Manuels River

Manuels River is a community-based organization supporting sustainability, growing minds, and wellness. Our vision is to be a leader in connecting people with nature. As a registered charity, dedicated to the conservation and protection of the Manuels River trail system, we are a nature-based tourism attraction. We feature an interpretation centre with interactive exhibits, a full-service cafe and catering services, accessible hiking trails that are free to use, and experiential tourism product packages and events. This attraction is based on the internationally recognized fossil collection found along the Manuels River in the provincially protected fossil sites. The exhibits offer the opportunity to view the remarkable MR1 fossil, found on Manuels River by Dr. Riccardo Levi-Setti, and showcase the interesting local geology as well as the biology, ecology and human history of the area. The Manuels River valley is one of the oldest and most picturesque river valleys in North America. It is home to many fascinating plants, insects, birds, and other animals, and contains some incredibly old rocks and well-preserved fossils. The staff work diligently to protect the river valley and to educate the public about the necessity of their conservation. Part of this endeavour is to maintain, upgrade, and extend an accessible trail system that encourages appreciation of the natural world, physical activity, and mental wellness, along the river banks. Our centre not only houses the educational centre and exhibits, but also serves as an income generator through its rental space (for weddings, meetings, and conferences), 52-seat theatre, bar, cafe and catering operations; an award winning wedding venue. We host public educational programs and various community events; all proceeds from our services and fundraising contribute significantly to ongoing operations of programming, facility and trail maintenance. We are located in beautiful Conception Bay South (CBS), NL, Canada