Things to Do in Mount Pearl

A gathering spot for local quilting aficionados, Piece Makers Quilt Shop fills its bright retail space with both name-brand supplies and quilting events. Guests can survey the shop's inventory of Baby Lock sewing machines, flannels, and poly-cottons, or make crafty new pals during a sociable evening or weekend class. Cathy Pittman and the shop's other knowledgeable instructors teach disciplines ranging from quilt making and alterations to basic sewing classes, where students may rent one of the shop's sewing machines or prethreaded pogo sticks.

In 1985, brothers Joe and Loyola O’Brien saw the impending end of the fishery they worked at fast approaching. Witless Bay had been their passion and lifeblood for many years, and they weren’t ready to give up. Instead of hanging their heads and turning in their sea legs, they found a new way to court this fickle mistress. They repurposed their knowledge of Newfoundland’s natural wonders and continued their life on the high seas guiding boat tours of the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve.

Today, a band of knowledgeable guides carries on their efforts, delighting sightseers with guided bird- and whale-watching tours. They elucidate facts and salty stories as guests soak in unobstructed views of waterfalls, sea caves, and icebergs from the decks of their small fleet. As their ships sail past island shores populated by frolicking puffins, guests keep their eyes peeled for massive humpback whales, orcas, and dolphins that may sidle up to ask for directions.

Corporate Concierge Services Inc.’s professional, uniformed drivers man a fleet of luxury Lincoln Town Cars, stretch limousines, executive SUVs, and passenger vans and coaches. In addition to providing customers with transportation and concierge services, Corporate Concierge Services Inc. showcases St. John’s, NL—the oldest city in north America—in daytime and evening City & Shore Adventure tours. Featured in USA Today, the tours traverse historic sites and properties as well as the area’s picturesque landscapes. Tour-goers also learn about the _Titanic_’s fateful journey, and may have the opportunity to touch an iceberg, helping contribute to a chain reaction in which all icebergs stop fearing humans.

The four small islands that make up the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve accommodate the largest Atlantic puffin colony in North America. The protected sanctuary is also home to millions of other seabirds, including Northern fulmars, black-legged kittiwakes, and razorbills—the bird that bears use to shave. In the surrounding waters, more than a dozen different whale species—including humpbacks, finbacks, and minkes—swim among icebergs, sea stacks, and caves.

Up to 75 passengers can catch unobstructed glimpses of these sights from the M.V. Mary Vincent's two observation decks. On two-hour, Canadian Coast Guard–certified tours held from May to September, the crew sails past the reserve as a guide enthralls guests with tales of the HMS Sapphire, which sank in Bay Bulls' waters in 1696. Due to Newfoundland's unpredictable weather, Mullowney's Boat Tours encourages visitors to dress warmly and pack a raincoat.

At G. Hancock Framing and Art Gallery, seasoned staff members help tailor artistic inklings to individual needs with custom canvas-printing and framing services. The image wizards convert digital photographs into wall-ready canvas art and encase treasured photographs, illustrations, or passport photos in an array of imported Italian frames during custom framing sessions. In addition, the shop stages photography shoots and curates the work of local painters and photographers.:

An expanse of 550-million-year-old rock surrounds the geological exhibits at Johnson Geo Centre, a 33,600-square-foot facility that resides mostly in stone’s favourite hangout: underground. There, the Steele Earth & Space Theatre screens high-definition science-minded films in 2-D and 3-D, and the Geo Theatre projects the four-billion-year history of the earth onto a rock wall featuring a cave, running stream, and glowing lava. Exhibitions include scientific oddities such as a cutaway of the earth and 565-million-year-old fossils preserved in layers of volcanic ash. The museum also highlights the educational opportunities found in more recent events: real-life artifacts and interactive kiosks tell the Titanic's tragic story, and the ExxonMobil Oil and Gas Gallery explores energy with scale models of an oil tanker and offshore supply vessel.

At the KidZone, youngsters aged 1–7 can put on science-inspired plays on the puppet-theatre stage or study trilobites and eight-track tapes in the fossil corner. The gift shop also outfits kids with educational books and games, and adults can stock up on agate wind chimes and sterling-silver jewellery. In between bites of Manna sandwiches in the café, members can peruse schedules of numerous monthly events or plan enrollment in summer camps aimed at junior scientists.