Green Gables Dreaming

Last year in August we went on a beautiful adventure to Prince Edward Island in Canada, a twelve-hour drive north of home. Ever since, we have been dreaming of returning to PEI. We almost went spontaneously last month but considered our budget and decided to wait it out. I can’t tell you how much I wish we were more financially irresponsible and went any way.

I’ve seen photos of Prince Edward Island before and have wanted to see the island, but it was not until I read Anne of Green Gables in my early thirties and became obsessed with the movies and shows that I knew I absolutely had to go. My husband Matthew is also a fan of the show Anne With An E so he was on board for the trip. I think it really caught him by surprise how much he loved every minute on Prince Edward Island.

Prince Edward Island does have a vibrant history, fun ties to the L. M. Montgomery classic stories and beautiful red sand beaches, but there was so much more than we expected. The island is rural -very rural. And while people said it was “busy,” it felt very quiet for us. We were surprised that all of the beaches are public access, and you can access them from just about everywhere. Most of the beaches are free. There are two state parks on the island and access is only $7. In fact, most of the museums were about $7 as well. Overall, it was very affordable to spend a week on the island. The largest cost was our lodging and even that was reasonable, as long as it is booked in advance.

And lighthouses absolutely everywhere. Summerside and Charlestown are nice little cities. The cities are known for their small theaters, farmers markets, sea food restaurants and Cow’s Creamery ice cream. You’re not going to find a major nightlife here and I like that. If you’re familiar with Connecticut, I should share that the towns are so small that they make Roxbury and Morris look huge. Unlike New England, most of the towns do not have many buildings or community greens. PEI is a place to enjoy nature and solitude. I’ve never felt more at peace.

If you’re a fan of L. M. Montgomery’s, you can find many of her books in local gift shops, bookstores and museum shops.

L. M. Montgomery fans will love seeing the numerous museums dedicated to her life and her work. We visited them all.

Pheonix the fox can be seen at North Point Light House if you’re lucky enough to see him run by. If you watch Anne With An E, you might remember her fox friend that frequents the haunted wood. We did see several red foxes when visiting the island.

The floating board walk at Greenwich State Park leads to a beach fun of tall sun dunes.

Plein air painters will love this island, including amateur watercolorists like me.

Another surprise for us was how warm and shallow the water was on the beaches. The beaches are one big sand bar. On one beach we swam over fifty feet out and were still in waist deep water. It was a little unnerving seeing the land so far away. Because it is so shallow, the water warmed up faster by the shore. Our beach days here were by far some of my favorite beach days ever.

I alternated between reading on my beach blanket and floating around in the salty water.

As I write this during my busy work week, I wish I were back in the land of Green Gables. Prince Edward Island is more than the world of Green Gables and Avonlea, but the spirit of the books is alive and well on this island. You can see it in the kindness of the people who live on the island and in the beauty of the natural landscape.

We spent a tranquil and beautiful week on Prince Edward Island a little over a year ago and I’ve been dreaming of returning ever since. Hopefully one day soon we will return.