St. John’s / Mount Pearl

The next segment of Joyous Vagaries’ Newfoundland Trip includes a three-night stopover in Mount Pearl, NL.  Leaving Bonavista, we made a short side-trip to Dildo, NL, and had lunch at the Dildo Brewing Company and Museum.  We ordered some wings and a flight of the Company’s beer, enjoying each of the four brews put before us.  Our favorite was called Dandy Shandy.  We wanted to buy some to take with us for the rest of our trip, but were told by Patricia (a great server, btw!) that particular brand is only sold (and consumed) on site.  Such a disappointment!  The entire wait staff at Dildo Brewing was very cheerful and attentive.

After a delicious lunch, we continued on to Mount Pearl.  The second largest city in Newfoundland, it is close to must-see places such as the village of Quidi Vidi (pronounced Kiddy Viddy), the Cabot Tower on Signal Hill National Historic Site, Cape Spear Lighthouse National Historic Site, Jellybean Row, and Memorial University Botanical Garden.

Visiting Cape Spear Lighthouse National Historic Site, the most easterly point in North America, afforded us some wonderful views along and off the coast.  Leaving Cape Spear, we made a side trip to Petty Harbour, a small village on Motion Bay.

When we visited Signal Hill National Historic Site, the winds were quite strong, yet invigorating.  While we were there, we met a wonderfully friendly 2-year old Newfoundland dog at Signal Hill – a real treat!  He is a really good boy!

Memorial University Botanical Garden is a must for any garden enthusiast.  The design of the grounds was done such that all paths throughout the property flowed with the land.  What began with only 4 acres in 1977, has grown to over 110 acres today.  To date, of all the gardens we have visited, this one is one of our favorites.

Jellybean Row is another must-see, when traveling the east coast of Newfoundland.  Although directions will send you to a particular street in St. John’s, we discovered that there are several streets with these brightly colored homes.

Quidi Vidi, a neighborhood of St. John’s, is very small, with narrow winding streets, many pedestrians, and very limited parking!  We went to visit Quidi Vidi Brewery, but found it to be closed for a private event.  We went the next day, only to find parking virtually impossible to find.  A visit to this brewery wasn’t in cards for us.  We may try again – stay tuned!