What to See in St. John's - Top Sights and Attractions

Military landmark with trails and tours. Signal Hill is a hill which overlooks the city of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Mostly a National Historic Site, adjacent to is the largely encaved museum of Johnson Geo Centre and its associated park. The highest point, Ladies' Lookout, above Cabot Tower, is 167 metres high. The community of The Battery lies on the slope of the hill overlooking the Harbour. On 12 December 1901, the first transatlantic wireless transmission was received by Guglielmo Marconi, to its abandoned fever hospital.

Due to its strategic placement overlooking the Narrows, the only entrance to the harbor, fortifications date back to the mid 17th century.

Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador has a campus on the lower slopes, in the former Battery Hotel, and is also now the owner of the Johnson Geo Centre.^[1]

Basilica in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. The Basilica-Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador is the metropolitan cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. John's, Newfoundland and the mother church and symbol of Roman Catholicism in Newfoundland. The building sits within the St. John's Ecclesiastical District, a National Historic District of Canada.

The Basilica-Cathedral was the largest building project to its date in Newfoundland history. Construction lasted from the excavation of the ground in May 1839, through the laying of the cornerstone in May 1841, until the completion and consecration on September 9, 1855. At this time, it was the largest church building in North America and remains the second largest church in Canada after Saint Joseph's Oratory in Montreal and the largest cathedral church in Canada. The Basilica-Cathedral is one of the few buildings in St. John's to survive the Great Fire of 1892.

On October 17, 2007, Bishop Martin Currie of the Diocese of Grand Falls was appointed archbishop of St. John's. He assumed his position on November 30, 2007, and retired on 29 January 2019. On December 12, 2018, Bishop Peter Hundt of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Corner Brook and Labrador was appointed archbishop of St. John's. He took canonical possession of the diocese on 29 January 2019.^[8]

Building in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. The Colonial Building is a historic government building located in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The building was the home of the colonial and later provincial Newfoundland government and the House of Assembly from January 28, 1850 to July 28, 1959. In 1974, it was declared a Provincial Historic Site.

In 1832 when the Colony of Newfoundland governed itself by representative government there was not a formal building assigned to house the legislature. The first home of the Legislature was a tavern and lodging house on Duckworth Street owned and operated by a Mrs. Mary Travers. The stay was brief as in the legislature's haste and inexperience it forgot to vote approval for the funds to pay rent. The first building was destroyed in city fire of 1846. For the next seventeen years they would meet in various temporary quarters including the local courthouse. In 1846 an act was approved authorizing the construction of the Colonial Building as a permanent home.

On May 24, 1847, the cornerstone was laid by the Governor, Major-General Sir John Gaspar Le Marchant. The official opening of the Colonial Building took place on January 28, 1850, by Governor Le Marchant for the second session of the House's fourth general assembly.^[9]

George Street United Church is the oldest extant Methodist church building in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Designed by Elijah Hoole, it is an example of a modified Gothic Revival church.

Constructed of local stone quarried from the Southside Hills in St. John's, the entire building is sheathed in concrete. Despite this, many typical Gothic elements remain intact including the pointed arch, lancet windows, and the large stained glass windows. Furthermore, the interior of this church is architecturally valuable for its well-preserved woodwork. The exposed timber hammerbeam roof of the nave is a typical Gothic element.

The church is designated as a Heritage Structure due to its architectural and historical value.

The city's oldest Methodist church congregation and the first Methodist church building (1815), later destroyed by fire, was Gower Street Methodist (now United) church; its current structure was also designed by Elijah Hoole.^[10]

Museum in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. The Railway Coastal Museum is a transport museum located in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is located in the historic Newfoundland Railway terminal on Water Street and contains exhibits detailing the history of the Newfoundland Railway and the history of coastal water transportation in the province.

The building was designated a National Historic Site in 1988 for its role in commemorating the important role played by the Newfoundland Railway in the social, economic and political history of the province. It was also designated a Heritage Railway Station in 1990.

The museum has 40 themed exhibits, a virtual museum, artwork and displays highlighting the history of the railway beds in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The museum opened in 2003 on a grant from the Johnson Family Foundation, which later turned over the museum to the City of St. John's. The museum is also noteworthy as "Mile Zero" of the Trans-Canada Trail. In 2020, it was announced by St. John's City Council that the museum would close due to budget cuts. In 2021, it was announced that the museum would be purchased by the Genesis Coworking Centre affiliated with the Memorial University-owned incubator Genesis Centre. The Railway Coastal Museum will continue on a seasonal basis.

With the closure of the Newfoundland Railway, the terminal is no longer connected to any tracks, which were all torn up and the rails put to other uses. The museum does not own or display any rolling stock as it is now surrounded by development.

The museum is affiliated with: CMA, CHIN, and Virtual Museum of Canada.

Locations on the island with cars:

• Port aux Basques - cars and station
• Corner Brook - cars at Railway Society Of Newfoundland
• Bishop's Falls - cars
• Carbonear - museum
• Avondale - track used for trolleys
• Trinity Train Loop (Trinity) - functional section of track and museum
• Lewisporte - train cars
• Whitbourne - station

Body of water in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Quidi Vidi Lake is a 1,600 m long body of water located at the east end of the city of St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. Local people commonly pronounce its name as kiddy viddy. Water flows into the lake from the Rennies and Virginia Rivers, along with smaller streams, and then into the sea through Quidi Vidi harbour. The lake has a long history of hosting sporting events, including the annual Royal St. John's Regatta, said to be the oldest continuous sporting event still held in North America. The former Pepperrell Air Force Base was located on the north shore of the lake and a military presence continues in the form of Canadian Forces Station St. John's). The South shore of the Lake has a number of residential and apartment complexes. A number of cultural events are held at Lakeside.

Quidi Vidi Lake has a 3.8-kilometre (2.4 mi) leg of St. John's Grand Concourse walking trail surrounding it. On the north end of the walking trail is a fenced-in outdoor dog park and a skate board park.^[13]

The National War Memorial in Downtown St. John's is the most elaborate of all the post World War I monuments in Newfoundland and Labrador. It was erected at King's Beach on Water Street where, in 1583, Sir Humphrey Gilbert claimed Newfoundland for England. It was formally unveiled on Memorial Day, July 1, 1924 by Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig.

The Great War Veterans' Association and the Newfoundland Patriotic Association launched the campaign to have the National War Memorial established. They developed a committee to establish the design and undertake the fund-raising to pay for the proposed memorial. Construction of the memorial was supervised by Lieutenant-Colonel Father Thomas Nangle, the Roman Catholic Padre of Royal Newfoundland Regiment and (Ret) Captain Gerald (Gerry) Whitty^[14]

Cathedral in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist is located in the city of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

The Anglican parish in the Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador was founded in 1699 in response to a petition drafted by the Anglican townsfolk of St. John's and sent to Henry Compton, Bishop of London. In this petition, the people also requested help in the rebuilding of their church, which had been destroyed, along with the rest of the city, in 1696 by the French under the command of Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville.

During the centuries, at least six wooden churches stood on or near this site; each was destroyed by military operations during the various wars between the French and the British. The British finally won control of eastern North America.^[17]

Masjid-an-Noor is the first, and currently only, mosque in the city of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The mosque is located in the provincial capital of St. John's, and was built in 1990 by the Muslim Association of Newfoundland and Labrador. A large proportion of the congregation are students or faculty at the Memorial University of Newfoundland.

A 2016 Master's degree thesis has studied the mosque and the role of five-times-daily prayer in the lives of Muslims who have immigrated to Newfoundland.

It is the only mosque in the province. As such has been turned to for reaction to events involving Islam and mosques in the news, such as the March 2019 shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand. In Newfoundland, Masjid-an-Noor held memorial services. An event at St. John's Farmers Market was held to express support for Newfoundland Muslims; some came to the event after hearing of it on CBC News. Messages of support were also delivered to the mosque itself. It is the most eastern mosque in Canada.^[18]