Tours and programs

Whether you live nearby, you're just dropping in, or you're staying in the campground, there are lots of activities for you to enjoy in Terra Nova National Park.

These tours and programs are included in the daily admission fee, unless otherwise indicated.

• Guided walks

  Guided walks

  Experience the environment of Terra Nova first-hand with our interpreters. Taste plants, watch wildlife, or discover the secrets of this coastal, boreal forest.

  Our guided walks are over gentle terrain and are suitable for all ages.

  What to bring:

  • Appropriate footwear
  • Bottle of water
  
  
  • Snack or picnic
  • Binoculars
  
  
  • Camera
  • Sense of adventure

  August schedule

  Day and Time	Program Title	Location	Description
  Mondays 3:00pm	Taste of Nature	Headquarter's Wharf	Experience nature in the context of traditional plant use. Our interpreters will tell stories and share secrets of how the many people who lived here before us have used this land.
  Mondays 8:30 pm	Night Watch	Newman Sound Day-use Area	Watch Terra Nova come alive after dark. This walk will focus on some of our favorite nocturnal animals - bats! Learn about their unique features and adaptations, and discover the challenges bat populations are facing today.
  Thursdays 7:00 pm	Beaver Walk	Southwest Arm Trail	Terra Nova’s largest rodent has been working hard all winter to build a new dam! Join us as we visit the busy beavers at Southwest Arm. Walk through this living “workshop” and see evidence of their hard work.
  Fridays 3:00 pm	Sensory Walk	Visitor Centre	Join us as we take a slow stroll through the forest focused on experiencing nature’s setting with our different senses. Close your eyes and listen to the sounds of nature or try to discover a type of tree just by touching the bark. Experience nature through as many (or as few) senses as you are comfortable with.
  Sundays 3:00 pm	Women's Work	Headquarter's Wharf	From preserving food, making and mending clothes, gardening and managing the family home; a woman’s work was never done. Share their stories along with toutons and tea. Additional fees required.
  August 3 2:30 pm August 10 3:00 pm August 17 11:00 am August 24 3:00 pm	Explore the Shore	Visitor Centre	You never know what you might find in the intertidal zone! Join us on a journey of discovery as we uncover some of the hardy creatures and plants that call this zone home. Rubber boots are recommended but not mandatory.

• Kids stuff

  Become a junior naturalist

  Calling all kids!

  Come along to any of our Junior Naturalist programs this summer and collect a stamp for each program you attend. Get an official Junior Naturalist certificate and a prize for filling out your stamp card!

  • Programs are designed for children ages 5-13 years of age.
  • Programs take place at both the Activity Centre and the Visitor Centre.

  
  

  August schedule

  Day and Time	Program Title	Location
  Mondays 11:00 am	Food Explorers	Activity Centre
  Tuesdays 11:00 am	Garbage Gladiators	Activity Centre
  Wednesdays 11:00 am	Wild Pages	Activity Centre
  Thursdays 11:00 am	Bear Smart	Activity Centre
  Fridays 11:00 am	Cool Crabs	Visitor Centre
  Sundays 11:00 am	Forest Focus	Activity Centre

Evening programs

Evenings in Terra Nova are all about theatrical programs, music, games, and other surprises.

Join us underneath the stars at the outdoor theatre for educational and entertaining evening programs, or gather at the Campfire Circle and sing-a-long to some good ole' campfire favourites.




August schedule

Day and Time	Program Title	Location	Description
Fridays 8:30 pm	Forest Idol	Outdoor Theatre	Vote for your favorite Forest Idol as they showcase their adaptations and talents to our judges! Each week, the audience will pick Terra Nova’s one and only Forest Idol.
Saturdays 7:00 pm	Sing-a-long in the Sound	Campfire Circle (Newman Sound Day-use Area)	Find your seat at the campfire circle in Newman Sound Campground and warm up your voice. Join us for some Newfoundland songs, stories and sayings. Bring a mug for free hot chocolate!
Sundays 7:00 pm	Campfire Sing-a-long	Malady Head Campground	Gather around the campfire at Malady Head Campground to sing some new and old favorite campfire songs. Bring your singing voice!

• Special programs

  August schedule

  Day and Time	Program Title	Location	Description
  TBD	Grow a Garden	Activity Centre	Become a budding gardener! Drop by the garden at the Activity Centre to help water the plants and keep our garden growing. See the different plant shapes, colors and textures. Look closely and you might see a “busy” pollinator hard at work. Remember BEE safe!
  Tuesdays 9:30 am	Plant a Tree	Blue Hill Moose Exclosure	Plant a tree and put down roots in Terra Nova National Park. Join Parks Canada interpreters and ecologists in planting trees to help increase the biodiversity of the forest. **Participants should come prepared for weather conditions, with footwear suitable for the forest floor. Fill up and bring your water bottle.
  Tuesdays 7:00 pm (August 13 and 27)	Dark Sky Presentation	Activity Centre	Where did the stars go? Join David the “Dark Sky Defender” as he sheds light of the importance of protecting the night sky.
  Wednesday 11:00 am	Nature Journaling	Newman Sound Day-use Area	Observe, wonder, connect. Join interpreters in a nature journaling experience. Enjoy the benefits of the outdoors - slow down, use your senses and connect to nature through a guided journaling process. Please bring along a notebook or journal.
  Wednesdays 3:00 pm	Uke'n Play Ukulele	Activity Centre	Let’s strum and sing together! Join our Ukulele class and start playing your way to musical fun.
  Thursdays 3:00 pm	Msit No 'Kmaq	Visitor Centre	Kwe’! Come join our indigenous interpreters near the beautiful shoreline of Newman Sound as we share with you some of our culture and experience and reconnect with each other and ourselves. **Sign up is required for this program. Please call 709-533-2942 to reserve a space.
  Saturdays 2:00 pm	Games and Activities	Malady Head	Join our interpreters weekly as they host games and activities at Malady Head.

• Special events

  Terra Nova National Park commemorates a number of special days throughout the summer season.

  June 21
  National Indigenous Peoples Day

  Come join our Indigenous interpreters as we share with you some of our culture and experience.

  • Time: 11:00 am - 2:00 pm
  • Location: Visitor Centre

   

  July 1
  Memorial Day / Canada Day

  Celebrate Canada Day with an afternoon concert.

  • Time: 2:00 pm
  • Location: Outdoor Theatre
  • Free entry

  July 20
  Parks Day

  Take a hike along one of the many scenic trails, explore the shoreline or come for a picnic with friends. Stop by the Visitor Centre to enter to pick up your hiking trail passport and enter to win a parks day prize pack. 

  August 16 to 17
  Music in the Sound

  Nestled in the boreal forest, in the heart of the park, our unique outdoor theatre provides a magical setting for Music in the Sound. 

  • Location: Outdoor Theatre
  • On August 16 young rising stars will light up the stage. This evening is FREE with park entry.
  • On August 17th Black Gold will take the stage, featuring D’arcy Broderick, Larry Martin and Madeline Carter with special guest storyteller Harry Ingram!
    Tickets on sale August 1st. Cost: $20.00

  August 23 to 24
  Night Sky Celebration

  Terra Nova National Park is designated a Dark Sky Preserve – the first in Newfoundland and Labrador. Join Parks Canada staff and members of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, St. John’s Centre to celebrate the night sky with indoor activity stations at the Activity Centre at Newman Sound Campground and outdoor night sky observation sessions (weather permitting) at Sandy Pond.

  • Location: Activity Centre and Sandy Pond
  • Equipment for viewing is provided but people are welcome to bring their own.
• School programs

  School programs

  National Parks are amazing classrooms, offering a variety of learning opportunities for students to connect with nature. Fun and educational hands-on programs and field trips are available from late-May to mid-October.

  Mix and match your classroom experience by choosing two of the following activities or contact us at the Visitor Centre to build a classroom experience that's just right for you!

  For cost per student, please see our fees page under the Heritage Presentation Special Programs heading.

  

  Touch tank tour - super sea squad

  It’s a hard life in the Intertidal Zone but lurking along this ever changing expanse are some amazing animals – the Super Sea Squad! These marine marvels have formed some super-hero level adaptations to survive, and thrive!

  Join your interpreter at the Touch Tank as we get up close with these outstanding ocean critters and uncover their super adaptive abilities.

  

  Trail tales

  From the mossy ground to the crown of the trees, this forest has a story to tell.

  Join your interpreter as we walk the trail to explore the secrets of the unique boreal forest of Terra Nova National Park.

  

  More bees please

  Bees are incredible insects - and cute too! But it’s not all flowers and honey. Bees are also extremely hard workers and they go through a pretty fascinating lifecycle.

  Join your interpreter as we explore the amazing world of bees.

  

  Whale tales

  Did you know that the Blue Whale is the biggest animal to EVER live on Earth?! Whales are fascinating and mostly mysterious marine mammals.

  Join your interpreter for a fun learning journey as we uncover the truly unique world of these amazing animals.

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  To book:

  Phone number: +1 (709) 533-2942
  Email address: terranova@pc.gc.ca

  These programs are only available during visitor centre hours of operation.

• Explore on your own

  Explore on your own

  Discover Terra Nova at your own pace with these self-guided activities.

  Lichen hikin'

  

  Witch's Hair? British Soldiers? Trumpets? Explore the Heritage Trail in search of tiny mysterious organisms. Wee wonders await!

  Stop by the visitor centre to pick up your "Lookin for Lichens" kit before heading out on the trail to explore on your own.

  Only available during visitor centre hours of operation.

  
  
  
  

  Club Parka

  

  Visiting with young children? Explore with club Parka!

  With the Club Parka booklet kids can explore, learn and have fun! The booklets are available on site. With the Photo Missions App, kids are invited to help Parka and Chirp find and photograph specific items found at our place! Download the app for free before visiting. Once one or both activities are completed, they will receive a reward!

  Learn more about Parka and download other activities!

  Xplorers program

  Hey Kids! Do you like exploring, having adventures and lots of fun? If so, you can be a Parks Canada Xplorer! Pick up your Terra Nova Xplorers booklet at the Visitor Centre, Activity Centre, or at a campground kiosk and get started on your first challenge. Complete the required number of tasks to receive a collectable souvenir.

  The Parks Canada Xplorers program is currently offered in more than 70 national parks, national historic sites and national marine conservation areas across the country.

  

  Share your adventures with us on social media!
  Take a photo and share it with #TerraNovaNP

  Facebook: @TerraNovaNP

  Twitter: @ParksCanadaNL