craft beer drinking and people watching. It’s here where I met Brian and he invited me into his fishing stage (shed) which he converted into his personal rowing museum. There is a proud tradition of competitive rowing in St. John’s. Brian introduced me to his friends and proudly showed me his rowing memorabilia and photos. The sense of welcome you get in Newfoundland is incomparable.

It was concert time at The Battery Café and I found a seat in the packed room. Beer was on the menu but as they had a café liquor license, it meant I had to order some food with my beverage. A banana was seven cents and popcorn was ten. It was my last night in Newfoundland so I splurged on the popcorn. Onelvis gave a tremendous, heartfelt performance and played everyone’s Latin favourites.

George Street on a Saturday night is infamous and very much a part of St. John’s culture. Its party central with bar after bar strung along this short stretch of road, and it gets crazy. Each establishment has it’s own sound system belting out their particular brand of music creating joyful musical mayhem. Everywhere there were great bands playing and it was hard to decide which place to visit.

The calmness of Sunday morning is a great time to look for things to do in St. John’s. Parking is free along the harbour and there are plenty of things to see. The Railway Coastal Museum was my first stop. Here you can learn about the history of the train system that connected many of the tiny villages around Newfoundland. The train opened up the province and became a lifeline to the outport villages, bringing goods and postal service to communities that were otherwise cut off. Progress during the 1960’s ended the need for trains as the Trans Canada Highway came along and serves the whole island from east to west.

Sargent Coombs of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary was on his horse, Castle, roaming the harbour and we stopped for a chat. The RNC is Canada’s oldest police force and serves St. John’s and Corner Brook. The Sargent and his horse garnered some fame with their cameo appearance in the final episode of Republic of Doyle, a CBC drama filmed in St. John’s.

Signal Hill is a great place to get some exercise and the place where Marconi received the first wireless communication from Europe in 1901. Cabot Tower stands proudly on top of Signal Hill overlooking the harbour. It can be explored for a one time fee or with a Parks Canada Discovery Pass. Here hiking trails winding up and down the hills and following the coastline are easily explored. Down the hill (there’s no shortage of hills in St. John’s) is one of the more interesting things to do in St. John’s, Johnson Geo Centre. Here you can see exhibits explaining the geology of the surrounding area as well as the whole planet. The displays are fascinating and give you a better appreciation of what’s beneath our feet. Echos of Newfoundland’s favourite son, actor Gordon Pinsent, can be heard throughout the centre as he has done all the voice recordings accompanying the displays.

It was time to get to the airport and say a fond farewell after seeing so many of the things to do in St. John’s, Newfoundland, my home for the past two weeks. It was a spectacular sunny day and I waited outside until it was time to check in. Inside the airport I was busy writing notes and looked up in total disbelief. Nothing could be seen outside except a couple of airplanes. The fog had rolled in. After a few more minutes, the airplanes we no longer visible. There are many tales of the legendary fog but you can’t appreciate it until you experience it for yourself. The old saying in Newfoundland is “if you don’t like the weather, wait a minute”. The saying certainly held true. The airplane left the terminal and we taxied for half an hour before it was safe enough to take off. We finally got into the air and within minutes we were out of the fog and looking at the beautiful night lights of the Avalon Peninsula. I can’t wait to get back. There’s much more hiking to do and places to explore.

Coming Feb 14. Taking the iconic Via Rail “Canadian”

Updated February 20, 2024