Canada’s only island province and its smallest province in terms of both population and area, Prince Edward Island is a destination that will charm the pants off you with its slow and relaxed pace of life and highly amiable and welcoming residents. Throw in a touch of fine scenery for good measure and you have a winning recipe for a holiday location that sees visitors come back time and again.
Charlottetown is the provincial capital, although as the only settlement of any significance on the island, it hardly struggled to secure its title. It’s a city that’s seen its fair share of development and yet still manages to maintain a small town charm. The boardwalk is the place to head to capture the essence of the city, with a leisurely stroll along it revealing traditional old shops and charming little cafés and restaurants.
Sightseers in Charlottetown might want to take a trip to the Province House National Historic site, the location of the first meeting for a proposed federal union in 1864. The site is touted as the ‘birthplace of confederation’ and is likely to produce raptures in history buffs and snores in everyone else. If you are among the latter, then you might prefer to spend your time indulging your body—not your mind—at any of the many eateries in the city centre.
Into its 38th season at the city’s Confederation Center of Arts is the musical Anne of Green Gables, a production based on the book of the same name by Lucy Maud Montgomery. If adjectives like wholesome, pure and innocent best describe your preferred entertainment, then be sure to book for a showing.
Summerside is the only other urban settlement on the island and while it’s another pleasant little place with smiling locals and oodles of charm, it’s a city with few major attractions. Those sights that it does offer are predominantly of a historical nature.
Still, if period architecture has you salivating, then the city’s collection of old houses in Pre-Confederation, Victorian and Colonial Revival styles are sure to tickle you. The only other attractions in the town are sporting facilities, which include the Summerside Raceway, Credit Union Place sports complex, Summerside Golf and Country Club and the PEI Sports Hall of Fame.
Prince Edward Island National Park is the province’s favorite location for enjoying Mother Nature’s gifts. This vast expanse offers a diverse selection of geographical features including barrier islands, beaches, forests, wetlands and sandstone cliffs. The eco-systems of each of these locations provide habitats for a broad selection of animals, with a number of rare and endangered species among them.
Literary enthusiasts visiting the park should make the effort to check out Green Gables, an old white house on an estate that is now the Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Cavendish National Historic Site. Lucy Maud Montgomery was responsible for penning the famous Anne of Green Gables novel and the house and its surrounding farm were notable features of the story.