A Friendsgiving Road Trip in Newfoundland
This was my second Thanksgiving weekend spent away from home with friends. If you have been following along with my adventures for a while then you may recall that I spent Thanksgiving weekend on Vancouver Island with my friend Ali back in 2021. We were on a co-op term with a company in Vancouver at the time and decided to do something special to make up for the fact that we would not be with our families for the holiday weekend.
This time around, it is my good friend Riley who is on a placement with school in St. John’s, Newfoundland. To make up for her being away from home for the holiday, our friend Kaitlin and I flew out to spend the weekend with her. Neither Kaitlin nor I had ever been to Newfoundland before – and this was Riley’s first experience with the province as well – so we opted to take a road trip to see as much as we could in four days.
Day One
We had an early start on day one. Our flight departed from the Hamilton airport at 6:30am, which meant we had to be awake in the wee hours of the morning to get to the airport on time. To be fair, we could have left for the airport later than we did, but Kaitie and I both preferred the peace of mind of knowing we weren’t going to miss our flight over an extra 45 minutes of sleep.
In a hilarious coincidence, we were on the same flight as the Laurier women’s basketball team. Some of you may remember that I am a Laurier alumni and that I competed in varsity sports, so this was quite a funny surprise for me.
Kaitie and I arrived in St. John’s mid-morning on the Friday leading into the Thanksgiving long weekend. Our friend Riley was at work so we took the day to explore St John’s a bit before meeting up with Ri for dinner in downtown St. John’s. We were pretty tired after an early morning, but we made the most of the day and didn’t let our exhaustion hold us back. I’d also like to point out that I came down with a nasty cold (flu?) the day before leaving on this trip, so Advil Cold and Sinus was my best friend while we were out east.
Where We Stayed
Since our friend Riley was in St. John’s on a placement with school, we were able to stay with her for the two nights we spent in the city and therefore didn’t have to pay for other accommodations. We had been under the impression that Riley’s accommodations had a double bed and that a cot was available from the front desk if requested. This was not a correct assumption.
The “cot” consisted of a yoga mat on the floor topped with four chair cushions, a therm-a-Rest, and a duvet. Since I was sick, I had already volunteered myself for the “cot”. The “cot” was so narrow that we pushed it up against a wall on one side and then created makeshift guardrails with the cushionless chairs on the other side. The result was a hilariously tragic sleeping nook. We aptly named it the quarantine nook. For those who are interested, my sleeping setup can be seen here.
What We Did
Before meeting up with our friend Riley, Kaitie and I did a bit of exploring on our own. We wandered about seeing the sights of St. John’s that Riley had already seen. There is definitely more to explore in this city than what we saw, but this was a good start.
Hiked Signal Hill
Signal Hill is one of St. John’s most famous historical sights. Overlooking the entrance to the St. John’s Harbour, Signal Hill has historically been a very important military sight. Signal Hill boasts beautiful views of the Newfoundland coast, St. John’s Harbour and the Atlantic Ocean. Beyond the beautiful natural sights, there are also several historical sights worth seeing:
- Cabot Tower
- The Queen’s Battery Barracks
There are many different hiking trails surrounding Signal Hill, so you can make your hike as short or as long as you’d like. Cabot Tower at the top of Signal Hill is also fully accessible by car if you aren’t up for the hike.
We started on the Burma Road Trail by Cuckold’s Cove (yes, it’s really called that), then branched off onto Ladies’ Lookout Trail followed by the North Head Trail, which brought us down to Battery Road along the edge of the St. John’s Harbour. In total, the hike was about 6 km and took us just under two hours. Mind you, we made lots of stops for photo-taking and sign-reading.
Explored Downtown St. John’s
St. John’s downtown core borders the harbour with a mix of modern and classic, colourful buildings. Kaitie and I wandered along downtown in search of a cafe to recharge our batteries after a long hike. After we had been brought back to life by a warm beverage and a bit of down time, we walked along Water St. and popped in and out of shops to kill time before meeting Riley for dinner.
What We Ate
- Rocket Bakery is a charming spot located on Water Street in downtown St. John’s. We only ordered a couple of warm drinks from here, but they also have a full menu and lots of delicious looking treats.
- Bannerman Brewing Co. is just one street up from Rocket Bakery on Duckworth Street. We met Riley here for dinner and shared an assortment of delicious, Thai-inspired small plates. Bannerman does not take reservations and operates by a seat-yourself policy, so I would recommend arriving early. It is a super popular spot with a great atmosphere and great food.
Day Two
And so the road trip begins! Our second day in Newfoundland began with picking up our rental car from the St. John’s Airport Enterprise. I was the designated driver for this trip, which I really didn’t mind. I like to drive and I’m a nervous passenger, so it worked out well this way.
Our first day on the road brought us from St. John’s to the coastal town of Trinity, with stops in Clarke’s Beach and Dildo (yes, this is a real place).
Where We Stayed
Originally we had planned to stay at Fisher’s Loft in Port Rexton, but we were unable to get a room that would accommodate the three of us. With a little bit of research we found the charming Rosewood Suites in neighbouring Trinity. I think with a trip like this you have to stay in an Inn or bed and breakfast. These kinds of venues feel so much cozier and more authentic to the location than staying in an Airbnb or commercial hotel – not that there were any of those in Trinity.
The room we had at Rosewood Suites was fantastic. Our quarters included a living room with a nice pullout couch and kitchenette fully equipped for cooking, a full bathroom, and a bedroom with a king bed. Riley and Kaitie took the bed and I took the couch to avoid passing my plague on to either of them. I must say I slept far better on the couch than I did the previous night in my quarantine nook.
What We Did
Day one on the road turned into an unofficial brewery tour and we weren’t mad about it. This was a day filled with good food and good drinks. What more could we ask for?
After a nice breakfast in St. John’s, we were on our way to our first stop, Newfoundland Distillery Co.
Newfoundland Distillery Co.
Located on the ocean in Clarke’s Beach, the Newfoundland Distillery Co. has a beautiful tasting room where you can sit to have a drink and some food. The distillery also has a small store at the front of the building with distillery merch, local products, and the distillery’s alcoholic products for sale.
Riley and Kaitie ordered a quartet tasting flight. The quartet allows you to chose four spirits, which come paired with different tonics. Since I was driving, I did not partake in the spirit-tasting, but I did have a lovely Strawberry Dandy mocktail.
The notable spirits from the Newfoundland Distillery Co. were the Seaweed Gin, Cloudberry Gin, and Rhubarb Vodka, according to Ri and Kaitie.
Dildo Brewing Co.
Our next stop was the Dildo Brewing Co. in the coastal town of, you guessed it, Dildo. The town of Dildo became a bit famous a while back thanks to late-night talkshow host Jimmy Kimmel. Kimmel did a bit on his show about the town and was named the honorary mayor of Dildo. In 2019, Kimmel had a large Dildo sign – inspired by the famous Hollywood sign in Los Angeles – constructed. Since then, the sign has become a popular tourist attraction.
Dildo Brewing Co. looks across the water at the now famous Dildo sign up on the hill. The Brewing Co. serves both food and drinks and has a shop by the entryway selling Dildo merch, which is very popular.
We spent a good amount of time sitting out on the waterfront deck enjoying some traditional Newfoundland fare (fish and chips). After our meal and drinks, we did a quick drive around the town to get a closer look at Jimmy Kimmel’s sign.
What We Ate
- The Grounds Café serves up fresh baked goods and farm fresh meals out of Murray’s Garden Centre. You get to enjoy your meal surrounded by plants and natural light. Dream come true! And the food is excellent. In addition to my breakfast, I took away a rye chocolate cookie, which I enjoyed later that afternoon when we arrived in Trinity.
- Dildo Brewing Co. serves a mean fish and chips. I’m not a fish lover, in fact I really dislike fish, but I enjoyed the fish and chips served here. Riley and I shared a two-piece fish and chips, which turned out to be the right amount of food for us.
Day Three
Our second day on the road had notably less breweries – also known as zero – but it had a great deal of outside time, which was a nice trade off. Day two took us from quaint Trinity to Port Rexton, to Dungeon Provincial Park, and, lastly, to Bonavista.
If I’m being completely honest, I would not recommend going to Bonavista, Newfoundland in October. I’m sure during Newfoundland’s busy season it is a great place to visit. In the off-season, not so much. Oh well, you live and you learn.
Where We Stayed
Our final destination in Bonavista was the Harbour Quarters Inn. The room here was smaller than the one we had at Rosewood Suites, but it still worked just fine for us. Since it was the off season, we were one of the two, maybe three, groups staying at the Inn. It was quite odd being in a hotel setting and feeling like the only guests.
What We Did
Took a Sunrise Walk Around Trinity
The previous evening we made the ambitious decision to get up early to see the sunrise. Unfortunately for us, there was no sunrise to be seen. We woke up to an incredibly grey, overcast morning. Despite this, we still ventured out and took a nice walk around the town of Trinity. In total, it took about 45 minutes to walk around the entire town.
Stopped at Devil’s Cove, Port Rexton
After stopping for a delicious breakfast in Port Rexton (more about that below), we did a short driving tour around the town. One of the stops we made was at Devil’s Cove, which has a nice little pebble beach and a view of the ocean.
Hiked the Fox Island Trail
The trailhead for the Fox Island Trail is just a short drive from Port Rexton. The hike itself is an approximate 5.5 km loop that displays Newfoundland’s beautiful coastal scenery. Since we were hiking in the off season, we were the only ones on the trail. In my opinion, this made the scenery even more enchanting. We also got lucky with perfect hiking weather.
Visited Dungeon Provincial Park
After our hike, me made the roughly 40 minute drive to Bonavista, stopping first at Dungeon Provincial Park. Located at the tip of the Bonavista peninsula, Dungeon Provincial Park is well known for its “dungeon”. The “dungeon” is a large open crater in the bluff with two caves connecting it to the ocean. You can stand and watch the waves from the ocean come crashing into the dungeon and it is pretty spectacular. Besides the “dungeon”, the park has many other breath-taking views of the rocky coast and ocean beyond it.
Visited the Cape Bonavista Lighthouse
Our last stop before checking into our inn for the evening was the Cape Bonavista Lighthouse. One of Newfoundland’s national historic sites, the Cape Bonavista Lighthouse is said to be a great location for viewing whales and puffins. We of course did not see either of these because we were there in the wrong season. That being said, we still got to experience a lovely view and to walk around the outside of the lighthouse.
What We Ate
You will notice that I have only listed one food destination bellow. The reason for this is we made the unfortunate discovery that essentially every single restaurant in Bonavista closes at the end of the high season. We did not realize this until we arrived in Bonavista and tried to find a place to have dinner. Luckily, we had stopped at the local Foodland grocery store to buy breakfast foods and items for a charcuterie lunch, which tied us over into the next day.
- Two Whales Coffee Shop was recommended to us by my mom who came to Newfoundland on a girls’ trip a few summers ago. Located in the heart of Port Rexton, Two Whales serves tasty vegetarian eats, cozy drinks, and delicious baked goods. Bonus: they also have this fun wood peg game to provide endless entertainment while you eat or wait for your food. We ordered breakfast sandwiches and took some baked goods to go.
Day Four
Our final day on the road consisted mostly of driving. After a breakfast of dry cereal and bananas – there were no bowls or spoons in our hotel room, so milk just wasn’t an option – we were on the road back to St. John’s. We did make one pit stop in Port Rexton to grab some treats and warm drinks at Two Whales, which was miraculously open on Thanksgiving!
What We Did
After returning to St. John’s, Kaitie and I made the trip out to the Cape Spear Lighthouse while Ri was on a call for work. Cape Spear is the easternmost point in Canada and North America. As we were driving towards Cape Spear, the air became progressively thicker with fog. At the lighthouse it was impossible to see anything due to the thick fog. Despite this, walking around the historic site was still quite enjoyable. The lighthouse at Cape Spear is the oldest surviving lighthouse in Newfoundland.
What We Ate
- Two Whales Coffee Shop saved us by being the only restaurant open for business on our drive back to St. John’s from Bonavista. We indulged in some delicious cozy drinks and each took away a thick slice of pumpkin cake to enjoy later.
- Nook and Cannery saved the day by being one of the few restaurants in St. John’s open for dinner on Thanksgiving. This eclectic spot serves up tasty dishes, baked goods, and a selection of canned preserves. In addition to our individual main meals, we shared the hawt messy fries and they were delicious! I would highly recommend trying these.
More Outdoor Adventures
If you enjoyed this post be sure to check out my other outdoor adventures:
Travelling in the Scottish Highlands (Aberdeen, Inverness, and Skye, Oh My!)
Thanksgiving Weekend on Vancouver Island
A Weekend Hike in Lion’s Head Provincial Park
Thanks for following along on my Newfoundland adventure. I hope you enjoyed the ride! As always, any feedback is greatly appreciated, so don’t be shy to leave a comment.
xx
Ashley