Discovering PEI: Taking in the Sites

It’s Friday again! Which means another post about our favourite places in PEI and tips to help guide you if you are considering your own vacation there.

There are a lot of places to visit on the Island. The fact is, you could drive in any direction and stumble upon a really great beach, lighthouse, city, restaurant and more.

I’m not going to focus on visiting cities or restaurants this week, but instead, on the Island spots that we love to go.

Beaches

There is no shortage of beaches on Prince Edward Island.  We stay along the south shore where the sands are red and wet and the water is warmer.  The tide is extreme there giving us moments of perfect swimming water and other times it’s a place to walk and collect sea shells.

We also have visited Panmure Island, where the sands are white and while the water is usually cooler, the swimming is wonderful.  There is a breeze coming off the ocean making it pleasant on even very warm days.

But head north, west, or other places east and you will find beaches that are similar.  These beaches feel like Canadian paradise in many ways.  Pack your snacks, your beach chairs and toys and enjoy hours at beautiful beaches!

Lighthouses

I’ve written before about PEI Lighthouses and I can’t emphasize enough how fun it was for the family to locate and visit them in our travels.  We used a Lighthouse Map (in which you also get a stamp for each one you visit) and while I wasn’t always keen to go all the way to the top of some of them, even just exploring the rest of them was interesting.  If you have very young children or mobility issues, note that we typically had to carry at least one kid down some of the tops because of the height and angle of the stairs, however that didn’t stop them from wanting to try.

Just learning about the lighthouses, the location, more in each area was fascinating.

Bottle Houses

The bottles houses were a gem we found last year when we headed to the Western part of the Island.  These buildings were made from bottles so in the sunlight they colourfully glisten.  The grounds are well kept and gardens lovely to walk through.

Anne of Green Gables – Avonlea Village

A Canadian treasure is the story of Anne of Green Gables and in PEI, you can visit the replicated town of Avonlea, meet Anne herself and take in stage shows that are entertaining.  The village feels historical and transports you to a different time and places you in a literary story that so many love.

There is SO much more to take in – live shows, markets, fun fairs and more but these are a few highlights for us.

In the next couple of weeks I’ll be writing about Charlottetown (which you can easily spend a couple of days exploring) and a few food places that we love!