Standing on the shore at the tip of Newfoundland, you can see icebergs out at sea even on this balmy July day. The wind lashes your face, racing over coastal bogs. The Vikings sailed here centuries ago, leaving stories told through the dug-up sod houses and ancient artifacts at L’Anse aux Meadows, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Join the hoopla and 50,000 other race fans at The Royal St. John’s Regatta at Quidi Vidi Lake—a day so honored among locals it has been declared a civic holiday. Hike up to castle-like Cabot Tower on Signal Hill for a wide-open view of St. John’s harbor. See where Guglielmo Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless signal in 1901. Dine on salmon ravioli or braised rabbit pie on Water St., then “get jiggy with it” on George St., the seat of St. John’s nightlife, said to have the most pubs per square foot in North America. How can you resist the quick wit and charming stories of the famously friendly, fast-talking locals? With their English, Irish, French and Aboriginal backgrounds, people here speak in a multitude of dialects and have spawned so many quirky, home-grown sayings that they have their own dictionary. Where else can you find place names like Jerry’s Nose, Leading Tickles West and Little Heart’s Ease?
Province / Territory: Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador
Take a whale-watching tour, hike in the path of the Vikings, dance a jig or reel, sample cloudberry pie.
- “Go with the Flow to ‘Iceberg Alley’ in Canada,” LA Times
- “Northern Labrador: the next Alaska,” Canadian Tourism Commission Media Centre
- "CapeRace wins kudos from National Geographic Traveler mag."
- "Don’t just watch the whales, study them. You can, with Newfoundland and Labrador’s Wildland Tours."
- Area: 405,720 sq km (156,649 sq mi)
- Cities: St. John’s, the capital
- Population: 509,667
- History: The Vikings were the first Europeans to arrive in 998 AD, then John Cabot claimed the area for England in 1497
- See the “frozen behemoths” in Iceberg Alley, as chunks of glacial ice the size of ocean liners float into Labrador.
- View the freshwater fjords and 200 to 500-million-year-old fossils in Gros Morne National Park, a World Heritage Site.
- While hiking along the 336-mile East Coast Trail, check out the Spout, a natural, wave-driven geyser found en route.
- Yell “mush” at the Labrador huskies in the Big Land Challenge Dog Team Race.
- Take a polar bear expedition to Torngat National Park or participate in the humpback whale census on a natural history learning vacation.
- Catch a concert showcasing Atlantic Canada’s top artists at the East Coast Music Awards.
- Visit Twillingate to see North America’s largest population of humpback whales and seabirds—more icebergs, too.
- Glover’s Harbour is known as the “Home of the Giant Squid” in honor of a 20-ft long, 2.2-ton Atlantic giant that ran aground in 1878.
- Only licensed operators can take you to the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve to see Atlantic puffins.
- You are welcome to photograph, but not pick, the rare protected plants at L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site.
- Between Boxing Day and Epiphany, costumed “mummers” go door to door, singing and playing instruments, looking for grog and Christmas cake.
- Be wildlife savvy; watch for “bear jams” on the highway.
- The Vikings were the first Europeans to arrive in 998 AD, although John Cabot claimed the area for England in 1497.
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