The Best of Labrador and Newfoundland
/Our tour of Labrador & Newfoundland was chock-a-block full of fun and interesting sights and activities. With no set agenda or schedule, we had the opportunity to explore whatever caught our attention. When we were crossing the Gulf of St. Lawrence on the ferry to Nova Scotia, we took the time to reminisce about those experiences that were the highlights of our Newfoundland & Labrador visit.
1. Driving the TransLabrador Highway
Considered one of the great American road trips, driving the TransLabrador Highway was a bucket list check-off item for us. Traveling to off-the-beaten track places is a penchant of ours and this subarctic adventure through empty, expansive tundra was exceptional.
2. Icebergs
There’s something majestic about seeing massive blue chunks of age-old ice floating past you in the ocean, especially when you realize you’re seeing only a small part of a submerged giant. In particular, our drive along Iceberg Alley to the little fishing village of St. Lewis was a spur of the moment, delightful decision that reaped untold benefits in just the pleasure of discovery.
3. L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site
Visiting this National Historic Site of an11th-century Viking settlement, the earliest [authenticated] evidence of Europeans in North America, was extraordinary. Just to know we were walking on the same ground that Viking men and women trod 10 centuries ago was mind bending.
4. Fogo Island
Fogo Island was a highlight for many reasons. We renewed a friendship and enjoyed outstanding hospitality from an old cruising friend and her partner. We enjoyed hikes on the island including a visit to the Great Auk statue and a quick trek to the top of Brimstone Head, a corner of the Flat Earth. Fogo Island is another of those ‘off the beaten track’ places that end up being special because it is so unique.
5. St. John’s
The provincial capital of Newfoundland and Labrador, it’s also the biggest city in the province. Though cities are not our usual haunts, St. John’s seemed different. We hit all the high points of the city we’d mapped out… The Rooms Museum, Signal Hill National Historic site, the Jellybean Row houses, the waterfront, Quidi Vidi and its unique Iceberg beer, and the historic Cape Spear Lighthouse which also happens to be the most easterly point in North America.
6. Puffin Tour
Puffins… I’m enchanted by them. To see so many at one time was an off the wall experience. They were everywhere… all around us, above us in the air, on the water, nesting on the hills. The largest Atlantic puffin colony in North America and there we were right in the middle of it all.
7. Seafood Bounty
We’re seafood lovers and living in Las Vegas isn’t the best place to assuage our yens. Newfoundland on the other hand… ooooh, la la! We had fresh mussels and cod and haddock and lobster, crab, clam chowders and seafood chowders.
8. Gander
Visiting an airport is kind of a weird thing to do, but Gander was special. Gander is the airport and the community that cared for all the diverted flights and their passengers and crew on 9/11 and the days that followed. Reading the stories about how the community came together to help all those stranded people was inspiring. It’s a ‘feel good’ place!
9. Gros Morne National Park
The limited amount of time we spent at this national park was wonderful, but we gave it short-shrift. Some trails were closed; it rained; it gusted and we moved on. Still, the scenery and the views we were able to take in were awesome. The park requires more time at another time.
10. Giant Squid Interpretive Centre
A small building in a tiny fishing village at the end of a peninsula provided so much information and was so interesting, we were surprised more people haven’t sung its praises. ‘Home of the Giant Squid since 1878’… a Guinness World Record legend-making squid beached by chance upon a Newfoundland shore. What a story!
And there you have it, but not really. These were the places and experiences that stood out, but Newfoundland is one of those magical places that could continually surprise and delight. It’s a place we could return to without hesitation and we highly recommend it as a destination to explore.
Below, take a look at our route through the entire province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
