There are three gateways to the Bonavista Peninsula: the west entrance from the #1 Trans-Canada Highway onto Route 233 at Port Blandford; the central entrance near Thorburn Lake; and the east entrance onto Route 230 at Clarenville. “Bonavista” reminds people of John Cabot, a Genovese adventurer born as Giovanni Caboto who (just five years after Columbus landed in the Caribbean) investigated what lay in the northern section of the western Atlantic. He found lots and lots of fish, and began to scoop them up, dry them and ship them to Europe.
There is also the legend of Saint Brendan, who supposedly sailed west even before the Vikings. The peninsula has successful farms around Lethbridge and Musgravetown, which grow fresh vegetables. There’s also good salmon fishing on the Middle Brook and Gambo rivers offer, with recreation fishing should try the Terra Nova and North West rivers.
This peninsula has lots of historic buildings: the Mockbeggar Property provincial historic site; the Ryan Premises, which tells the story of the 500-year-old east coast fishery through interactive exhibits, an aquarium, and artifacts, and also houses the Bonavista Community Museum. At Sweetland’s Bank, see an almost full-scale model of John Cabot’s ship “Matthew”, built with late 15th-century vessel construction techniques. In the Methodist Cemetery you’ll find some of the oldest gravestones in the province. Yo can also see the Cape Bonavista, lighthouse and The Dungeon.
Nearby communities are quite old. Keels was a fishing station in 1675 and appeared on maps almost a century before that. Harbour Grace has a Catholic church established here in 1815, but the community was settled in the 1680s.
The town of Trinity, where most of the old town is a national heritage community, holds several provincial historic sites. Gaspar Corte Real was exploring Newfoundland’s coastal waters is said to have arrived at this section of the coast on Trinity Sunday in 1501. The English considered the port and area so valuable they built a fort here, at great expense. The remains of the fort are seen on the gravel road to the lighthouse. The nineteenth century residential architecture was solid, and there are many narrow lanes between the houses. The first smallpox vaccine in North America was administered here during the late 1680s by Dr. John Clinch, a doctor and minister.
Bonavista Festivals
King’s Cove Lighthouse Festival
General Delivery
King’s Cove, Newfoundland, A0C 1S0
(709) 447-4361 fax: (709) 447-2126
Opening ceremonies at the lighthouse. Softball tournament, bobber race, teenage & adult dance, Bar-B-Q, Newfoundland meals, sunrise walkabout of hiking trails & bonfire/wiener roast. Sunday roast beef dinner. Local entertainment, games for young & old and museum tours.
From Aug 09 – Aug 12
Summer In The Bight
Box 78
Trinity, Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, A0C 2S0
(709) 464-3847, tollfree: 1-888-464-3377 fax: (709) 464-3660
A full festival of professional theatre. Celebrating the history and culture of Newfoundland & Labrador. A variety of magical plays performed indoors and out all summer long, Tuesday – Sundays. Come visit us in our beautiful new theatre, a replica of an 18th century fishing shed overlooking Trinity Harbour.
From Jul 01 – Sep 02
The New Founde Lande Trinity Pageant
General Delivery
Trinity, Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, A0C 2S0
(709) 464-3232, tollfree: 1-888-464-3377 fax: (709) 464-3660
A 2-hour historical walking tour of Trinity, visiting many of the town’s historic sites.
From Jul 01 – Sep 02
Bonavista Attractions
Abbott’s Wildlife Museum
P.O. Box 1183
Bonavista, Newfoundland, A0C 1B0
(709) 468-7707
View Newfoundland wildlife in natural setting. Full-sized moose, caribou, bear, coyotes, wolf, sharks, 80 species of birds, etc. Craftshop: souvenirs of Bonavista, also good coffee & food.
May 15 – Oct 15
Bungalow – Estate Of Sir Wm. F. Coaker
P.O. Box 36
Port Rexton, Newfoundland, A0C 2H0
(709) 464-3240 fax: (709) 464-3240
Home of Sir William Ford Coaker (K.B.E) founder of the Fisherman’s Protective Union.The Bungalow, designed & built in 1917, contains a treasure of artifacts from Coaker’s lifetime. Guided tours every half hour.
Jun 15 – Sep 15
Cape Bonavista Lighthouse Provincial Historic Site
P.O. Box 8680
St. John’s, Newfoundland, A1B 4J6
(709) 468-7444 fax: 468-7300
Learn about the hard life of the lightkeepers who faithfully tended the light at
Cape Bonavista from interpreters dressed in the styles of 1870.
And in season, watch whales, icebergs and puffins just off the cape.
The lighthouse was built in 1843, adn was recently renovasted in 2000.
Open Jun 12 – Oct 06, daily 10:30 am to 5:30 pm. Admnission $2.50, children under 13 free. Allow 30 minutes.
Hiscock House Provincial Historic Site
Curch Street
Trinit729-0592
This two and a half storey gable-roofed house is typical of merchant’s homes in early 20th century Newfoundland. Guides in period costumes conduct tours.
Open Jun 12 – Oct 06, daily 10:30 am to 5:30 pm. Admnission $2.50, children under 13 free. Allow 30 minutes.
Elliston Municipal Park
P.O. Box 115
Elliston, Newfoundland, A0C 1N0
(709) 468-2649 fax: (709) 468-2867
Beautiful sandy beach to enjoy sunbathing, swimming and boating. Camping and picnic area, playground facilities, bird sanctuary attraction nearby, convenience stores nearby. Guided tours of root cellars & puffin sites.
Jun 01 – Sep 30
Elliston’s Root Cellars
P.O. Box 179
Elliston, Newfoundland, A0C 1N0
(709) 468-7461 fax: (709) 468-1215
The doors are open for you to view many of Elliston’s 135 root cellars. Take a walk back in time and enter cellars originally built in the 1850s, many of which are still used today to store root crops. A real cultural experience.
May 01 – Nov 30
Fox Island Trail
Bonaventure-English Harbour Development Association
P.O. Box 38
Trinity, TB, Newfoundland, A0C 2S0
(709) 464-3564 fax: (709) 464-3880
This historically significant trail was occupied by civilian fishers during Queen Ann’s War (1702-13). Located 35 metres above sea level, it provided an ideal site for fortification. Maps available. Located in Champney’s West.
Jan 01 – Dec 31
Gordon B. Pike Municipal Park
P.O. Box 55
Port Rexton, Newfoundland, A0C 2H0
(709) 464-2006 fax: (709) 464-2006
Playground area, outdoor heated pool, ball field, recreation hall, picnic area. Daily or overnight rentals available for recreation hall. Newly developed walking & skiing trails. Children’s summer day camp.
Jan 01 – Dec 31
Green Family Forge
P.O. Box 8
Trinity, Newfoundland, A0C 2S0
(709) 464-3599 fax: (709) 464-3599
A blacksmith museum, with two fully operational forges, built between 1895 and 1900. The Greens were blacksmiths in Trinity before 1750. Exhibited are the tools of the trade and products, over 1,500 artifacts.
Jun 16 – Sep 14
King’s Cove Lighthouse Trail
King’s Cove Historical Society
General Delivery
King’s Cove, Newfoundland, A0C 1S0
(709) 447-4361, fax: (709) 447-2126
This trail provides walkers and hikers the opportunity to appreciate the value of lighthouses along our rugged coastline while viewing spectacular coastal scenery. Maps available.
Jan 01 – Dec 31
Little Catalina To Maberly Trail
P.O. Box 59
Little Catalina, Newfoundland, A0C 1W0
(709) 469-2795 fax: (709) 469-2795
A 16.9 km trail between two communities. Hikers can retrace the steps of four centuries of settlement and subsistence along this rugged coastal trail. Admire whales and icebergs from the headlands. Maps available.
Jan 01 – Dec 31
Lester Garland House/Wessex Learning Centre
P.O. Box 8
Trinity, Newfoundland, A0C 2S0
(709) 464-3599 fax: (709) 464-3599
Reconstructed Georgian brick house rebuilt to 1819-1820 period on the site of the Lester home (1764-66). At one time one of the finest homes in Newfoundland. Now a museum and learning centre.
Jun 16 – Sep 14
Locke’s Fish Out Farm
P.O. Box 105
Port Rexton, Newfoundland, AOC 2H0
(709) 464-2152 fax: (709) 464-2152
Locke’s Fishout Cage, (Rainbow Trout) located at the intersection to historic Trinity. Boat ride to cage site, pay by the pound, rods & bait supplies at no charge.
Jun 15 – Sep 30
Matthew Legacy Interpretation Centre And 15th Century Replica
P.O. Box 500
Bonavista, Newfoundland, A0C 1B0
(709) 468-1493 1-877-468-1497 fax: (709) 468-2495
Locally built replica of John Cabot’s Matthew that sailed from Bristol in 1497. Tour above and below deck and experience the sensations of living history. Experience 500 years of history!!
Jun 15 – Sep 15
Mockbeggar Property
Bonavista, Newfoundland, A0C 1B0
(709) 468-7300
Located in the centre of the village, in the former home of F. Gordon Bradley,
the area’s Member of Parliament and cabinet minister in the 1950s. The home was built in the 1870s
and has been restored to its 1940s appearance, and traditional Newfoundland
antiques throughout the home. Several outbuildings have also been restored.
Open mid-June to mid-october, daily 10 am to 5:50 pm. Admission $2.50.
Murphy’s Cove-lodge’s Pond Trail
P.O. Box 91
Port Union, Newfoundland, A0C 2J0
(709) 469-2571 fax: (709) 469-3444
A 7.7 km coastal trail located within the town of Port Union. View geology, whales, icebergs and fishermen plying their trade. View one of the few staffed lighthouses in the province. Maps available.
Jan 01 – Dec 31
Port Union Historical Museum
P.O. Box 99
Port Union, Newfoundland, A0C 2J0
(709) 469-2159
Museum located in 1917 Reid Railway Station. It contains a history of Sir William Coaker, the Fishermen’s Protective Union, the town of Port Union and the Reid Newfoundland Railway.
Jun 15 – Sep 15
Rev. Dr. John Clinch National Historic Site
P.O. Box 8
Trinity, Newfoundland, A0C 2S0
(709) 464-2244 fax: (709) 464-2244
John Clinch 1749 – 1819. Born in England, this medical and missionary pioneer came to Newfoundland in 1775 and later settled in Trinity (1783) where he died. He is noted for introducing the Jenner smallpox vaccine to British North America (1800) and for compiling a valuable glossary of Beothuck terms.
Open Jan 01 – Dec 31
Ryan Premises National Historic Site
Ryans Hill & Old Catalina Rd
P.O. Box 1451
Bonavista, Newfoundland, A0C 1B0
(709) 468-1600 Tollfree: 1-800-213-7275 Fax: (709) 468-1604
This restored merchant’s premises served as a key economic centre behind Newfoundland’s
inshore fishery in the early 1800s.The buildings include Proprietor’s House,
Retail Shop, Fish Hatchery, Fish Store, Salt Shed & Carriage Shed.
Open Jun 01 – Oct 01, daily 10 am to 6 pm. Admission $3, allow 2 hours.
Sir Richard Whitbourne National Historic Site
P.O. Box 8
Trinity, Newfoundland, A0C 2S0
(709) 464-2244 fax: (709) 464-2244
Sir Richard Whitbourne held the first Court of Admiralty in the New World at Trinity in 1615 and wrote, in 1622, what is believed to be the first book on Newfoundland. Open year-round.
Skerwink Trail
Bonaventure-English Harbour Development Association
P.O. Box 38
Trinity, TB, Newfoundland, A0C 2S0
(709) 464-3564 fax: (709) 464-3880 )
Jutting out into Trinity Bay, this 5.3 km trails offers spectacular coastal scenery and the opportunity to view icebergs, whales and seabirds while viewing historic Trinity and area. Trailhead is in Trinity East, next to the church. Maps available. Open year-round.
St. Paul’s Anglican Church
Church Street
Trinity, Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, A0L 2S0
(709) 464-3658
This is the third church on this site. The first was constructed in 1729, the second in 1821, and the present church in 1892-94. Spire: 102 feet. Seating: just over 500. Church registers date from 1753, among the oldest in Canada. Open year-round.
Thompson Pond Park
P.O. Box 203
Port Union, Newfoundland, A0C 2J0
(709) 469-2503 fax: (709) 469-3444
A playground area with slides, swings, swimming and picnic sites, walking trails to the park, a floating wharf and two new bathrooms.
Open Jan 01 – Dec 31
Trinity Historical Society Museum & Archives
P.O. Box 8
Trinity, Newfoundland, A0C 2S0
(709) 464-3599 fax: (709) 464-3599
1880s style ‘salt box’ house has over 2,000 artifacts used in the domestic, commercial (fishing, sealing, trading, coopering, shoe making), medical governmental and other aspects of life in Trinity. See demonstrations of shoemaking and fish barrel construction.
Open Jun 16 – Sep 14, Mon-Sat from 10 am to 6 pm. Admission, children under 13 free.