Over Signal Hill, away from town, is the tiny picturesque village of Quidi Vidi. Check out the 18th-century battery and the lakeside regatta museum, but make your first stop Quidi Vidi Brewery, which whips up Newfoundland's most popular microbrews. Located in an old fish-processing plant on the small wharf, it's a scenic place to slake your thirst.
Nearby there's one of the oldest cottages in North America, the 1750s-era Mallard Cottage, a restaurant that serves Newfoundland comfort food. Nearby is the Inn of Olde Pub, a dive bar located in what is not the oldest cottage in North America, but sure feels like it. Also in this vicinity is the Quidi Vidi Village Plantation, an arts center that hosts a rotating collection of local creatives.
The 1762 Quidi Vidi Battery, atop the hill end of Cuckold's Cove Rd, was built by the French after they took St John's. The British quickly claimed it, and it remained in military service into the 1800s.
Inland from the village, Quidi Vidi Lake is the site of the St John's Regatta. The Royal St John's Regatta Museum is on the 2nd floor of the boathouse. A popular walking trail leads around the lake.
Quidi Vidi is about 2km from the northeast edge of downtown. Take Plymouth Rd, go left on Quidi Vidi Rd, then right on Forest Rd (which becomes Quidi Vidi Village Rd). For the brewery, bear right onto Barrows Rd. For the battery, veer off on Cuckold's Cove Rd. For the regatta museum, take a left off Forest Rd onto Lakeview Ave. You can also walk from Signal Hill via the Cuckold's Cove Trail, which takes about 30 minutes.