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Customer Service: 5 Location: 5 WIFI: 5 Restrooms: 5 Cleanliness: 5 We visited the St. John's Rooms museum on Monday while we was docked for our port day. It was conveniently about a 15 minute walk from the cruise ship dock. Upon entering the Visitors center we were quickly greeted by a friendly staff member. They were able to quickly provide us with alot of useful information. They pointed out that some parts of the museum were free, and there was like 4 rooms that required a ticket. We decided to not get a ticket because we were on a limited time schedule. This is a must stop museum, you could spend hrs just admiring all the history and scenery inside and out. Make sure you go up to the observation decks as well. They do have conference rooms and a cafeteria. I will add more info later... @glampedlife
Gayle and I were very impressed with the Rooms, including an excellent Lunch at the upstairs restaurant. It's easily accessed and located "high" above Downtown St. John's and features killer views of the City harbor and the Narrows. The Rooms is a modern community center with a gallery of local art & a museum dedicated to various aspects of Newfoundland history and society. The building's name, as well as its architecture, is a reference to the simple gable-roofed sheds (called "fishing rooms") that were once so common at the waterline in Newfoundland outport villages. Besides the restaurant, Gayle and I particularly enjoyed the indigenous-themed art gallery, a section on Irish migration to Newfoundland, War history, and various cultural and historical displays. We started on top (Lunch) and worked our way down the building. And like many of St. John's streets, there were not a lot of right angles as we proceeded to each full exhibit. Sometimes it's hard to reconcile spending time within an inside museum when there's so much beauty outside throughout Newfoundland in general and outside of St. John's in particular. But if you want some really good Provincial perspectives before you head out, the Rooms is the place and so worth the reasonable price of admission. There's a nice gift shop too!
Came to learn about the Beothuk people and the indigenous history. Should have started here during stay since it has a great restaurant, professional staff and fantastic view. From the restaurant you can see signal hill, the neighborhood with colorful houses, the fishing fleets, and get a great view of downtown. They also have a great gift shop.
it's a nice building but super boring not much to take in or see/do would skip if i had to do over
Great Museum! We had a full day left in St Johns before going home. I've read great thing about The Rooms. We decided to spend our morning here. Paid parking in front of the museum, but if you don't mind crossing the street, street parking is free! Entrance fee $10 per adult. The museum has a cafe / restaurant with amazing views. I wish we has time to have afternoon tea here, next time. The museum is great, it has a lot history, modern art, shops, and so much more. We started at the top and worked our way down. The views of the harbour and the city from the museum is amazing, I would come just for the view. Overall, Im glad we came.
This is a manageable sized museum and art gallery, although with three teenagers we did not see everything. I was hopeful that the thunderstorm would play out over the inlet while we were there, but timing was off and we had a flight to catch. There was a helpful guide on the second floor. The real iceberg ship he showed us was cool, but perhaps he should have read the horrified teenage girls better when he was trying to get them to pet the animal skins. As far as the cafe, it was quite nice. Gorgeous view and good service. Some food items were better than others, with the risotto cakes probably being the best. Cute gift shop. A whimsical tea towel with whales on it to go home.
The Rooms is a beautiful art gallery / museum. We first had a late lunch at the cafe before seeing the rest. The food at the cafe is slightly pricey but definitely worth it in my opinion. We had the cod cakes, fisher mans catch & sticky toffee & that came to $50.00. But everything was super delicious & fresh. They were even able to make my dish non-dairy (I'm allergic). As for the exhibits there's a lot of local artwork here & also natural history. It's was interesting to see the clothing of bygone days from the livyers to inuit & other natives. The top floors are dedicated to the exhibits while the ground floor is the admittance desk & gift shop. I love the architecture of this building its modern & refreshing. There are also some great views from the windows & observation deck on the top floor. I would recommend this to all tourists coming to St. John's.
Went to both the museum and the restaurant. Overall, a very good experience. For the price of admission, the experience was worthwhile. There were many displays about the history of Newfoundland. Many exhibits were quite interesting with many audiovisual components. I enjoyed the paintings the most and found those the most rewarding. Unfortunately, those are also the ones that cannot be photographed. The cafe at the top was great! Excellent service. Great view of the city. Well worth it for the price. The menu was also quite comprehensive for the size of the cafe. Ordered a coffee and fish tacos. Coffee was quite basic, and nothing to write home about but refills were given. Fish tacos were above average. Came with a very fresh salad and the portions were decent sized. Fish was crispy and the taco was warm. Overall, I would suggest going to the museum for a meal and explore the archives. Enjoy the view while you are at it! That would make a good half-day of activities!
The Rooms is a cultural centre, art gallery and museum under one roof. There is also a cafe that serves breakfast and lunch. There are 4 levels in the building. The ground floor is admission, gift shop and coat room. The exhibitions are on 2nd to 4th levels. The exhibits are well organized into rooms: World War I, ecological development, social development, Native Americans, ways of living, art, famous people, etc.. Each room has large quantity of artifacts, pictures, illustrations to tell the stories. This is a rich and meaningful content. I can spend a whole day here. The interior of the building is modern looking, airy, well laid out and clean. It is comfortable to walk around. A cafe is on the 4th floor. It is called Red Oak. It serves breakfast and lunch. While the pricing is higher than places outside of the centre, it is in line with the pricing of cafes inside many museums and galleries in North America. There were regular appetizers, sandwiches, burger and pasta on menu when I visited. But when I saw Traditional Cod Cakes on menu, I just couldn't resist. The Rooms was the only place that I saw this traditional NFLD dish during this trip. Other places that I patronized had altered the recipe to cater to modern tastes. But then I shouldn't be surprised; this is a museum after all. Historically, Cod was salted before sale for practical reasons. The traditional NFLD Cod fish cake was salted Cod meat cooked in milk. The entree came with 3 fish cakes. The first cake didn't taste salty to me. It tasted bland to be honest, as I expected it to be salty. This first impression proved to be faulty. The impact of the salt accumulated. I started tasting the salt in the second cake. The third cake saw me reaching for the iced tea repeatedly. I continued to feel the impact of the salt in my stomach for over an hour after the meal. I eat rather salty in my regular Asian diet. These 3 Cod fish cakes tested my limit. And this entree was not even big portioned. In fact, I estimated that most gentlemen would not find the meal sufficiently filling. I nevertheless found this venture into the food history interesting, though I care not to repeat it.
One of the nicest museums we have ever visited. As you enter there is a desk to get a tickets and/or sign up for a guided tour. There is a very nice gift shop[ to the left. We wanted to take our time so we chose to just get an admission ticket to tour the 4 floors of the museum and then have lunch in the cafe. The 2nd floor has an amazing collection of WW1 historical artifacts all about the men from Newfoundland who chose to fight for their country. It is very nicely done. The 4th floor has a large area about the history of Newfoundland and on the other side is the cafe. We ate there and the food was delicious including our first try at "Cod Cheeks". If you visit here and want to learn about the country this is the place.
Easily one of my favourite attractions in St. John's, the Rooms are a combination of the city's museum exhibits, art galleries, and archives along with a full performance theatre, café/restaurant, and one of the most epic views of the narrows you'll find outside of Signal Hill. The architecture is completely unique with two house-style buildings (but much larger, of course) connected with a glass atrium that surrounds the lobbies and stairwells. Very, very cool. What I love most about my visits here is that the museum and gallery complement each other so well. In the museum, I get to experience parts of Newfoundland's culture from its Irish routes to the cod-fishing industry, and seamlessly walk into modern works of art inspired by their days of independence or staggering David Blackwood prints. CAA member discounts on both entry and gift shop purchases are always a plus but be warned if the very, very icky giant squid on the third floor.
From Signal Hill you can't miss The Rooms sitting high above the harbour keeping watch over the city. If you talk to the locals there's a love/hate relationship with the architecture. While it beckons memories of life in outports it also sticks out like somewhat of a sore thumb. Inside though it speaks volumes of the life and times of those who call Newfoundland home. While the outside is traditional in nature, the inside feels extremely modern in comparison. Lots of glass and open concept design. There are many sections to The Rooms and each tells a different facet of the storyline of this island's people. Travelling exhibits are featured and there's literally something for everyone inside the walls here. Don't miss a quick bite in The Rooms Cafe on the upper floor - if only for a snapshot of St. John's Harbour and the Narrows from the cafe's small balcony. The view is truly unparalleled.
If you're a first time visitor to St. John's I urge you to make The Rooms one of your first stops. It will not only give you a good sense of the geography of the city and its harbor, but also of the culture of Newfoundland. The relatively new building sits at a high point overlooking St. John's (more about the exterior later in this review). It houses a good restaurant where you can eat and drink with a panoramic view of the city. It also has spaces devoted to an art gallery, to the history of the Irish in Newfoundland, of the natural history of the island, the provincial archives and also special exhibits. During my most recent visit there was an exhibit about the huge number of men from Newfoundland lost in 1916, during World War I, as well as what happened to those who made it back. There's always something worth seeing, and the restaurant is great for lunch. The Rooms also has one of the best gift shops in town. I wondered why they call it The Rooms. It's because it's built in the shape of the fishing shacks, or rooms, that once dotted the coast. A problem is that the building is so large, you'd never guess what inspired its design--a modest little fishing shack. So, while the interior is five star, the huge structure that dominates the St. John's skyline is aesthetically dissonant with the scale and style of other structures. It also overwhelms the adjacent cathedral that long marked the highest point in the town. Minus one star for the tasteless exterior of The Rooms. The interior is five star.
Usually, smaller cities have smaller museums. St John's is the exception. The Rooms is a very large museum with more than four floors of space. My friend and I visited on a rainy day when they stayed open until 9 p.m. Here's our experience. 1) Admission: Adult regular tickets cost a little over 10 Canadian dollars with parking five per vehicle. (Pay at the kiosk in the museum lobby on your way out.) It's worth the price. 2) Experience: We started at the top floor with their art gallery and exhibits about the history of Newfoundland. In the museum section is a staircase that takes you to more items. On the top floor are a few items from the Titanic. (It's here where the first distress signals were picked up, and they helped with the relief efforts.) The bottom floors have more art and exhibits about Newfoundland's history to present. 3) Space: The architecture and views are both standout features. The space has plenty of restrooms, a cost check, and gift shop. read more
3 months ago
We came for the restaurant at the top of the museum. The view of the bay is incredible and the food was incredible. We had both breakfast and lunch. Such a hidden gem in St John's. The museum is quite interesting and the section on WW1 and Newfoundlands contributions was inspiring and very heart warming. Being from the US the display made me instantly proud of all the Newfoundlanders!! read more
3 years ago
Customer Service: 5 Location: 5 WIFI: 5 Restrooms: 5 Cleanliness: 5 We visited the St. John's Rooms museum on Monday while we was docked for our port day. It was conveniently about a 15 minute walk from the cruise ship dock. Upon entering the Visitors center we were quickly greeted by a friendly staff member. They were able to quickly provide us with alot of useful information. They pointed out that some parts of the museum were free, and there was like 4 rooms that required a ticket. We decided to not get a ticket because we were on a limited time schedule. This is a must stop museum, you could spend hrs just admiring all the history and scenery inside and out. Make sure you go up to the observation decks as well. They do have conference rooms and a cafeteria. I will add more info later... @glampedlife read more
Gayle and I were very impressed with the Rooms, including an excellent Lunch at the upstairs restaurant. It's easily accessed and located "high" above Downtown St. John's and features killer views of the City harbor and the Narrows. The Rooms is a modern community center with a gallery of local art & a museum dedicated to various aspects of Newfoundland history and society. The building's name, as well as its architecture, is a reference to the simple gable-roofed sheds (called "fishing rooms") that were once so common at the waterline in Newfoundland outport villages. Besides the restaurant, Gayle and I particularly enjoyed the indigenous-themed art gallery, a section on Irish migration to Newfoundland, War history, and various cultural and historical displays. We started on top (Lunch) and worked our way down the building. And like many of St. John's streets, there were not a lot of right angles as we proceeded to each full exhibit. Sometimes it's hard to reconcile spending time within an inside museum when there's so much beauty outside throughout Newfoundland in general and outside of St. John's in particular. But if you want some really good Provincial perspectives before you head out, the Rooms is the place and so worth the reasonable price of admission. There's a nice gift shop too! read more
1 year ago
Came to learn about the Beothuk people and the indigenous history. Should have started here during stay since it has a great restaurant, professional staff and fantastic view. From the restaurant you can see signal hill, the neighborhood with colorful houses, the fishing fleets, and get a great view of downtown. They also have a great gift shop. read more
Great Museum! We had a full day left in St Johns before going home. I've read great thing about The Rooms. We decided to spend our morning here. Paid parking in front of the museum, but if you don't mind crossing the street, street parking is free! Entrance fee $10 per adult. The museum has a cafe / restaurant with amazing views. I wish we has time to have afternoon tea here, next time. The museum is great, it has a lot history, modern art, shops, and so much more. We started at the top and worked our way down. The views of the harbour and the city from the museum is amazing, I would come just for the view. Overall, Im glad we came. read more
2 years ago
8 years ago
This is a manageable sized museum and art gallery, although with three teenagers we did not see everything. I was hopeful that the thunderstorm would play out over the inlet while we were there, but timing was off and we had a flight to catch. There was a helpful guide on the second floor. The real iceberg ship he showed us was cool, but perhaps he should have read the horrified teenage girls better when he was trying to get them to pet the animal skins. As far as the cafe, it was quite nice. Gorgeous view and good service. Some food items were better than others, with the risotto cakes probably being the best. Cute gift shop. A whimsical tea towel with whales on it to go home. read more
The Rooms is a beautiful art gallery / museum. We first had a late lunch at the cafe before seeing the rest. The food at the cafe is slightly pricey but definitely worth it in my opinion. We had the cod cakes, fisher mans catch & sticky toffee & that came to $50.00. But everything was super delicious & fresh. They were even able to make my dish non-dairy (I'm allergic). As for the exhibits there's a lot of local artwork here & also natural history. It's was interesting to see the clothing of bygone days from the livyers to inuit & other natives. The top floors are dedicated to the exhibits while the ground floor is the admittance desk & gift shop. I love the architecture of this building its modern & refreshing. There are also some great views from the windows & observation deck on the top floor. I would recommend this to all tourists coming to St. John's. read more
8 years ago
Went to both the museum and the restaurant. Overall, a very good experience. For the price of admission, the experience was worthwhile. There were many displays about the history of Newfoundland. Many exhibits were quite interesting with many audiovisual components. I enjoyed the paintings the most and found those the most rewarding. Unfortunately, those are also the ones that cannot be photographed. The cafe at the top was great! Excellent service. Great view of the city. Well worth it for the price. The menu was also quite comprehensive for the size of the cafe. Ordered a coffee and fish tacos. Coffee was quite basic, and nothing to write home about but refills were given. Fish tacos were above average. Came with a very fresh salad and the portions were decent sized. Fish was crispy and the taco was warm. Overall, I would suggest going to the museum for a meal and explore the archives. Enjoy the view while you are at it! That would make a good half-day of activities! read more
The Rooms is a cultural centre, art gallery and museum under one roof. There is also a cafe that serves breakfast and lunch. There are 4 levels in the building. The ground floor is admission, gift shop and coat room. The exhibitions are on 2nd to 4th levels. The exhibits are well organized into rooms: World War I, ecological development, social development, Native Americans, ways of living, art, famous people, etc.. Each room has large quantity of artifacts, pictures, illustrations to tell the stories. This is a rich and meaningful content. I can spend a whole day here. The interior of the building is modern looking, airy, well laid out and clean. It is comfortable to walk around. A cafe is on the 4th floor. It is called Red Oak. It serves breakfast and lunch. While the pricing is higher than places outside of the centre, it is in line with the pricing of cafes inside many museums and galleries in North America. There were regular appetizers, sandwiches, burger and pasta on menu when I visited. But when I saw Traditional Cod Cakes on menu, I just couldn't resist. The Rooms was the only place that I saw this traditional NFLD dish during this trip. Other places that I patronized had altered the recipe to cater to modern tastes. But then I shouldn't be surprised; this is a museum after all. Historically, Cod was salted before sale for practical reasons. The traditional NFLD Cod fish cake was salted Cod meat cooked in milk. The entree came with 3 fish cakes. The first cake didn't taste salty to me. It tasted bland to be honest, as I expected it to be salty. This first impression proved to be faulty. The impact of the salt accumulated. I started tasting the salt in the second cake. The third cake saw me reaching for the iced tea repeatedly. I continued to feel the impact of the salt in my stomach for over an hour after the meal. I eat rather salty in my regular Asian diet. These 3 Cod fish cakes tested my limit. And this entree was not even big portioned. In fact, I estimated that most gentlemen would not find the meal sufficiently filling. I nevertheless found this venture into the food history interesting, though I care not to repeat it. read more
9 years ago
One of the nicest museums we have ever visited. As you enter there is a desk to get a tickets and/or sign up for a guided tour. There is a very nice gift shop[ to the left. We wanted to take our time so we chose to just get an admission ticket to tour the 4 floors of the museum and then have lunch in the cafe. The 2nd floor has an amazing collection of WW1 historical artifacts all about the men from Newfoundland who chose to fight for their country. It is very nicely done. The 4th floor has a large area about the history of Newfoundland and on the other side is the cafe. We ate there and the food was delicious including our first try at "Cod Cheeks". If you visit here and want to learn about the country this is the place. read more
Easily one of my favourite attractions in St. John's, the Rooms are a combination of the city's museum exhibits, art galleries, and archives along with a full performance theatre, café/restaurant, and one of the most epic views of the narrows you'll find outside of Signal Hill. The architecture is completely unique with two house-style buildings (but much larger, of course) connected with a glass atrium that surrounds the lobbies and stairwells. Very, very cool. What I love most about my visits here is that the museum and gallery complement each other so well. In the museum, I get to experience parts of Newfoundland's culture from its Irish routes to the cod-fishing industry, and seamlessly walk into modern works of art inspired by their days of independence or staggering David Blackwood prints. CAA member discounts on both entry and gift shop purchases are always a plus but be warned if the very, very icky giant squid on the third floor. read more
7 years ago
From Signal Hill you can't miss The Rooms sitting high above the harbour keeping watch over the city. If you talk to the locals there's a love/hate relationship with the architecture. While it beckons memories of life in outports it also sticks out like somewhat of a sore thumb. Inside though it speaks volumes of the life and times of those who call Newfoundland home. While the outside is traditional in nature, the inside feels extremely modern in comparison. Lots of glass and open concept design. There are many sections to The Rooms and each tells a different facet of the storyline of this island's people. Travelling exhibits are featured and there's literally something for everyone inside the walls here. Don't miss a quick bite in The Rooms Cafe on the upper floor - if only for a snapshot of St. John's Harbour and the Narrows from the cafe's small balcony. The view is truly unparalleled. read more
5 years ago
9 years ago
If you're a first time visitor to St. John's I urge you to make The Rooms one of your first stops. It will not only give you a good sense of the geography of the city and its harbor, but also of the culture of Newfoundland. The relatively new building sits at a high point overlooking St. John's (more about the exterior later in this review). It houses a good restaurant where you can eat and drink with a panoramic view of the city. It also has spaces devoted to an art gallery, to the history of the Irish in Newfoundland, of the natural history of the island, the provincial archives and also special exhibits. During my most recent visit there was an exhibit about the huge number of men from Newfoundland lost in 1916, during World War I, as well as what happened to those who made it back. There's always something worth seeing, and the restaurant is great for lunch. The Rooms also has one of the best gift shops in town. I wondered why they call it The Rooms. It's because it's built in the shape of the fishing shacks, or rooms, that once dotted the coast. A problem is that the building is so large, you'd never guess what inspired its design--a modest little fishing shack. So, while the interior is five star, the huge structure that dominates the St. John's skyline is aesthetically dissonant with the scale and style of other structures. It also overwhelms the adjacent cathedral that long marked the highest point in the town. Minus one star for the tasteless exterior of The Rooms. The interior is five star. read more
9 years ago
I went to The Rooms for the first time yesterday. I was very impressed. The exhibits are on floors 2,3 and 4. Very clean, and an awesome staircase in the centre of the building (elevators are also available). The food at the cafe on the 4th floor was amazing. A bit expensive but well worth it. I had the Avalon scramble, and the eggs were probably the best I have ever tasted. The view of St. John's is spectacular and a must see for out-of-towners and locals alike. My favourite part was the Beaumont Hamel exhibit. It had a lot of heartbreaking letters, journals, commendations and stories of the fallen soldiers. Admission is $11 for adults with discounts for students and seniors. Parking costs $2/hr read more
4 years ago
9 years ago
What can one say about the place that now houses the museum, the art gallery, and the archives. A noted Canadian personna, who orginally hails from Newfoundland is reputed to have said: "The Rooms looks like the box that the Basilica came in." Basilica: http://www.yelp.ca/biz_photos/TezG4Qybjty7qPJXV73ySw?select=I1POLBCQWpFwPdQyTXjwYg The Rooms: http://www.yelp.ca/biz_photos/CCBH9SleETMmbrlt1B1T6Q?select=Myvzlw_saGS13fVadiAKpw Side-by-side: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rexton/111647596/ As is typical with most museums and art galleries there are a host of things to see from the permanent and temporary displays and exhibits. Archives are well, timeless. Viewing platforms out various sides of the structure which allow you to marvel not only at the structure itself, but also glorious panoramic views of the beautiful City of St. John's from a breathless, bird-like perspective. Well, they also have a damn fine dining room / cafe / bar. Perfect for a meal or a drink during your visit here. Exceptional service. Delicious local ingredients (and inspired) dishes. How can you argue with offerings like Newfoundland Pea Soup or Seafood Chowder, Atlantic Smoked Salmon Panini, or Cariboo Bolognese to name a few. On your way out be sure to visit the gift store. A bit of an art gallery/museum exhibit of its own. read more
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