Travel Canada’s capital cities: St. John’s, N.L.

Whether you’re planning a family road trip or a weekend staycation, check out our list of things to do in Canada’s capital cities.

Favourite indoor activity: Kids can
quickly learn to climb a rock wall with
a safety harness at Wallnuts Climbing
Centre. No experience is necessary.
wallnutsclimbing.com

Favourite outdoor activity: Look out
for humpback whales and the iconic
Atlantic puffin aboard Iceberg Quest
Ocean Tours. Tours leave daily from
St. John’s and Twillingate harbours.
icebergquest.com

Best-kept secret: Bowring Park is
a charming English-style park with a
statue of Peter Pan overlooking a pond.
Enjoy the trails, have a picnic, use the
swimming pool, outdoor theatre and
other facilities. bowringpark.com

Great place to eat: Rocket Bakery
& Fresh Food is a retro-style bakery in
the heart of St. John’s that offers familyfriendly
fare: kids love the brioches,
pains au chocolat, sausage rolls and
cinnamon buns. rocketfood.ca

Great place to stay: Only two
kilometres from the airport, Super 8 St.
John’s has an 80-foot waterslide at its
indoor pool, complimentary breakfast,
and a pet-friendly floor.
super8stjohns.com

Worth the drive: Walk along a 3-km
boardwalk trail to see caribou, fox,
lynx and other animals that have been
injured and rehabilitated, and now live
in Salmonier Nature Park. Kids will
also enjoy the hands-on displays at the
visitor centre.
gov.nl.ca/snp

Diana Ballon is a Toronto-based freelance writer who loves
to travel with her husband and two kid

Originally published in ParentsCanada, July 2012