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What Newfoundland Has To Offer |
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| Newfoundland and Labrador,
located on the East Coast of Canada, is, in our opinion, the most
beautiful place in the world, and we're confident that, once you see it
for yourself, you'll agree.
You may ask, "What can Newfoundland and Labrador offer me that I can't get somewhere else?" And the short answer is maybe nothing. The long answer is everything! WILDLIFE Newfoundland is home to some of the most pristine wilderness and wildlife habitats found anywhere on the planet, and you can find any number of animals if you know where to look ~ the Atlantic Puffin, Majestic Moose, Caribou, Black Bear, Lynx, many varieties of Fox, Coyote, Beaver and Otter, Seals, Snowshoe and Arctic Hare, Chipmunks and Squirrels, among many others.
Moose Seal
Caribou Chipmunk For the bird watcher, Newfoundland boasts a wide variety of winged creatures ~ Canada Geese, Loon, Osprey, Grouse, Ptarmigan, Partridge, and a wide variety of ducks ~ Eider, Black, Wood, Mallard, and Pintail to name a small few.
Atlantic Puffins Having begun its life as a fishing ground, and with an abundance of Rivers and Lakes ( 177 Licensed Salmon Rivers alone), Newfoundland has a vast fishing industry. Although Cod can only be fished during the recreational fishery for a couple of weekends each year, other forms of a fishery are thriving ~ Salmon, Arctic Char, Northern Pike, Sculpin (The ugliest fish you will ever meet!), Smelt, Crab, Shrimp and Trout.
Codfish Some types require a license, others do not. Make sure you check up on this before you do any hunting or fishing. PLANT LIFE There is an abundance of vegetation in this province ~ Ferns, mosses, a wide variety of trees (Spruce, Pine, Alder, Tamarack, Juniper, Birch, Maple, etc.), Orchids, Lilies, Lady Slippers, and, our Provincial flower, the Pitcher Plant.
Pitcher Plant Lady Slipper If you are among those that like to enjoy the scenery and wildlife while berry picking, Newfoundland has that covered as well. While away your days picking Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, Squashberries (Be careful when making these into jam. They taste great, but they smell like stinky socks when they're cooking!), Crowberries, and the ever popular Bakeapple.
Blueberries Partridgeberries Bakeapples DID YOU KNOW... Newfoundland is the only province with it's own Dictionary ~ Dictionary of Newfoundland English
It's Own Pony ~ The Newfoundland Pony
It's own Dog ~ The Newfoundland Dog
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And it's own line of Food products, available only in Newfoundland ~ Purity
CULTURE Newfoundland's culture is to be rivaled by no other. With traditions such as Mummering or Janneying, Newfoundland truly is a unique place to live. Dating back to the beginning of the 17th Century, Mummering was brought from England when the colonists settled North America. Mainly done in the Outport areas of the province during the 12 Days of Christmas, people would dress up so as not to be recognized ( Men dressed as women, women dressed as men), and they would go "mummering" from house to house. They would sit around the table, disguising their voices, and the homeowner ( this could be you) had to try and guess who each person was. This was where the teasing and fun-making (good natured of course) happened. If guessed correctly, off came the mask and around went the plate of homemade cookies and the glasses of Purity Syrup. Then it was time for a "Scuff" (dance) in the kitchen. This was the fun part. Once the visitors began to tire, it was time to put the disguise back on and bring the party to the next house.
Newfoundland also has its own musical instrument ~ the Ugly Stick, and boy, can some of these get really ugly. Made up a broom or mop handle, bottle caps and a few nails, when someone starts playing one of these at a kitchen party, you'll understand why they call the island "The Rock!" An Ugly Stick can be very simple ~ a bunch of bottle caps nailed onto a broom handle, loosely, so they can still make music when stomped on the floor, or very elaborate, with faces on the top, juice cans nailed on so that the musician can bang on them while stomping the bottle caps, tambourines ~ the more noise the better! A fun time really will be had by all!
You're probably asking yourself, " Well, I get the Ugly Stick, sort of, but what the heck is a Kitchen Party?!" A Kitchen Party is just that - a party in the kitchen. The kitchen was, generally, the warmest room in the house during a Newfoundland winter, and everyone would pile in and the entertainment would begin. The only rule of a kitchen party is that you cannot just sit back and take it all in, you actually have to participate ~ sing a song, tell a story, dance a jig ~ and then the evening ends when everyone is too tired to continue and they all sit down to dinner, usually some kind of stew or soup. Fun times!
There is also the tradition of the Screech-In, where "Come-from-Aways" are made honorary Newfoundlanders. They take a shot of Screech (rum), say a few Newfoundland phrases, and kiss a codfish (it's really not as bad as it sounds!) Then, they're given a certificate proclaiming them an Honorary Newfoundlander and a member of the Royal Order of Screechers. It's all done in good fun and everyone has a good time.
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The Innu of
Labrador were, at one time, a migratory people, living on the coast in
the summer to fish, and heading inland with the Caribou in the
winter. During the migratory periods, everyone had to pull their
own weight and move from one place to the next, even the children.
The Children were given homemade dolls to carry - dolls filled with loose tea! When the group would stop to eat, the doll would be opened, some of the tea removed and then sewn up again to continue the trip. When the dolls were empty, they were stuffed with leaves, grass or rags.
TOURISM Newfoundland has a booming tourism industry. With all of the breathtaking scenery to take pictures of, the historic places to visit, the unique traditions to take part in and the friendly people to meet, why would anyone choose to go anywhere else? There are many places to go and things to see while in Newfoundland, it just depends on what you want to see first! HIKING/OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES Sea Kayaking ( Be at One with the Whales) Downhill Skiing at Marble Mountain Sand Dunes at Cowhead Hike the trails of Gros Morne, the East Coast Trail, Green Bay and Bonavista Peninsula Go on a Boat Tour at Western Brook - a Glacier carved Fjord See if you can see the Man in the Mountain and maybe find the treasure he's guarding
See the Fossils at Cape Ray See the Puffins and many other species of birds at the Cape St. Mary's Bird Sanctuary Camp in Terra Nova National Park Take in the Breathtaking view from Captain Cook's Lookout in Corner Brook Visit Mile 0 of the TCH Go to Cape Spear and look over the entire population of North America, which is directly to your left HISTORIC PLACES TO SEE Visit L'anse aux Meadows National Historic Site and see how the Vikings lived when they first came to Newfoundland
Go to Battle Harbour, Labrador and see the most well preserved fishing outport in the province Smell a 5,000 + year old Iceberg in Notre Dame Bay
When in St. John's go to Signal Hill and see the Tattoo ~ you might want to plug your ears, those cannons can be pretty loud! RAINY DAY ACTIVITIES See the Butterfly Pavilion at the Newfoundland Insectarium in Reidville Visit the many museums throughout the Province and learn more about our history Visit the Rooms ~ a museum, gallery and archive all in one! Take in a show at one of the Theater Festivals throughout the Province ~ Cowhead, Trinity or Stephenville Visit the lighthouses throughout the Province and see life through the fog
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