68 Best Sights in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

The Arches are a geological curiosity; the park contains rock formations made millions of years ago by wave action and undersea currents. The succession of caves through a bed of dolomite was later raised above sea level by tectonic upheaval. This is a good place to stop for a picnic.

The Port au Choix National Historic Site is 97 km (60 miles) farther north. The remains of Maritime Archaic and Dorset people have been found along this coast between the Arches Provincial Park and L’Anse aux Meadows, and this site has an interesting interpretation center with exhibits about what's been uncovered to date. Archaeologists digging in the area uncovered an ancient village. Ask at the center for directions to it.

This tiny fishing village perches precariously at the base of steep cliffs between Signal Hill and St. John's Harbour. Narrow lanes snake around the houses, so it's a good place to get out of the car and walk. A public access to the North Head walking trail that winds around Signal Hill crosses the doorstep of a private home in the Battery!

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.

A tributary of a nearby river was diverted here so visitors could see the life that inhabits it from underwater. See into the river through nine large windows at the only public facility of its kind in North America. In season you can observe spawning brown and brook trout in their natural habitat. There are also tanks housing other fish and amphibians and exhibits relating to the aquatic environment. Visitor capacity is decreased during feeding times, which take place at 3:30 or 4:00 pm daily. Grand Concourse Authority walking trails ring the pond just outside the Fluvarium.

Originally called the Lower Path, Water Street has been used by St. John's residents since the 1520s. The older architecture resembles that of seaports in southwest England and Ireland. If you do nothing else in St. John's, take a walk down Water Street. This is the center of the downtown universe, and on a sunny day it will be packed with smiling locals. Sections may be closed to car traffic during the summer, allowing for a lively pedestrian space with outdoor restaurant service. 

At the edge of Western Bay, at the end of Lighthouse Road, a boardwalk will take you to a windy point with an unmanned lighthouse. If you take a right turn before the boardwalk, you can follow a trail that brings you to a secluded grassland called Bradley's Cove, where 200-year-old root cellars still stand. This trail also affords opportunity to encounter foxes and other woodland creatures sunning themselves on the rocks. 

Besides the colonies of seabirds and pods of whales in late spring and early summer, this is an excellent place to see icebergs, which can remain in Newfoundland's waters into June and sometimes July. The loud crack as an iceberg breaks apart can be heard from shore, but a boat gets you a closer look at these natural ice sculptures. Icebergs have spawned a lucrative business in Newfoundland beyond tourism. Iceberg water and iceberg vodka are now on the market, made from ice chipped from the 10,000-year-old bergs as they float by.

The best views of birds and icebergs are from the tour boats that operate here and are the only way to visit the reserve. There is no public access to the islands themselves—only management staff and scientific researchers (with a permit) are allowed to land. If you're driving down from St. John's, allow about four hours: between 30 and 45 minutes each way for the drive, about 90 minutes for the boat trip, and a bit of time to spare.