Tour the Village
Our regular guided tours of the Barbour Living Heritage Village run from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm daily (mid-June to Mid-September). For more details click Hours of Operation and Fees. To do it properly, you should allow yourself two or three hours. For more details on what you can expect to see on the Village tour continue reading on this page.
Don’t be surprised if one visit isn’t enough. Most of our guests come back time and time again. We think that’s great! We’re always adding something new and don’t want you to miss out. It’s all so interesting. There are so many attractions and so many things to do. Keep reading on this page to get a better understanding of what’s included in the tour.
Visitors Reception Centre
The first place you’ll need to go when you enter the Barbour Living Heritage Village is the Visitor Reception Centre . Here you’ll be greeted by our friendly staff who are dressed in period costume. They will help you purchase your tour pass and give you some general instructions on what to expect. They will also provide you with information on other attractions that you may want to visit while you are in the area.
Poop Deck Craft Shop
Take a few minutes to have a quick look at the wonderful crafts and gifts in the Poop Deck Craft Shop located in the Visitor Reception Centre. Then off you go on your guided tour. You’ll want to finish your tour back at this location with a rest out on the Poop Deck and then some shopping.
Fishing Stage
Ever been in a fish stage? You won’t want to miss this building. It’s a typical Newfoundland outport fish stage, where codfish was cleaned, salted, and stored.
It is complete with a fish flake, handbars, splitting table, and other interpretative items commonly found in a fishing stage. We’ll also show you to knit and mend a fishing net.
Old Methodist Schoolhouse
In the Old Methodist Schoolhouse, visitors are given the opportunity to interact with the school teacher and students and learn about education in a one-room school in rural Newfoundland around the early 1900’s.
Such a school was actually located on the Barbour property around 1880. In those days, all grades were taught in that one room. In the winter, each child would be expected to bring along a junk of wood each day to feed the potbelly stove that was used for heat.
Waterfront Premises and Neptune II Theatre
The Waterfront Premises is a reconstruction of one of the Barbours’ retail business and waterfront premises. It now houses a modern theatre and art gallery. Here you can enjoy live theatrical performances in a very comfortable setting. The Dinner Theatre is known for its delicious meal and hilarious entertainment. The art exhibit has featured works by well-known Newfoundland artists such as Christopher Pratt, David Blackwood, and Frank Lapointe.
Be sure to contact us to make a reservation for the Dinner Theatre. Seats are limited and we don’t want you to be disappointed.
Sealing Interpretation Centre
This building is very unique to our area and the Province. It is a reconstruction of a building used by the Barbours for brick making and as a general workshop. Here visitors are given the opportunity to experience life “at the front”. They will step aboard a sealing schooner and experience the life and hardships of Newfoundland sealers as they struggle to provide for their families. Enjoy the unique displays.
Heritage Homes
There are three heritage homes in the Barbour Living Heritage Village. In 1873 Benjamin and Rebecca Barbour moved to Newtown, Bonavista Bay, where they built their family home. They moved into the new house in 1874. The building was home for many of their children. Alphaeus, one of their grandsons, built a beautiful home for his wife in hopes of lifting her spirits after the death of their son William in 1904 (Alphaeus Barbour Home). A third home in the Village was built for the Director. It has been converted to a Tourist Home called Audrey’s Tickle Bliss.
The Benjamin Barbour house – originally built for Captain Benjamin Barbour and his family of nine sons and two daughters. Benjamin settled in Newtown from Cobbler’s Island in 1873. Prior to moving into the new home in 1875, the family lived in a “log cabin” nearby. The Benjamin Barbour Home is typical of the larger merchant houses built in many Newfoundland communities in the latter part of the 18th century. The gabled roof, symmetrical facade, end chimneys, and general proportions made it almost identical to many of the merchant houses in Brigus, which also produced its share of great sealing captains. The house has two levels and is mainly constructed of pine. Learn more.
The second heritage home, Alphaeus Barbour House, was originally built for Captain Alphaeus Barbour, one of Benjamin Barbour’s grandsons. Construction was started in 1904 and did not finish until 1907. In 1925, the house was sold to Samuel Barbour and eventually passed to Samuel’s son, Edward. The house remained in the Barbour family until 1993, when it was purchased by the Cape Freels Heritage Trust, Inc. The home was in need of major restoration work and was closed in 2017 and 2018. It has now been restored to its original state and has re-opened. The building is amazing. You will see this first had as part of your guided tour of the Village. Click here to read more.
Olde Shoppe Restaurant
Complete your Tour of the Village with a meal at the Olde Shoppe Restaurant, open from May through October with daily specials that reflect the history of the village. Groups can try dishes such as Captain Job’s boiled beans with homemade bread, Uncle Willie’s fish cakes with tossed salad, and Aunt Mary Jane’s jiggs dinner. There’ll be berry pies, molasses buns and old-fashioned tea biscuits.
The restaurant overlooks the Tickle – a beautiful view to enjoy as you eat. Our restaurant and deck are wheelchair accessible.
Monument and Commemorative Artwork
Gary Brazil Monument
As you tour the site, you are given opportunity to pause and reflect on some of the tragedies experienced by Newfoundlanders in the past, such as the loss of hundreds of young Newfoundlanders in World War I, and the sealing disasters of the S.S. Greenland in 1898 and the S.S. Newfoundland in 1914. You will also come across a monument that relates to a more recent tragedy.
Gary Brazil, a 39 year old father of two and Coast Guard pilot, lost his life on May 10, 2000 when the Bell 212 Canada Coast Guard helicopter he was flying crashed into Bonavista Bay while transporting fresh water to a lighthouse on Cabot Island just off the coast of Newtown. While viewing this monument you are able to see the island Mr. Brazil was heading towards when the helicopter fell into the water.
Commemorating the work of Dr. Audrey Manning
As you walk in the gardens of the Alphaeus Barbour House, you will come across a new art installation erected in honor of Dr. Audrey Manning, who passed away on May 20, 2011, at the age of 71. Audrey was a community icon who valued heritage and was a founding member of the Cape Freels Heritage Trust, the directing board of the Barbour Living Heritage Site. She worked tirelessly and assembled a group of hard working volunteers to bring the site to its magnificent stature displayed today.
The glass art installation features a portrait of Dr. Manning as well as three of her poems, and was designed and commissioned by Steph Dou. Mr. Dou, a friend of Dr. Manning’s from France, felt the contributions she made during her life should be memorialized. The three glass panels of the installation were created in Paris, France and were installed by Mr. Dou in June 2014. The official unveiling of the monument was June 27th, 2014.