More To Do - Provincial Historic Sites

Cupids, Newfoundland and Labrador, approx 1 hour from St. John's.
How to get here.

In Cupids

Tour the multi-media exhibits at the Cupids Legacy Centre to get some background on John Guy and his colony.

Stroll along the waterfront to the archeology dig.
Walk the trails to Spectacle Head and Burnt Cove around Cupids. Don't forget to print some trail maps.

In Brigus (10 minutes away)

Visit Hawthorne Cottage - the home of polar explorer Bob Bartlett, now a National Historic Site.
Visit Ye Olde Stone Barn Museum to learn more about the history of Brigus - famous for its sealing captains.

Stroll along the canals and explore a tunnel that was blasted through sheer rock for better access to the water.
Stock up on blueberries at the Annual Blueberry Festival (2nd week of August)

In Bay Roberts (10 minutes away)

Visit the 1913 era Cable Building. Interactive exhibits highlight the merchant story of the area. Don't miss the Christopher Pratt Art Gallery, also in this building.
Hike the Shoreline Heritage Walk (also known as the Mad Rocks Walk) to get your fill of cliffs, coves and craggy headlands - with a dose of history too. Interpretation along the trail marks where French fishermen cured fish in the 1500s, and where English settlers built homesteads in the 1700s. Look for rock walls and root cellars built by some of Canada's early settlers. One the the best trails in the province.

In Harbour Grace (30 minutes away)

Snap a picture of The Kyle - a 1913 era steamship anchored in the harbour.
Pick up a brochure at the town's visitor centre and walk around the Heritage District. Visit St. Paul's Church (built 1835) and the historic courthouse (built 1830) - still a courthouse today.

In Salmon Cove (40 minutes away)

Build a sandcastle on a sweeping sandy beach, then birdwatch along the Trail of the Eagles Walking Trail along the cliffs above.

In Heart's Content (40 minutes away)

Go to the Heart's Content Cable Station Provincial Historic Site to see the cable that joined Europe and North America for the first time in 1866.

In Winterton (1 hour away)

Go to the Winterton Boat Building Museum to see a traditional boat builder at work. Summer 2010 - watch as a life-size version of the frame of the Indeavour, one of John Guy's vessels, is reconstructed.

In Grate's Cove (1.5 hours away)

Right at the tip of the peninsula, walk a landscape divided by rock walls built by early settlers - now designated as a National Historic Site.

More to see and do in the area: Baccalieu Trail Tourism

More to see and do all over Newfoundland and Labrador: