3 Best Sights in Brigus and Cupids, Avalon Peninsula

The first English settlement in Canada (founded by John Guy in 1610) has been an active archaeological dig since 1995. Engaging tours of the site are given by archaeologists and archaeology students with specific knowledge of the dig and infectious enthusiasm for the region's history.

With interactive displays, interpretive tours, a shop, and an archaeological lab, this is a good place to learn about the English settlement founded here in 1610. The bright and modern museum traces 400 years of settlement in the area through interactive exhibits and a selection of the 153,000 artifacts recovered to date at the nearby archaeological site. These include trade beads and the oldest English coin found in Canada.

Newfoundland's first artisanal gin distillery has quickly expanded their award-winning line of local liquors and built a very cool tasting room. Located on the water in the small community of Clarke's Beach, the distillery draws a crowd on summer evenings. The seaweed, rhubarb, and bakeapple gins, along with fiery aquavit, are all worth the stop.