Conny

Hi Everyone, My family is gearing up for a first trip to Newfoundland this summer and we are very, very happy about it. As a family we only have 5 nights and are flying into and out of St. John's. We like sightseeing along the coast, historical sites, nature and small towns and villages. (And good food and friendly people too!). Our kids are aged 12 and 14 years so are good for short hikes (we're not super outdoorsy unfortunately). I think whale watching, fishing or some outing on the ocean would be great too. I am a photographer and get to spend a whole extra week in Newfoundland after the rest of the family goes home as I will be also doing a photo workshop that I sneakily added on to the end of our vacation.

So, I am thinking perhaps two nights in St. John's at the end of the trip, and staying in one or two other spots on the front end - we don't want to always be packing and would probably prefer just one other stop during our five days. So, it will be too short a visit to go too far, but I would very much appreciate suggestions for another town/village maybe three or so hours outside of St. John's which we could use as a base for touring around. We're open to all sorts of lodging suggestions but definitely prefer small inns or b&bs are even better!

Thanks very much for your help.

laverendrye

I suggest you stay three nights at Trinity and use it as a base for exploring the Bonavista peninsula. Trinity itself is a lovely town with a professional theatre company (Rising Tide), and in the vicinity are the Random Passage film set at New Bonaventure, the Skerwink Trail at Port Rexton, and the town of Bonavista to name a few of the attractions. While in New Bonaventure, try to take a trip with Bruce Miller at Rugged Beauty Boat Tours.

Conny

Trinity sounds lovely. Thanks very much for the input.

nfldbeothuk

I'm going to second laverendrye's opinion. Trinity is the image of the traditional Newfoundland fishing village, and Bonavista, up the road, is the slightly larger and rough-around-the-edges modern fishing port, complete with a picturesque harbour, lighthouse, the the sea arches at the Dungeons Provincial Park. Nearby Port Union has a rather unique little street which contains the remnants of the town's origin: it was built by and for the province's first ever fisherman's union, with its own newspaper, electricity plant, and row housing.
The Rising Tide Theatre Company's New Founde Land Trinity Pageant is the one thing I always recommend to visitors on the Bonavista Peninsula: an outdoor walkthrough of the province's history, with costumes, humour, and excercise included! Here's a link for times: http://www.risingtidetheatre.com/?

In St. John's, your kids are the perfect age for Cape Spear and Signal Hill exploration. If they like science, the Geocentre or the Fluvarium would appeal. If you go outside the city a short way, there are several good whale/puffin watching tours around Bay Bulls, and the Ferryland archeological site is a favourite of mine.

I'm not a lodging expert, since I live here, but the government site has a very thorough list and links for accommodation:
www.newfoundlandlabrador.com

Oh, and be prepared for road construction: the Bonavista peninsula roads were devastated by Hurricane Igor last fall, and only short-term repairs could be done before the winter set in, so this summer I expect road crews will be as common as crows around Bonavista.

Hope you have a great holiday.