24 Hours in St. John's. A Quick & Dirty Tourist Guide

  Earlier this month The Property Brothers were in town. Now I love that show so I made sure to stake out a spot at Scotiabank where they were making an appearance.

  Being a fan I also follow them on Twitter, where Jonathan Scott had posted photos of Cape Spear and of them both getting Screeched In. It seemed as if they flew in that morning and out again that night. Which got me thinking. If I was in St. John's Newfoundland for only one day what would I do? 

So here is my personal list of things to check out if you have 24 hours to spend in St.John's. 

Me ziplining at North Atlantic Ziplines last Spring!

1. Cape Spear: the Property Brothers had it right. This is a must. Especially if it is early in the morning as Cape Spear is the most easterly point in North America and it is where the sun first rises! With beautiful views, great walking trails, old lighthouses and depending on the time of year icebergs and whales, make sure you have a camera.

2. Head to Petty Harbour to experience the awesome adventure of North Atlantic Ziplines. This park has 10, that's right 10, Ziplines that will take you back to back over breathtaking beautiful landscape. It is Canada's longest zipline. If this is not for you I understand. It's not for everyone. As another great option I recommend taking on a boat tour from one of several tour operators in the area. Iceberg, O'Briens and Oceanquest are just a couple I can think of. Whales aside you will also see Puffin's and they are just the cutest little birds! My 4 year old calls them penguins. Rest assured they are not. Don't call them that, they might not like it while flying over your head.

Walking around Signal Hill, great view of a ship
going throughout "The Narrows".

3. Take a hike around Signal Hill, the trail will take you throught some breathtaking views of Signal Hill, The Narrows, Fort Amhurst, The Battery and maybe a lucky glismp of a whale or iceberg, and the exercise is a bonus!

4. After a walk like that you need a nice cold drink so head on down to Quidi Vidi Brewery and take in a tasting. The brewery is located in Quidi Vidi, an area of St. John's that will make you forget you are even in the city. The building itself was built as a fish plant and after the decline of the cod fishery it was turned into the brewery.  If the weather is nice take your drink outside and enjoy it on the warf gazing out at a narrow inlet lovingly refered to as "the gut" by locals. Want to know why? Take the tour!!!

My burger from a recent trip to Relish Gourmet Burgers.
The poutine has cheese curds from local  Five Brothers Cheese
Company and they serve Quidi Vidi beer!

5.  Time for supper! What to eat!! Don't worry we got this. St. John's has more dining options than you can shake a stick at. Since we are on a time limit and we are already in the downtown area that is where we will focus on for eating. You can almost find whatever it is you are craving here, from yummy gourmet burgers at Relish, Indian fare at India Gate, sushi at Basho, to good old pub grub at Celtic Hearth, it's all right here. If you enjoyed that local beer at Quidi Vidi and wonder what else we have to offer, head to YellowBelly . A place that not only has great food, brews their own beer and is in one of the oldest buildings in North America and it survived the great fire of 1892.
If you are looking for a fine dining experience like no other than Raymond's is for you. Chef Jeremy Charles has been winning awards up and down the coast and has even been listed on Maclean's Magazines' list of top 50 most important people in Canada!

6. George Street. 23 bars on one small street. Need I say more. Even if the loud rowdy bar scene is not for you there are so many other options there. And the history alone in some of these buildings is amazing. If you are not from Newfoundland then a visit to Trapper Johns for a Screech In is a must. You will preform an induction ceremony of a sort, drink a shot of our wonderful Screech rum and get a certificate naming you an honouring Newfoundlander, and honestly isn't that what everybody wants? Visit www.georgestreetlive.ca for a list of events, bars and all the information you need!

  Remember this is my personal list and there is also way to much to narrow down for 24 hours! There are plenty of great things that didn't make my article. If I had more than a day I could go on forever and you would get bored reading me I am sure. For a complete list of ideas on what to do, where to go and where to eat I find http://destinationstjohns.com is a great website. And the province has it's own great site as well http://www.newfoundlandlabrador.com

  So that's it. A busy day for sure but it has the makings of a day you will never forget! For those of you who haven't been here, what are you waiting for? Pack your bags and head on down. The people are some of the friendly, interesting folks you'll meet. The coloured houses, icebergs, lighthouses and landscapes will amaze. The food will leave you craving for more for years to come and the nightlife will lead to memories of a lifetime.

Welcome to St. John's.