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Explore Newfoundland and Labrador
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McCarthy’s Party Optional Pre & Post Tour Offerings
McCarthy's Party has a variety of local tours that run daily from the hotels and Bed and Breakfasts in the St. John's area. They feature the history, culture and spectacular scenery in St. John's and the surrounding area. All tours are lead by local guides who bring forth the history, current events and anecdotes that make this area so unique. Optional tours may be booked thru McCarthy’s Party for any day prior to or after the 2012 Fesitval of Architecture. Please contact one of our dedicated staff to book your tour.
Half-Day Tour Options
TOUR #1 – City of Legends and the Far East of the Western World
Today we tour old St. John's with plenty of time to see such National historic sights as Cabot Tower, Signal Hill, the Anglican Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, and the Roman Catholic Basilica. Hear the legends of Dead Man's Pond, and Government House and the history surrounding the Colonial Building. En route, we will also see such modern edifices as the GEO Centre, Confederation Building and City Hall. This tour will orient you and give you a feel for the history, legend and lore of St. John's, the oldest community in North America. From St. John’s we will visit the National Park at Cape Spear, the most easterly point of land in North America. Here the lighthouse has been restored to circa 1836. Explore the bunkers built by Canadian soldiers in the side of the cliffs here during the Second World War. Now you can say you have been to the other "Far East" where you can stand with your back to the Atlantic and face every other being in North America - or turn your back on them. The choice is yours.
Price per person: $50.00 includes transportation with guide, entrance fees, and taxes
TOUR #2 – Birds, Bergs, and the Irish Shore
Today begins with a drive down the Southern Shore to the historic Irish outport, Bay Bulls. Here we take a boat ride out to the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve Bird Islands. The Bird Islands are home to over 100,000 Atlantic Puffins that nest here every year as well as thousands of murres and kittiwakes. In the summer months Witless Bay is also home to many humpback and minke whales. The sight of a whale showing his tail on its terminal dive in a glistening bay is one to be remembered for years to come. Be sure to bring your camera and plenty of film.
Price per person: $95.00 includes transportation to and from Bay Bulls with guide, boat tour, and taxes
Full-Day Tour Options
TOUR #3 – Outports, Lucky Rocks, and John Guy’s Colony
Today we will go "around the Bay" along the picturesque coastline of Conception Bay, the home of pirates of centuries ago. We will stop along the in Holyrood to search for ‘Lucky Rocks’ on the beach. We also stop for picture taking as we make our way to Brigus, one of the historic sailing ports of Conception Bay and home of the late, famous Captain Bob Bartlett who took Perry to the North pole. Here we have the opportunity to visit Hawthorne Cottage and take ‘The Walk’ around the community. This area is celebrating its 400th anniversary in 2010 of John Guy establishing a colony in this area for the Merchant Venturers in Bristol England. After lunch we would take a walk through the museum in Cupids and visit the archaeology site where the old colony is being rediscovered. Our guide will regale you with the history culture and language of the Newfoundland people.
Price per person: $115.00 includes transportation by motor coach, McCarthy’s Party guide, entrance fees, and taxes
TOUR #4 – Lighthouse Picnic at the Colony of Avalon
Today we head south of St. John’s on the Irish Loop. This driving route takes us along the southern shore through communities settled by Irish immigrants in the mid 18th century. Our destination today is the town of Ferryland. George Calvert, later Lord Baltimore, founded the colony in 1621. Most people have no idea that permanent European settlement in North America dates so far back, and that Newfoundland played such an important role. The Ferryland settlement was "forgotten", and its remains lay undisturbed for centuries. The site is now being excavated. Constructed of stone, the buildings have left substantial remains. Archaeologists have uncovered over a million artifacts to date – gold rings, Portuguese ceramics and other unusual objects – as well as a smithy, a stone-walled well, a sea-flushed privy and the "prettie street" described in very early accounts. We will tour the interpretation centre and the Colony of Avalon site. After touring the site the group will take the leisurely 35-minute walk to the Ferryland Lighthouse. The vista for us is far more peaceful and overlooks a quiet harbour, the Ferryland Museum and the Holy Trinity Church. This location has been featured by MacLean’s magazine, Canada AM, and En Route magazine. After lunch we have the opportunity to take a tour of the lighthouse before we head back to Ferryland for our trip back to St. John’s.
Price per person: $115.00 includes transportation by motor coach, McCarthy’s Party guide, entrance fees, and taxes
Tour Policy Information
All tour prices include HST. Changes or cancellations may be made 24 hours prior to start of tour. If an individual does not show for the tour and has not contacted McCarthy’s Party prior to 24 hours, refunds will not be given. Please note that all day tours are subject to cancellation if minimum numbers are not met. Upon cancellation, refunds will be given to those registered or payment transferred to an alternate tour.
Local Attractions in St. John’s
The following are featured local attractions that you may wish to visit either before or after the 2012 Festival of Architecture. Participants are encouraged to search the attraction’s websites for additional information, contact the organizations directly or contact McCarthy’s Party Tours with have any questions.
The Johnson GEO Centre
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Johnson Geo Centre / Architect: Charles Cullum and
Associates / Photo: Courtesy of Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism |
Newfoundland and Labrador is unique as “Earth’s Geological Showcase.” No other easily-reached place on the planet has a geological record that so fully reveals the fascinating story of our Earth — going back almost to our planet’s birth, over 4.5 billion years ago. The province’s oldest rocks, in northern Labrador, date from almost 4 billion years ago, and are amongst the very oldest discovered on Earth. But to understand how they got here, we need to take a journey back in time.
The GEO Centre located on Signal Hill in St. John’s, shows the amazing life-story of our planet, through the remarkable geology of Newfoundland and Labrador. Come in and see for yourself why this province is "Earth's Geological Showcase." Other exhibits include “The Titanic Story” exhibit. The exhibit and displays tell the story of the Titanic, its passengers and crew, and reveal recent information, gained from actual exploration of the Titanic, where it lies on the ocean floor.
The facility also houses the ExxonMobil Oil and Gas Gallery. This exhibit gallery, proudly sponsored by ExxonMobil Canada, will depict the role oil and gas play in our lives. The wide range of topics will amaze and astound you — from our dependence on oil and gas for our way of life, to careers in the industry.
The Rooms
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The Rooms Museum, Art Gallery and Archives /
Architect: PHB Group Inc. / Photo: Chris Crockwell |
The Rooms Welcomes You. Immerse yourself in our culture at Newfoundland and Labrador's newest public cultural space. It's the place where it all comes together - our history, heritage and artistic expression. The Rooms unites the Provincial Museum, the Provincial Art Gallery and the Provincial Archives under one roof. A place for people, The Rooms is a portal to the many stories our province has to tell. The facility features a wonderful café and some of the most spectacular views of the old city available.
The Memorial University Botanical Gardens
Memorial University of Newfoundland Botanical Garden is a resource centre for basic and applied botanical research and education with a particular interest in the flora of Newfoundland and Labrador. Come walk in the boreal forest and visit the vast array of botanical life we have nurtured in this facility. Perennial gardens, medicinal gardens, shade gardens and a series of nature trails await.
The Newfoundland Railway Museum
The Railway Coastal Museum's home is in the 104-year old train station building, located at 495 Water Street West in St. John’s. Come in and join us! Enjoy the fascinating story of the great initiative, courage, and sacrifice involved in building and operating the Newfoundland Railway and Coastal Boat Services.
The East Coast Trail
The East Coast Trail is a 540 km coastal hiking experience that takes you to the outermost reaches of North America. The Trail provides walkers and hikers with a special blend of wilderness adventure, outstanding natural beauty, wildlife, history, and cultural contact. The Trail takes you past towering cliffs and headlands, sea stacks, deep fjords, and a natural wave-driven geyser called the Spout. It provides access to abandoned settlements, lighthouses, ecological reserves, seabird colonies, whales, icebergs, world's southern most caribou herd, historic sites, a 50-metre suspension bridge, two active archaeological dig sites, and many more attractions. It offers a wilderness paradise of boreal forest, fresh clean air and quiet solitude, all combined with the raw natural beauty of the rugged Atlantic Ocean.
Anglican Cathedral of St. John the Baptist
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| Anglican Cathedral of St. John the Baptist / Architect: George Gilbert Scott |
The Anglican Cathedral of St. John the Baptist is located in the historic city of St. John's, the capital city of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is the mother church of the Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador in the Anglican Province of Canada (Atlantic Canada and most of Quebec), which is in turn part of the Anglican Church of Canada. Founded in 1699 as a parish church, and consecrated as a Cathedral in 1850, this is the oldest Anglican establishment in Canada.
Designated a National Historic Site in 1981, the present Cathedral was begun in 1847 by Edward FeiId, the second bishop of NewfoundIand. Bishop Feild commissioned plans from the leading Gothic Revival architect George Gilbert Scott, who envisioned a more impressive cruciform structure with varied ornamentation in the twelfth-century English style. The Nave, built between 1847 and 1850, served as the entire Cathedral Church for 35 years until the Transepts, Chancel and Sanctuary were added in the period 1880-1885.
The Cathedral, a stunning example of neo-Gothic architecture, was rebuilt following the Great Fire of 1892 according to its original design, and is home to an awe-inspiring Casavant pipe organ.
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