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| Ranking Among Countries: #35 |
| Venturers: 4 |
| Mid-Venturers: 5 |
| Centrics-Venturers: 6 |
| Centrics-Authentics: 7 |
| Mid-Authentics: 6 |
| Authentics: 6 |
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| • Prince Edward Island is Canada’s smallest province and most densely populated. |
| • Jacques Cartier discovered the Island in 1534. |
| • The Island was named Prince Edward in honor of Queen Victoria’s father. |
| • Approximately 11% of the population speaks French. |
| • “Anne of Green Gables” was published in 1908. |
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| When visitors describe Prince Edward Island, they tend to make it sound like a cool-weather version of Bermuda or one of the Caribbean islands. Travelers find peaceful, rural, green farmland leading to white beaches, friendly residents in picturesque villages, enough history to add interest, plus plenty of golf and tennis. They also find a place they describe as clean and safe. The native Micmac Indians called the island off New Brunswick Epekwitk, meaning Resting on the Waves, which is an apt, but not an exactly surprising name for an island. A small number of Indians live on provincial reservations. As with other parts of eastern Canada, significant numbers have French ancestry, and as a result, French is still spoken in a few communities, especially in the western part of the province.
Most Americans know about Prince Edward Island from Lucy Maud Montgomery's classic “Anne of Green Gables” and delight in the charm of a place that appears unchanged from those Victorian times. The fictional Anne and her creator play a significant role in tourism on the island; there are several sites associated with Montgomery’s life or identified as places used by Montgomery in the Green Gables series and in other books.
Who goes there? Most of the travelers who cite Prince Edward Island (usually abbreviated as PEI) as a favorite place are from the eastern half of the United States and fall into the center or toward the authentics side of the personality scale. When do they go? By and large, this is a summertime destination, thanks to pleasant midyear temperatures and warm water. As an added attraction, Charlottetown hosts an annual festival from May to September, showcasing musical theater. Many shops and attractions close down in October.
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Get onto the water; choose parasailing, or waterskiing, or windsurfing.
Charter a boat for deep-sea fishing. You could go for giant bluefin tuna or shark, but mackerel is the most common quarry. If you land a big one, it belongs to the captain, whose boat holds the license.
Divert yourself with a game of paintball.
Get the license and hunt for Canada goose or other waterfowl; you can hunt other small game, too.
Choose a four- to seven-day cycling tour.
Stay in the cottage on the grounds of the Pioneer Farm. The farm, which is powered solely by wind and solar energy, showcases renewable energy and offers activities such as wagon or sleigh rides.
Go scuba diving. Or, go sailing. Or, go kayaking.
If you visit in winter, at Brookvale Winter Activity Park you can ski (alpine or nordic), or go ice skating, snowboarding, snowshoeing, tobagganing or tubing.
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Come to PEI for bird-watching. The province counts about 333 bird species.
Fish on rivers, lakes or ponds for salmon, trout or other fish. A license is required.
Attend a hands-on chocolate workshop at the Island Chocolates Company.
Plan an excursion among the island’s crimson trees between September and November. Combine that with some cycling or hiking.
Go sightseeing around the island by pontoon boat, which can gain you a look at parts of the island not otherwise accessible. Or, take a boat tour for seal watching.
Immerse yourself in the life and times of author Lucy Maud Montgomery and her fictional character Anne. A dozen choices, including a three-day itinerary, are listed at www.gov.pe.ca/infopei/index.php3?number=69284&lang=E.
Look for the author’s Cavendish Home (where she wrote “Anne of Green Gables” and where some of her family still live); the Lucy Maud Montgomery Birthplace home; Lucy Maud Montgomery Heritage Museum (the Montgomery family home), and others.
Tour a tobacco plantation, then buy cigars to take home.
This is the place to see lighthouses, and planning around them on PEI should be easy. Fifty-four are listed at www.gov.pe.ca/.
Take in harness racing, choosing from three tracks. Consider horseback riding, as well.
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Play golf. The site, www.gov.pe, has a list of 31 golf courses.
Shop for authentic island crafts all over, the best of which are handmade quilts and rugs, pottery, wooden furniture and toys, hand-knit sweaters and stained glass. Also, at the Lennox Island Reserve, you can buy traditional native craft items, particularly baskets, figurines and pottery.
Take a factory tour. You can see the making of cheese, chocolate, cigars, figurines or wine.
Sign on for a multi-day walking tour.
Eat lots of seafood, especially lobster which is served up at lobster suppers in several establishments. Local oysters are highly praised, as well. Also, you’ll find Acadian cuisine in the French-influenced Acadian Shore.
For live entertainment, go to Avonlea - Village of Anne of Green Gables for some drama as costumed actors play the parts of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s characters.
Or, take tea at the Lucy Maud Montgomery Heritage Museum and create a flowered hat for yourself, modeled on Anne’s hat.
Choose one of nearly 20 scenic trails for a driving trip around PEI.
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For more information, consult Tourism Prince Edward Island at www.gentleisland.com
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