3 Best Sights in Ferryland, Avalon Peninsula

This historic lighthouse, built in 1870, now signals the spot for breathtaking views, worry-free picnics, and great food such as smoked salmon and ice-shrimp sandwiches, green salads, and gooseberry fools. You bring the appetite, and the lighthouse staff packs everything else—even the blanket. Bread is baked daily here; in fact, everything is made on-site down to the desserts and freshly squeezed lemonade. Check the website for menus. Picnics start at C$27 per person and reservations are required; July and August book up especially quickly.

A major ongoing archaeological dig at Ferryland has uncovered this early-17th-century colony founded by George Calvert, later Lord Baltimore. The highlights of a visit here include six dig sites, exhibits of artifacts uncovered at them, two period gardens, and a reconstructed 17th-century kitchen. You can watch the conservationists at work in their laboratory, examining and restoring newly discovered artifacts, and take in living-history demonstrations that provide a feel for colonial times. Admission includes access to the Visitor Centre, and experiences range from self-guided tours to "Archeologist for a Day." 

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, this is one of the most significant fossil sites in the world at 575 million years old. Fossils of more than 20 species of ancient organisms are found in the mudstones here, and almost all of them represent extinct groups unknown in our modern world. Mistaken Point is 152 km (94 miles) south of St. John's via Route 10. Access to the fossils is by guided hike only. Tours are offered daily at 1 pm from the Edge of Avalon Interpretive Centre in Portugal Cove South and include access to an exhibit at the Visitor Centre. Tours generally take from 3½ to 4 hours and include a 3-km (1.8-mile) one-way hike across the barrens toward the ocean to the fossil site. Call ahead to ensure availability and to check weather conditions. Proper footwear is required.

While you're here, travel 8 km (5 miles) farther along the road to Cape Race Lighthouse, famous for receiving one of the first SOS messages from the Titanic.