Provincial Historic Sites have now opened for the 2012 season, including those in Cupids and Heart’s Content.
The Cupids Cove Plantation and the Heart’s Content Cable Station opened May 19.
Derrick Dalley, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, marked the occasion with a tour of the Beothuk Interpretation Centre in Boyd’s Cove.
Dalley said exciting things are happening at all the sites.
“You can Follow Footprints at the Beothuk Interpretation Centre, see Trinity After Dark, Rant and Roar at the Big Store in Bonavista, and Get Connected in Heart’s Content. Or take part in Encounters with History and meet interesting characters through new interactive performances at Bonavista, Cupids and Commissariat House.
“Our Provincial Historic Sites have something for everyone to enjoy. I invite residents and visitors alike to explore and discover some of our incredible history.”
Some other Provincial Historic Sites include: Commissariat House and the Newman Wine Vaults in St. John’s, as well as the Colonial Building (closed for renovations); the Cape Bonavista Lighthouse and Mockbeggar Plantation in Bonavista; Visitor Centre, Hiscock House and the Mercantile Premises in Trinity; and Point Amour Lighthouse in Labrador.
Residents and visitors are invited to check out the Provincial Historic Sites demonstrations series in July and August, including an opportunity to dig up the past at Cupids Cove Plantation, learn about using birch bark at the Beothuk Interpretation Centre, and practise navigation skills at the Newman Wine Vaults. Also, there is an opportunity to discover downtown St. John’s from Commissariat House with a new smart phone scavenger hunt.
“Our sites continue to tell significant stories of the historical development of the province not told elsewhere, Dalley said in the House of Assembly May 22.
“Since 2003, the provincial government has invested approximately $2.5 million for upgrades to Provincial Historic Sites. We are proud of the success of our sites.”
Visitation in 2011 was up 8.6 per cent from 2010, and up more than 16 per cent over the past two years.
For more, visit www.seethesites.ca.
