Matthew Lui

Sep 78 min read

7 Day Guide in Prince Edward Island (PEI)!!

Updated: Sep 23

Photos are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

Geography: Prince Edward Island (PEI), a province of Canada
Population: Approx. 518,00 people
Currency: Canadian Dollar; Currency Converter
Best Time to Visit: No bad time

We made our way from Halifax and drove to Prince Edward Island (PEI) which was about a 3 hour drive. One of the 2 ways to get on the island by land is to take the Confederation Bridge, a modern day marvel in engineering. The bridge is 2 lanes wide (one lane each way) and spans 12.9 kilometers (8 miles). Opening back in 1997, the experience was wild, especially since driving up onto the open bridge, you cannot see the land on the other side. As we passed through, each side of the bridge was just open water as far as the eye could see. The trip heading toward PEI is free but coming back to New Brunswick is $50.25 for a standard vehicle. If you are driving towards PEI, this is a must do (and the easiest way to get across).

Lloyd Inman Memorial Park

Heading out to Lloyd Inman Memorial Park, we went to the beach. The lovely red sand was a sight to see. The fun part is that as the low tide brings the water out, there is so much to reveal from tide pools with hermit crabs, snails and other fun sea creatures. With the tide out, we were able to walk out into the ocean 200 hundred yards with the water barely coming to our waste. We spent a couple of hours there, just picking at the sea creatures and wading in the warm water.

Anne of Green Gables: The Musical

"Anne of Green Gables: The Musical" is a musical based on Lucy M. Montgomery’s famous book of the same name that put PEI on the map. Having first opened in 1965, it was performed every year until 2019, earning it the Guinness World Record for “Longest running annual musical theatre production”. In 2022 however, it was announced that it would only run every other year from then on.

The show was running only 3 days a week so we ended up watching the Monday evening show since that was what worked for us. The show was not packed with about half the floor filled but allowed us to stretch out a bit. We were very impressed with the production and show for what we believed was going to be more of a community show. It had an impressive set and lots of catchy songs that we were humming on the way out. This was a professional production with lots of great talent.

If you end up watching the musical, don’t think that it exempts you from reading the book if you haven’t. To be able to condense the musical into 2 hours (with a 20 min intermission), a lot of the storylines had to be blended together. The show still held its own and is something that needs to be checked out.

Victoria by the Sea

As we drove into Victoria past an old lighthouse, one thing we noticed was how small the town was. Made up of just a few city blocks, this was mostly a small cute tourist town. Here you could rent a kayak to hop into the water or a few small eateries on the dock. Walking through the couple of blocks that looked more touristy than homes, we found a few stores that held some gems like a chocolate store where we stopped for a small latte and some delicious seafood shaped chocolate to go with it. There was also a small store where the owner was an older man, who was a jack of all trades, selling hand crafted pottery, CDs of music he wrote and potato soap, which was an interesting PEI souvenir that we saw everywhere. This was also where we stopped for some oysters, which provided us with some variety. You could also check out a small lighthouse to learn about the area and climb up to the second floor to get a higher view.

Cavendish Beach

Cavendish is one of the main summer towns on PEI where tourists and families would come to stay. Full of different activities for families, this is also where all things Anne of Green Gables is. Here you can visit the Green Gables Heritage Site, where Lucy Maud Montgomery would visit her cousin and grow up nearby with her grandparents. All this being the inspiration behind her “Anne of Green Gables” stories. On top of all that, other attractions in the area include Shining Waters Family Fun Park, a Ripley’s Believe or Not museum, Cavendish Beach, Cavendish Beach Adventure Zone and more.

During our day trip out here, the places that we visited were Room Escape Cavendish, the Cavendish Beach, Avonlea Village and the Green Gables Heritage Site. Heading to the beach, this was a popular beach for families. There was just enough parking with 3 lots as we were able to snag a spot but this is one beach you would want to get an early start on. It was a good 5 minute walk on a boardwalk to get to the beach and to climb down some stairs but once we were there, there was plenty of room to wander down and find a spot to set up. The sand was white, soft and the water went out without getting too deep. This was also a supervised beach with lifeguards. For those who don’t like to get too wet, there were some trails around the sand dunes that could be explored but make sure to stay on the boardwalk as this is a National Park and the sand dunes need to be protected.

We also checked out Avonlea Village, a small area that had replicas of the house and shops from Avonlea, the town in “Anne of Green Gables”. The village here mostly consisted of shops and eateries but also includes the Long River Church, Minister’s residence and the original schoolhouse that Lucy Montgomery taught at. During our visit, we made a stop at the Moo’s Outlet Factory where we could find Cow’s apparel for 50% off and more, as long as we weren’t too picky with the style. We also could not pass up an opportunity to have some Cows as there is one here as well.

Green Gables Heritage Site

No trip to PEI is complete without a visit to the Green Gables Heritage Site, the inspiration behind Lucy M. Montgomery’s “Anne of Green Gables” stories. Driving to the site, we walked through the building to pay for admission which also has bathrooms and a small exhibit. The fee ranges from $4.50 to $9 per adult depending on the season you go and is free for kids and youth.

Stepping out the back, we were transported back to the early 1900s, where we could walk through the barn and right up to the Green Gables House. From there, we could take a walk through the house and get a feel for the time period and the layout of the house with the old fashion kitchen, bedrooms, and layout. This was Anne’s cousin's house that she would visit often but where she drew most of her inspiration for Anne of Green Gables layout.

There were also a few hiking paths along the back, which was where she took inspiration for Lovers Lane and Balsam Hollow from her books as well as the Haunted Woods. We walked the 1km path for the Haunted Woods, where the tree and brush was so high that you could understand the spookiness that could be imagined. The 1km walk was a loop but there was a branch that would take you to L.M. Montgomery's Cavendish National Historic Site. There is a separate entrance fee for this location, but it contains the site of Lucy Maud Montgomery's Cavendish Home.

Of course, at the end of the trip, we did have to stop at the gift shop where you can find a lot of Canada Parks swag and of course, Anne of Green Gables merchandise including her iconic hat, copies of the book as well as a refreshing Raspberry Cordial.

Seven's Pinball-o-Rama

Seven’s Pinball-o-rama totes itself to be Canada’s largest pinball arcade and we believe it. Located in Cornwall, PEI, this pinball arcade is pay by the hour. It costs $14.95 for one hour or you could add an additional 5 cents to play for 2 hours.

This place had pinball machines from across the ages from the 50s with the flipping score reels to more modern ones. They also had a few video game cabinets too with such classics like Ms. Pac-man, Super Smash Bros., Galaga and more. Speaking with the owner, he talked about how he still had 60 more machines in storage and was looking for a larger space.

To add to the feel, this place also had retro music playing, lava lamps and cheap candies that we remember from when we were kids to more modern sweets for purchase. Any video game and pinball fanatics must check it out and at such a cheap cost, well worth the time if you need to get out of the sun or rain for a little bit.

Basin Head Provincial Park

From where we were staying, Basin Head Provincial Park was a 1.5 hour drive and it was well worth the trip. The beach had change rooms and showers to wash the sand off your feet on the way up and down as well as a concession. There was also a fisheries museum that was closed when we were there.

Basin Head Provincial Park contains what is known as the Singing Sands Beach. This is because the pure white sand has a high silica content, which causes it to sound like it “sings” as you walk through it. Though the sand did “sing” as we walked through it, we found that it sounded louder than a normal “crunch”.

The highlight though was the channel that split the beach into 2 sections. The channel had a bridge to cross it, where the water was about 15 feet down and deep. There were a lot of people that used the bridge and edges to take the jump into the channel and depending on the tide time, you could float inwards, outwards or we could swim to the nearby ladder. Make sure you watch the tide and the times though. When jumping in during high tide, the tide would take us inwards towards a small beach around the corner but during low tide, we could easily be swept out to sea. This beach does have lifeguards though but still use caution.

There was a lot of beach to explore here and did not seem too busy on the day we went. The water was clear and overall, a fantastic family beach to come and sit in the sand and relax.

Spooky Charlottetown Ghost Tour

On Thursday evening, we headed down near the water to join a Ghost Tour that took us around the historical downtown of Charlottetown.

This was a family friendly tour that even my youngest who gets jumpy really enjoyed. Our host was knowledgeable, dressed the part and she had a great voice for story telling. There were no gruesome tales and some fun tales. This one only lasted about an hour but we got to see lots of sights and hear lots of stories. Definitely a ghost tour to check out if you have young kids.