options day activities
June 20
photo by Jim Fewer
T1
Historic St. John’s & Cape Spear
3 Hours
You will see highlights of St. John’s and its surroundings, including Cape Spear, the most Easterly point in North America; Quidi Vidi Village; Jelly Bean Row; Petty Harbour; Government House; the Roman Catholic Basilica and an orientation of the shops and restaurants of the downtown core. You will enjoy views from Cabot Tower and Signal Hill, visit the oldest standing lighthouse in Newfoundland, and take a walk through a cliffside Second World War gun battery.
Option: You might ask to be dropped off at The Rooms for lunch and more history before you make your own way back to MUN (lunch and The Rooms admission is not included in tour price).
$85 (2026 pricing; subject to change for 2027)
photo by Jim Fewer
T2
The Irish Loop to Ferryland
Full Day
You’ll be taking a run ‘Up’ the Southern Shore, along the pretty coastal roadways, connecting the centuries old outport fishing communities along Newfoundland’s Irish Loop. This beautiful drive along the coast reflects an era of opulence thought unimaginable for this period in North American history. You’ll meet local people, visit small fishing communities, and view the many treasures found at the Colony of Avalon archeological site.
Highlights include Witless Bay, Tors Cove, Cape Broyle, Briggs South, Ferryland, the home of the Colony of Avalon, first settled in 1621.
Traditional Newfoundland meal (pan fried cod unless otherwise notified), and entrance fees included.
$170 (2026 pricing; subject to change for 2027)
photo by Jim Fewer
T3
Bird Island
4 Hours
Your day begins with a pickup by O’Brien’s Boat Tours for a drive along the Southern Shore to the historic Irish outport community of Bay Bulls. Here you will board O’Brien’s Boat Tours for a cruise to the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve Bird Islands, home to millions of Atlantic puffins, murres and kittiwakes in the spring and summer.
Because it’s a June cruise, you may also see whales, or even a late arriving iceberg.
Even in June, a warm jacket is recommended since you will be on the open North Atlantic and it can be cool, even in the heat of summer.
$140 (2026 pricing; subject to change for 2027)