Provincial Historic Sites Open Doors for 2013 Season

Provincial Historic Sites will open their doors to the public for the 2013 season this Saturday, May 18. Located in various regions across Newfoundland and Labrador, Provincial Historic Sites provide visitors the opportunity to learn about the province’s culture and heritage.

“Our Provincial Historic Sites offer an interactive history lesson on the many influences that have shaped who we are today as a people, including the lives of the Beothuks and the history of lighthouses,” said the Honourable Terry French, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation. “You can experience Christmas in the Library at Mockbeggar; Voices on the Wind at the Beothuk Interpretation Centre; Jam and Jammin at Point Amour; or Cultural Company at Heart’s Content, to name a few. I invite visitors from home and abroad to explore our unique culture and heritage.”

Provincial Historic Sites include the 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; Hiscock House Visitor Centre, and the Mercantile Premises in Trinity; the Heart’s Content Cable Station; the Beothuk Interpretation Centre in Boyd’s Cove; the Cupids Cove Plantation; 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 a new culinary series at Commissariat House and Newman Wine Vaults, a concert series at Commissariat House and Mockbeggar Plantation, as well as See the Sites at Night series at Hiscock House and the Mercantile Premises in Trinity, Mockbeggar Plantation, Heart’s Content Cable Station, Cape Bonavista Lighthouse and the Newman Wine Vaults.

For more information on these and other programs, visit www.seethesites.ca or www.facebook.com/ProvincialHistoricSites.NL

Budget 2013: A Sound Plan, A Secure Future allocated more than $17 million for the cultural and heritage sectors, bringing the total investment in the arts and heritage sector to $87 million since the launch of Creative Newfoundland and Labrador: The Blueprint for Development and Investment in Culture in 2006.

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Media contact:
Melony O’Neill
Director of Communications
Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation
709-729-0928, 689-0928
moneill@gov.nl.ca 

2013 05 17                           1:40 p.m.