Visited this week, inspired by photos we'd seen of Ned Pratt's beautiful work. What a lovely…read moregallery, gorgeously curated, with excellent, helpful staff. Easily, the best in St. John's with a stunning collection of diverse items - and far beyond the oversold tropes of jelly bean houses (which few Newfoundlanders have ever owned or lived in), whales, and puffins. Oils, works on paper, sketches, large-scale photography, sculpture. Something for everyone, ranging from around $1,000 up to $15,000, which I think was the priciest one we saw. Don't miss this, and stay tuned to their website.

A true art gallery, not one that caters to those looking for Newfoundland mementos. New space is…read morelarge and tasteful. It's exterior is all industrial brick, so it's easy to miss. From the outside, you'd never guess it's a gallery. At far end of Water Street.

This is a nice sized souvenir shop in the heart of downtown. They have a good selection of tshirts,…read moresweaters, & all the standard souvenir stuff. Prices were the same as all the other souvenir stores. They were friendly at this store. I ended up buying some tshirts for people back home.

My favourite little touristy shop in Downtown St. John's. The staff are friendly, very welcoming…read moreof kids, and they never hassle you to hurry up and buy something. They have everything from all sorts of trinkets to clothing plus the usual postcards/magnets/lapel pins!

Picturesque Quidi Vidi ("Kiddy Vidi") Village is practically a suburb of St. John's and it's only a…read morerelatively short walk form Downtown and it's just past the nearest residential neighborhood Erin's Pub has a 24-hour camera near the Quidi Vidi Brewery, so the night we were there, we could see all the "action" in the Harbour. Besides the BrewPub action, there's the Plantation artist shops, the Mallard cottage, and other small businesses. I found nearby Petty Harbour more interesting and not that much further away by car. Quidi Vidi's harbour is known as "The Gut". Located in Quidi Vidi is the Quidi Vidi Battery Provincial Historic Site. The latter honors some French and British military history, while the Mallard Cottage and harbour references sporta a deep fishing outport history.

The plantation is not really a plantation, but a building located at the closed end of the harbor…read morewhich is used for special events on the main floor. It contains artisanal craft studios and shops upstairs. It's a good place to look for things to bring back from your trip to St. John's and also good place for gifts.

This is a very nice gallery just across the street from the Doubletree. It features various…read morepaintings from local artists and a nice selection of indigenous soapstone sculptures. I thought that the pricing was fair and transparent, even down to whether tax was included or not. I left the shop with a nice set of watercolor cards and a book featuring gorgeous Newfoundland scenery. Like the previous reviewer, I was impressed with the engaging artist/owner (?) who explained the various works of art in an welcoming and friendly manner. I also learned a lot about Newfoundland itself and how to better approach Gayle and my visit. In the end, she was right. Our memories of Newfoundland were the landscape, the people, and the charming towns - as opposed to specific attractions.

This local gallery (on Duckworth Street closer to the Courtyard by Marriott and Sheraton) features…read more15-20 local artists. They have the requisite St. John's street scene paintings, along with a nice variety of still-life painting, soapstone sculpture, bronzes, etc. I was impressed with the art and even more impressed with the engaging and helpful artist who was on hand to answer questions. She told me about the gallery and also made suggestions of other galleries to see in town.

We went to Manuels River as a last-minute activity before boarding a plane back to Toronto. We…read morethought it would help tire the kids out. But as we rushed off to the airport 3 hours later, we were wishing we had more time to spend at this beautiful place, and talking about all the things we'd like to do there the next time we visit. We started our morning with a tour of the truly excellent Interpretation Centre, which is the perfect size to get a great overview without being overwhelmed. The information is presented in a very accessible way, and there are plenty of things to touch and buttons to push to keep children engaged. We were also provided with some additional information by a Manuels River facilitator, Madison, who was very knowledgeable and great with our kids. She also provided us with a map and directions to set us up for our hike. The trails are well marked and well groomed and perfect for families - we even brought our stroller along. The scenery is absolutely breathtaking. But the highlight for me was searching for trilobite fossils in the shale beds - and actually finding (a small) one! Very unique experience, and my dinosaur-obsessed kids loved every moment.

When Gayle and I are travelling in a "foreign land", I try to find the regional crafts co-op…read more These shops offer a nice variety of high quality items from local artists, and at a fair price. In St. John's (in their current location on Water Street), I found the Newfoundland Crafts Council store and had the pleasure of visiting it a couple times during our stay here. The selection did not disappoint, as I came away with a nice forged letter opener from the Green Family Forge (Trinity) and a nice St. John's house magnet from Northeastern Folk Art. I could have easily done more "damage", but it was early in our trip and I needed to pace myself.

Love this place. It is more than just a craft shop, or gift store. It's a house filled to the…read morebrim with art. A heritage home. Judge your time well and give yourself opportunity to check out all that there is on the various floors. It is very easy to get stuck in an area of the house which contains all manner of wonderous things - and then you lose all sense of time and before you know it you've spent an hour looking at the rug hooking kits and have less time elsewhere. True story! Happened to a, uhm, friend of mine.... Perfect place to get a gift for someone away. Or for someone local. Or for yourself. Follow them on Facebook. They have a wonderful page which introduces you to not only the art, but the staff and artisans who create this amazing space. http://www.facebook.com/craft.council.5?sk=wall

Hancock Gallery is a local gallery featuring mostly photography of St. John's and surrounding…read moreareas. The photographs are a mix of prints and a few originals that have been enhanced with various techniques to highlight colour, etc. No one seemed interested in waiting on me while I was in here, so I did not linger. They do have decent photography, yet could make an effort with customers.

From the owner: Photo Canvas Printing, Custom Framing, Art Gallery.read more

We gambled and we won Big! We were driving from Gander to Trinity and decided to have lunch at…read moreChucky's. It is off the highway And so worth it! What a lovely atmosphere! Comfortable surroundings! We had fresh fresh lobster and scallops accompanied by incredible Caesar salads! Clara was wonderful and so friendly! Alex was an awesome server, so professional and friendly too!

Staying in Eastport, our family of three made the five-minute drive to Chucky's for what can only…read morebe described as a tremendous meal! Perfect beer pairings for all of the menu options, my wife had a Quidi Vidi Bakeapple sour (I opted for a cherry beer from the same Newfoundland brewery) to accompany her lobster feast while my son had a pop with a terrific burger. Shortly after we ordered, one of the servers ran down the few flights of stairs to the docks and then remerged grinning from ear-to-ear with our unbelievably fresh lobsters in a bucket! While on the topic of staff, they strike the perfect balance in attentiveness (present but not pestering) and are knowledgeable and friendly. The ambiance was somewhat casual but would certainly suit a more formal evening of dining as well. The price is a little steep but, considering the quality and portion size of their servings, it is quite understandable. Take it from this gob-smacked prairie boy, if you're in this area, this is a GREAT bet for supper.