Bring your imagination and join Kevin Toope as he relates the story of Trinity and its peoples; the Beothuk Indians, the French, the Irish, and the English and their contributions to a magnificent and colorful history. Through stories, historic photos, burial records, shipwrecks, and disasters you will time travel through the history of Newfoundland in the magical setting called Trinity.
Paul Dolk Photography: This photo can be purchased from Paul’s Website
There are many places to visit on the island of Newfoundland, however, few places have the density and diversity of experiences that Trinity Bight and the Bonavista Peninsula offers. Trinity is ideally situated for exploring surrounding communities for half-day and full day trips including Port Rexton, Port Union, Elliston, Bonavista, New Bonaventure, Upper Amherst Cove and more. Use this section to plan your trips and activities while staying in one of the Artisan Inn’s rooms or vacation homes in Trinity.
Please be advised that there is a shortage of rental cars during peak season. Verify that you can rent a car before you commit to reservations.
Public transportation is limited in the area. There is a taxi system to get you to the Bonavista Peninsula, however, once on the Peninsula, there is no system to get you around the Peninsula.
GETTING TO TRINITY
Please be advised that there are two towns of Trinity in Newfoundland. Our Trinity is located in the Eastern Region of Newfoundland and Labrador on the Bonavista Peninsula. This area is also known by its destination route name, The Discovery Trail. When searching online, please make sure you are searching TRINITY, TRINITY BAY.
The other Trinity is located in Central Newfoundland and is Trinity, Bonavista Bay
Driving Directions:
Trinity is located 1 hour from The Trans Canada Highway/Highway 1
1. Take the exit for Route 230 (near the town of Clarenville)
Drivers have the option of driving directly from Highway 1 to route 230 or they can cut through the town of Clarenville taking Route 230A that eventually meets up with Route 230. There is little difference in time between these two options, however, the second option is more scenic and more convenient if you plan to stop in Clarenville, which has larger grocery stores and a large NLC (Liquor Store) for supplies.
2. Drive 50.8km along Route 230 and turn right onto Route 239
3. After 3km you will see a large bay of blue and white buoys (this is a mussel farm)
4. There is a left-hand turn after this bay that leads into the historic town of Trinity.
GETTING TO THE ARTISAN INN
Once you have reached the Royal Bank you will take a sharp hairpin right turn The Twine Loft is the second building on the right located behind a green building called the Barbour House. All guests must register at the Twine Loft (self-check-in is not an option for vacation homes) and our staff will bring you to your reserved room or house.
The Bonavista Peninsula is a place where music, theatre and art are sewn into the fabric of our being. Here are just a few options for where to take in quality art or experience musical or theatrical performances on the Bonavista Peninsula. Many businesses and not-for-profits announce artistic events throughout the summer season. If you are interested in what is going on be sure to ask us when you register.
RISING TIDE THEATRE
Photo courtesy of Rising Tide Theatre
There is so much to be said about Rising Tide Theatre located in Trinity that we have created its own page under our Explore Trinity. 2018 marks the 40th year anniversary of the Theatre Company. Its director, Donna Butt, has received the order of Canada for her contribution to the arts in Canada.
RISING TIDE SEASONS IN THE BIGHT THEATRE FESTIVAL: EVERY NIGHT JUNE – LATE SEPT
RISING TIDE NEWFOUNDLAND TRINITY PAGEANT: WED & SAT JULY-LABOUR DAY
RISING TIDE DINNER THEATRE: WED & SAT JULY-LABOUR DAY
ST. PAUL’S SUMMER CONERT SERIES
Come experience the exceptional beauty and incredible acoustics of St. Paul’s.
Admission: By donation, to be used for maintenance of the church
Upcoming Concert Dates: Wednesday July 7 – 7:00pm – The Scallywags (bluegrass, country / NFLD)
Wednesday July 31st – 7:00pm – Maureen and Friends: A Celebration of Newfoundland Music
Sunday August 4th – 7:30pm – The Ennis Sisters
TWINE LOFT ART EXHIBITS
Art Exhibit at the Twine Loft
The Twine Loft uses its walls to exhibit original Newfoundland art and a majority of the pieces are for sale. If you are not a guest of the inn or dining with us, you are welcome to come look at the art between 10am and 5:30pm when meal services are not taking place.
View our Art Exhibits page under our Restaurant section to learn more about featured artists.
PORT REXTON
10 Minutes from Trinity
TWO WHALES COFFEE SHOP
The Two Whales Coffee Shop doubles as a vegetarian restaurant and gallery space, featuring multiple exhibits, often of Newfoundland artists, throughout their operating season. They also host musical performances multiple times a month. To find out which artists are being featured or concert schedules, visit their website.
The Fisher’s Loft Conference centre often hosts art exhibits in the main conference room. On occasional evenings throughout the summer authors host book readings.
The English Harbour Arts Centre is a not-for-profit charitable organization dedicated to the promotion of artistic and cultural education and the preservation of historic and cultural spaces. They are committed to operating an economically self-sustaining institution for the arts that provides learning opportunities for people of all ages and levels of artistic experience. Their multidisciplinary program includes art holidays, workshops, residencies, community outreach, special projects and public events. The English Harbour Arts Centre hosts various performances by some of Newfoundland’s most celebrated musicians including The Once, The Fortunate Ones, Matthew Byrne, The Ennis Sisters and many more.
Art Gallery, Workshops, Screening Room, Artist Residencies, Community Events
Union House Arts (UHA) is a new community artspace operated through the Sir William F. Coaker Heritage Foundation. UHA is committed to supporting work being produced by artists and craftspeople in Newfoundland and Labrador through place-specific dialogues and collaborative programming in Port Union.
Summer hours are 11-5 Thursday – Monday, until the Biennale starts August 17th. Then the schedule changes to 10am-5pm daily.
The Garrick is a multi-use, 200-seat theatre and meeting space in the Town of Bonavista. Owned and operated by the Bonavista Historic Townscape Foundation, this year-round cultural facility offers comfortable theatre seating, state-of-the-art sound and lighting equipment including full digital cinema, and exceptional acoustics. At The Garrick you can find the best in performing arts and film.
Take the time to “Twack” as we say in Newfoundland or “Window Shop” as the rest of the world says. The Bonavista Peninsula has become a destination where Artisans come to live in tranquil beauty and produce quality made cultural-crafts, including soap made from iceberg water, locally brewed beers, knit sweaters, locally made ice cream and more. This list is focused on places where high-quality products are the focus and the artisans behind the products live in the area.
TRINITY
We have an entire section dedicated to what Trinity has to offer visitors looking to shop for Artisan Crafts and Eats under our EXPLORE TRINITY section. Click the link to learn about the following places
The Port Rexton Brewery served its first mason jar of beer in July of 2016 and has quickly become one of the most popular destinations on our peninsula and the island. Located in a renovated schoolhouse on Station Road, the brewery not only serves up a variety of beers including IPAs, Saisons and Porters but also serves as a bar and hangout area. Please note that there is not currently a taxi service in the Trinity Bight Area, so please drink responsibly.
Here artist Michael Flaherty marries nature and art. He often works outdoors, digging clay, cutting wood, and collecting glaze materials for use in his studio.
This company’s mission is to create the purest luxury skin care on the planet using locally wild-crafted and sustainably grown botanicals and wild harvested icebergs.
Sweet Rock Icecream has locations in both Bonavista and Trinity. The Bonavita location also sells a selection of Aunt Sarah’s Chocolates. We won’t lie though, the view from Sweet Rock’s Trinity Location can’t be beaten.
Tree Line Fine Art and Craft is a craft retail shop and studio, owned by Morgaine Parnham, a textile artist from Portugal Cove, Newfoundland. Tree Line focuses on showcasing the finest emerging craftspeople from around the province. The space is also used as Morgaine’s weaving studio and she creates craft on site.
This list does not include everyone on the Peninsula as new artisans are appearing in the area every season. The Artisan Inn staff will be happy to provide you with a complete overview once you check in.
Discover the many reasons why Trinity is the perfect place to stay while exploring Eastern Newfoundland’s Bonavista Peninsula. Trinity is one of the most walk-able town’s of Newfoundland, taking only 25 minutes to stroll the circumference of the town with various white-picket fence lined streets criss-crossing throughout its centre. The majority of attractions and activities are located on the opposite end of town to the Artisan Inn’s accommodations, allowing our guests to take advantage of the peace and quiet of an out-port community while being only a few minutes away by foot from Rising Tide Theatre, whale watching, historic sites and shopping.
Puffins by Paul Dolk: To purchase this print, visit Paul Dolks Website
The Bonavista Peninsula is one of the few places in North America where you can get up close to a puffin colony, without having to get on a boat, although, you can do that too if you wish.
ELLISTON: BIRD ISLAND
Bird Island is one of the best places to view Puffins from land in Newfoundland. It’s location is accessible free of cost, but we encourage our visitors to contribute a small amount to the donation box as there is some infrastructure and upkeep required for the site and area.
When you arrive at the Puffin site, there is a 5-minute walk from the road to the cliff that faces the island where to Puffins nest. Depending on the time of the day, their mood and the size of the crowd, the puffins may fly to your side of the cliffs.
Elliston has become very popular with visitors. If you would like to experience the puffins in a less crowded environment, we suggest taking a tour with Tuckamore Discovery Tours, or ask the Artisan Inn Staff when you check in where some other, more locally known, spots to view puffins are.
For directions to Elliston from Trinity please visit our page
Information about puffins from Canadian Geographic:
The Atlantic Puffin is a pigeon-sized sea bird, the smallest species of puffin. Their black head, back and wings contrast sharply with their white underside, while their blue, orange and yellow beaks and bright orange feet give them a splash of colour.
Puffins are poor fliers and evolution has not yet helped them to develop a graceful landing strategy. While not as useful in the air, their wings make them excellent underwater swimmers.
Puffins live for the majority of the year at sea, but come to land to breed and burrow on the Bonavista Peninsula between late May and late August. Puffins normally keep the same mate and burrow from year to year and, on average, live for up to 20 years.
Puffins by Paul Dolk: To purchase this print, visit Paul Dolk’s Website
“Trinity charms visitors on at least two accounts. Many newcomers are struck by the natural beauty of the area, a magnificent harbour and the splendid maritime setting. Others are touched by a powerful sense of history (Old Worldliness) and the pride of place instilled by the cultural landscape. Trinity is a community whose personality has been largely shaped by the sea. The harbour has been proclaimed as one of the best in Newfoundland, even one of the finest in the world. The harbour not only provided abundant shelter and good holding ground, but was also spacious. It was once claimed to hold the entire British Navy.
Trinity Harbour has provided access to and refuge from the North Atlantic since the early 16th century when it was first used by European fishermen. West Countrymen from England began using it as a summer station in the migratory fishery in the 1570s, and in 1615 Richard Whitbourne (later Sir Richard) held a Court of the Admiralty, the first of its kind in the New World. Since then Trinity has been the scene of many other significant historical events.”
-The above is an excerpt from Gordon Handcock’s “The Story of Trinity”, a publication of the Trinity Historical Society
The Merchants from Poole
In the early Newfoundland fishery the most prominent merchants were from the seaport of Poole, Dorset, England. Ships sailed from Poole to Newfoundland with salt and provisions, then carried dried and salted fish to Europe and then returned to Poole with wine, olive oil, and salt.
In the late 16-hundreds Poole merchants had settled in Bay Verds [now Bay de Verde] near Old Perlican on the east side of Trinity Bay. However, the harbour of Old Perlican is broad and open and not easily defended. Under Pierre Le Moyne D’Iberville the French attacked and burned many of the buildings in 1697. Fearing further attacks through the early 1700s the Taverners, who were prominent Poole merchants, relocated their major premises to Trinity’s safer harbour.
The Lesters were also a Poole merchant family and were related, through marriage, to the Taveners. They established at Trinity in the 1750s. As well they were prominent in a number of other communities in Trinity Bay buying Newfoundland codfish and providing settlers with supplies and provisions. They also employed many men cutting wood, trapping furs, and sealing. By 1793 Benjamin Lester owned 20 ships, the largest fleet operated by an English-Newfoundland merchant in the eighteenth century. Benjamin’s daughter Amy married George Garland and, with time, George Garland assumed more direct responsibility for the trade. After 1819, the firm became George Garland and Sons.
The end of the Napoleonic Wars and the conclusion of the War of 1812 ended Britain’s monopoly over the Newfoundland fisheries. Poole’s Newfoundland trade decreased and, within a decade, most merchants had ceased trading. George Garland operated his business until 1825.
The Ryan Brothers
The Garland buildings were leased to various firms until 1900 when the Ryan Brothers acquired the site and operated until 1952. James and Dan Ryan belonged to the Bonavista family of Ryan merchants. Under the management of their youngest brother Edmund the firm’s chief goal, in Trinity, was to profit from supplying Trinity and Conception Bay schooners that were involved in the Labrador fishery. The Garland/Ryan store in Trinity was one of the first Ryan buildings to be restored during the present era of historic reconstruction. Visitors to the Bonavista Peninsula can now view many Ryan buildings, some of which have been only recently restored.
Trinity Harbour Modern History
As a child the Artisan Inn’s manager Marieke would watch boats being built in the Vokey Shipyard.
During periods up until the late 1980’s Trinity was sustained largely by aspects of the fisheries and business families such as the Vokey shipbuilders and Bartlett’s Plumbing and Electrical. However, outport Newfoundland fell on hard times with the close of the cod fishery in 1992. During the following decade, ships were built, in Trinity, for a newly emerging crab fishery and there was diversification in the rural economy. Today tourism has replaced the shipbuilding industry as the main economic driver in the area.
Trinity Bay and Bonavista Bay serve as nature’s playground during the Spring and Summer months in Newfoundland.
Twenty-two species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises swim the waters along the coastline of Newfoundland and Labrador during the months of May to August. The Bonavista Peninsula is a perfect location to see and appreciate these magnificent creatures of the sea.
Some species spotted in Trinity Bay and Bonavista Bay include: Humpback Whales, Sperm Whales, Minke Whales, Pothead Whales and Killer Whales (Orcas). White-sided dolphins and Bluefin Tuna are frequently spotted during the Fall.
Boat tours also provide the opportunity to see the many majestic icebergs floating past Trinity during Spring and early Summer. The prime time to see icebergs is between late May and late June.
Finally, the Peninsula’s unique geological features offer an added bonus on every trip.
Marieke Gow Photography
Those who come to visit during the month of June and early July are sometimes lucky enough to spot icebergs, whales and various sea birds, including: the Atlantic Puffin and Bald Eagles all at once!
To see daily records of whale sightings in our areaCLICK HERE.
The two communities that offer boat tours with the focus of seeing wildlife are Trinity and Bonavista.
TRINITY
Three boat tours are located within walking distance of the Artisan Inn
Photo Taken on Sea of Whale Adventure Tours. The #1 boat tour on trip advisor for the town of Trinity
Vessel Type: Larger vessel type with indoor and outdoor seating and a washroom on board Phone: 1-709-468-8438 Address: 15 Roper Street, Bonavista NL Located in the parking lot of the Matthew Legacy site.
Places to Whale Watch From Land in Trinity Bight
While boat tours offer a first class whale watching experience, getting you up close and personal with wildlife, not everyone has the greatest sea legs. We can never guarantee a whale sighting, however, we can tell you where the locals often go to watch Humpbacks feeding once they have arrived for the season. Our staff receive updates from local boat tours and summer residents when pods are feeding close to shore in certain area’s. We do our best to communicate anything exciting that we are aware of when we register guests at the inn or during morning breakfast.
Fort Point Lighthouse and Beach
We recommend getting a lunch to go from Trinity Mercantile Coffee Shop and heading to Fort Point Lighthouse for a picnic. Whales are often seen feeding during the month of July just off the point’s beach.
Driving Distance from Trinity: 19 Minutes
English Harbour / Horse Chops
Located 19 minutes from the Artisan Inn
This is the area many locals go to watch whales from the cliffs. The beach in English Harbour is also a popular spot to watch the capelin when they start to roll. locals are often seen here with buckets to harvest the small silver fish for a meal.
Driving Distance from Trinity: 19 Minutes
Skerwink Trail, Trinity East/Port Rexton
Marieke Gow Photography
Whales often feed below the cliffs, offering hikers a bird’s eye view. One cannot drive up to these spots, but instead, must hike the outer trail for the best vantage points.
Driving distance from Trinity: 13 minutes
Please note that whales are wild animals and their feeding times and locations can never be guaranteed.
Find Driving Directions to all communities mentioned
We have an entire page dedicated to the historic sites of Trinity, all within walking distance of Artisan Inn accommodations. Sites include:
The Lester Garland Building
The Hiscock House
The Green Family Forge
The Ryan Shop
The Trinity Museum
The Court House/Wooden Boat Museum
The Cooperage
St. Paul’s Church and the Holy Trinity Church
Ok, this is not a historic site, but instead, a movie set from the mini-series Random Passage. It does, however, offer visitors the chance to understand the struggle many of the first Newfoundland settlers faced when they arrived on this barren isolated land from England and Ireland and what early settlements would have looked liked including the church, schoolhouse, and the disparity between the houses of the well-off and those who struggled to survive the winter.
Port Union is the only union-built town in North America. Construction began on the shores of Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, in 1916. Within five years, a busy and modern union town bordered the protected deep-water harbour-all made possible through the hard work and vision of the members of the Fishermen’s Protective Union (the FPU) and their first leader, William Ford Coaker.
To learn more about the Union Town, visit the Factory and The Bungalow
The great sealing disasters of 1914 contributed greatly to the loss of a generation soon to be devastated by World War I. In remembering these men, Home from The Sea presents the historical and cultural context of sealing in Newfoundland and Labrador through seven captivating visitor experiences. Learn more by visiting the linked website.
Situated on Porter’s Point, facing the sea and looking back toward home, rests the bronze statue of father and son Reuben and Albert John Crewe, residents of Elliston who perished out on the ice in the 1914 SS Newfoundland sealing disaster. Created by acclaimed sculptor Morgan MacDonald, it sits as a poignant reminder not only of great loss but of the remarkable ties that bind families together in places where going to work and coming Home from the Sea is never a guarantee. It stands to represent all sealers who have risked and lost their lives in their efforts to support their families and communities. Learn more by visiting the linked website.
A salty scent lingers within the cluster of white, 19th century clapboard buildings of the Ryan Premises, perched on the shore of Bonavista’s historic and picturesque harbour. Hear the reminiscences of the site’s interpreters, most of whom have a personal connection to the fishing industry; marvel at the variety of artifacts in the on-site Bonavista Museum; and explore the internationally-recognized “Cod, Seals and Survivors” exhibition that tells the 500-year story of Canada’s east coast fishery.
Matthew Legacy Centre
500 years after John Cabot first arrived in Newfoundland, both Bristol and Newfoundland marked the monumental event by recreating the voyage in 1997. A replica of Cabot’s ship, The Matthew, sailed across the Atlantic and landed at Bonavista’s shores and was greeted by hundreds of on-lookers, including Queen Elizabeth II. The Matthew Legacy Centre was built to house the ship and visitors can tour the boat and learn more about Cabot.
Cape Bonavista Lighthouse was constructed in 1843 and is currently restored to the 1870s period. The highlight of the lighthouse is an original catoptric light mechanism that dates to 1816. An adjacent interpretation centre features exhibits on lighthouse technology and lightkeepers’ lives.
Additional notes: Some of the site summaries are copied directly from the websites of those sites and are not the original content of the Artisan Inn and Twine Loft.
TRINITY HISTORICAL WALKING TOURS
