Side roads of Newfoundland

Site of the oldest English colony in Canada (and the second-oldest in North America), the first settlers came to Cupids in 1610. They established a plantation, fishing, farming and fur-trading with the local indigenous population until around 1700. The town is now home to a provincial historical site, where an archaeological dig is revealing more and more about 17th century life here. It’s worth the drive up Provincial Highway 70, and nearby Brigus is also worth a stop. With stone walls and lovely little lanes and a meandering brook, it all feels like a village on the British Isles, appropriate enough since its name is a take on “Brickhouse,” an old term for an English town.

The drive up here can feel a little like a trip to the end of the world, the views to the east stretching out over islands, cliffs and Conception Bay, the land narrowing at the end, water on both sides. Set on the northernmost tip of the Avalon Peninsula, this tiny community is home to a national historic site, preserving 150 acres of rock walls, and an art studio that doubles as a restaurant. The latter, a partnership between a local artist and a Louisiana chef, offers workshops in relief printmaking, as well as a whole menu of Cajun and Southern dishes, fused with local ingredients.

In so many ways, the history of this province is linked to the sea. For centuries, towns and villages here were accessed only from the water, with galleons and schooners and dories and long-liners providing both the primary form of transportation and the lifeblood of these communities, hauling in cod (and squid and lobster and crab) to feed their families and sell to the world. In the small village of Winterton, on the west side of the Bay de Verde Peninsula, this museum brings together all of that history, in part through spoken word delivered by staff folklorists. And you can even get your hands dirty—they offer workshops in boat-building, which range from one hour to a whole week.

A short trip south of the Trans-Canada on the Burin Peninsula Highway, the tiny village of Swift Current (population 207) is home to a big car museum. The private collection of a local man named Vernon Smith, it includes 56 automobiles, built between 1908 and 1970, all of them fully restored and absolutely gleaming. Smith is often on-site and happy to give visitors a tour, where he showcases original items included with the purchase of the cars (a bottle of perfume, a Remington razor) and will share fascinating stories about each of the cars.

One of the most photographed (and painted) towns in Newfoundland, Trinity was once a cod-fishing powerhouse, attracting anglers from around the world all the way back in the 16th century. The English even built a fort at nearby Admiralty Point to defend it (the French attacked, three times in the 1700s), and it remained a major merchant town into the late 18th century. While it no longer rivals St. John’s—it’s home to fewer than 200 people—now it’s mostly tourists who make the trip here, up Provincial Highway 230. And if you’re a movie buff, Trinity will look familiar, as it was the shooting location for the film The Shipping News, starring Cate Blanchett, Julianne Moore and Judi Dench.

When Giovanni Caboto—aka, John Cabot—first spotted North America back in 1497, it was right here. “O buono vista!,” he exclaimed—“Oh happy sight!” Bonavista remains an excellent place to explore, right at the end of the Discovery Trail, Route 230. Walk to the red-and-white striped lighthouse, which keeps watch over icebergs in the spring. Learn more about the salt cod trade at Ryan Premises National Historic Site, and see the dramatic arches at Dungeon Provincial Park. Then stroll through town, which is home to plenty of unique boutiques and good restaurants.