10 Best Places On Prince Edward Island

I think I was in junior high when I discovered Anne of Green Gables. My parents and I started watching the mini-series on PBS and I was glued to the TV. I’ve watched the movie numerous times since. My fascination and love for Anne, Dianna, Gilbert, Marilla, and Matthew have never dwindled, so it was a bit of a dream come true when my dad suggested our family go to Prince Edward Island this summer for a family vacation.

This week I walked the same paths that Anne of Green Gable’s author Lucy Maud Montgomery did over one hundred years ago. It has been magical. And though I’ll never do Prince Edward Island justice in a single post, I’d like to share what I deem to be the 10 best places on Prince Edward Island.

Map of Prince Edward Island

10 Best Places To Visit On PEI

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1. Green Gables

The Green Gables House is where the movie Anne of Green Gables was filmed. It is the actual home that inspired Green Gables author, L.M. Montgomery, to write the beloved story of orphaned Anne Shirley who is mistakenly, yet providentially, placed in the home of Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert.

This is a trailer of Anne of Green Gables, my all time favorite movie. I still cry every time I watch it, or read the book. My daughters, now 7 and 10, have both read the book and watched the movie too. So it was as Anne might express, even more wonderful than I could imagine, to visit “Anne’s home” with my daughters.

2. Site of L.M. Montgomery’s Cavendish Home

When I went to PEI, I mistakenly thought that the Green Gables home was where Lucy Maud Montgomery lived. I discovered, however, that the Green Gables home was owned by L.M. Montgomery’s cousin’s, The McNeill family. Montgomery actually lived with her grandparents whose home was in walking distance from her cousins.

Though none of the buildings on the site of Montgomery’s Cavendish home remain, it is still a great place to visit. Visitors can see the homestead fields where Montgomery lived, and walk along the path that Montgomery used to take to get to her cousin’s Green Gables home.

The tour guides do a great job sharing details of Montgomery’s life. The guide I listened to is actually a distant relative of the author.

3. L.M. Montgomery’s Birthplace

Montgomery lived most of her growing up years with her grandparents in Cavendish, but she was actually born a short distance from there in a town called New London. Montgomery’s mom died of tuberculosis when Montgomery was only 21 months old. After that, her father entrusted Montgomery to be cared for by her maternal grandparents.

L.M. Montgomery’s birthplace is still standing and is open for tourists. The home is small and it doesn’t take long to tour the rooms, but the guides here tell wonderful historical accounts about Montgomery and her family. There is a nominal entrance fee. It costs $5 for adults and 50 cents for children.

4. Red Sand Beaches

Prince Edward Island is known for its red sand beaches and beautiful cliffs. You really can’t go wrong visiting any of the beaches. Our family went to Cavendish Beach, Dalvay Beach, Basin Head (Singing Sands) Beach, and Cabot Beach.

Though all of them are beautiful, Basin Head Beach on the northeast corner of the island, is our family favorite. The beach is nicknamed Singing Sands, because when the sand is completely dry, it supposedly “sings” as people walk on it. I thought the sand was dry the day we visited, but it must have had laryngitis, because I didn’t hear a peep.

The most popular attraction at Basin Head is a bridge that both kids and adults love jumping off of. We arrived pretty early so you’ll notice there aren’t a lot of people in the picture. By the time we left, the bridge was packed with swimmers ready to plunge.

5. Dalvay By The Sea

Dalvay By The Sea is a very popular resort and restaurant because the outside of the hotel appeared in the movie Anne of Green Gables. In the movie it is called the White Sands Hotel. It’s where Anne gets encored for reciting The Highway Man. If you remember the movie, Gilbert is the first one to stand and applaud for Anne.

The hotel is beautiful and visitors are welcome to tour the first floor. The fine dining restaurant is on the first floor as well. Be sure to make reservations for tea. Tiered trays full of goodies are served between 2-4 p.m. daily.

6. Charlottetown

Charlottetown is a lovely historic city and also the capital of Prince Edward Island. Our family started out by visiting a the large information center close to the boardwalk. From this area visitors can sign up to take bus tours of the city, or get a map of the city that includes nicely marked walking routes.

At the information booth check to see if any historical vignettes are running at Province House. We saw From Sea To Shining Sea which was performed daily at 12:50 in front of Province House.

7. Confederation Centre of The Arts to see the Anne of Green Gables Musical

Right next to Province House is the Confederation of the Arts Centre. It is the home for the musical Anne of Green Gables which hold the Guinness Book World Record for being the longest running annual musical theatre production. It is a hands down, wonderful performance.

The tickets range in price from $25-$60. The $25 tickets sell out fast so book early if you are planning a visit. We saw the musical in it’s 51st season. I couldn’t find any video of that, but here is a little snippet of the musical’s 46th season.

8. Prince Edward Island Preserve Company and Hope Gardens on the Clyde River

A lovely restaurant and gift shop in a beautiful location overlooking the Clyde River. In the gift shop customers can sample many of their delicious teas and jams including my favorite preserves flavor, raspberry champagne. I bought a variety of jams to give as gifts and also enjoyed the lobster pot pie I ate for lunch in the restaurant. After a filling lunch, our family enjoyed walking around the beautiful Hope Gardens just next to the restaurant.

9. Cow’s Creamery Factory Store

Proclaimed the best ice cream on Prince Edward Island, there are several Cow’s ice cream stores on the island. Their factory store location is especially fun, however, because visitors can get a sneak peak at their factories that produce cheese, ice cream, and T-shirts. This is also the location that sells the fun “cow themed” T-shirts that are extremely popular. My kids enjoyed it!

10. Graham’s Deep Sea Fishing Tours

Enjoy a deep sea fishing adventure with your entire family. The boat can seat up to 18 passengers and tours depart at 8 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. Bring home fresh catches like haddock and mackerel and you’ll be set for dinner.

I hope you enjoyed exploring the 10 best places on Prince Edward Island in this post. All that’s left now is to book a flight, or prepare for a road trip to see the beautiful red sand beaches and countryside that were home to L.M. Montgomery and Anne of Green Gables.