While You’re in Gros Morne, Take Advantage of the Park’s Events and Attractions
Gros Morne National Park is strategically located, making it a prime tourist destination for those from the province of Newfoundland and Labrador as well as those from outside the province. For those visiting the province during the summer, a choice of travelling by air or ferry is available. If choosing to arrive by air, the Deer Lake Airport is just about a one hour car ride; if travelling by ferry, the ferry terminal is located in southwestern Newfoundland in the town of Port aux Basques which is about a three and a half hour drive. But location is not the only attraction drawing visitors to the area. A plethora of things to do in Gros Morne National Park await those who come to enjoy the park’s history, scenery, geology, outdoor recreation and great arts and entertainment programs–enough variety to entice young and old.
With its debut in 2001, the Vinland Music Camp is a favourite spot in the hearts of those who want to learn about and take part in traditional Newfoundland music, storytelling and folk dance; this could become one of your favourite things to do in Gros Morne this summer! The 2015 Vinland Music Camp takes place from August 16-22 at the beautiful Killdevil Camp and Conference Centre in Lomond on the south side of Gros Morne National Park. You can enjoy nightly concerts by top performers in the province, or take part in learning to play a musical instrument ranging from the fiddle, button accordion, guitar, mandolin, harp, tenor banjo, tin whistle, flute, bodhran, bouzouki, bass and cello. At the end of the week on August 22, enjoy the Killdevil Fair, a festival celebrating Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Arts including music, dancing and stories. For a rollicking good time, join with the Anchors Aweigh Band at Anchor Pub in the Ocean View Motel in Rocky Harbour for what we call a Kitchen Party. Again right here you can have your fill of traditional Newfoundland entertainment seven nights a week while enjoying Newfoundland’s own Quidi Vidi beer.
With so many things to do in Gros Morne, you can pick and choose your favourite throughout the summer. To learn about the traditional inshore fishery of Newfoundland, join a Parks Canada guide at the fishing premises in Broom Point. While in Broom Point, find out about the traditional daily chores of people living in Newfoundland way back when! Parks Canada guides will also lead you to Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse in Rocky Harbour where you will discover the story of the Head, its people, and how the light brought sailors and fishermen safely to shore. At Green Point take a walk with a Parks Canada naturalist and step back in time to discover a history of at least one part of the earth; see how sedimentary rocks tell the story of the death of an ocean in Gros Morne National Park.
On Saturday, August 15, walk to the Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse and take part in a Parks Canada Fire Circle celebrating the Mi’kmaq culture led by an Aboriginal Parks Canada interpreter. Or you might choose to take in an exploration of the breath-taking geological wonder of Gros Morne National Park to take place at the Visitor Reception Centre in Rocky Harbour.
