A Micmac First Nations legend tells how the god Glooscap painted each the world’s beautiful places and then dipped his brush in each color and created Abegweit, his favorite island. Holidaymakers now know this gorgeous place as Prince Edward Island: Canada’s smallest province and one of its loveliest. The island beauty and rural charm lies in PEI’s softly rolling farmlands, scenic white sand beaches, and eroding red sandstone cliffs. And thanks to its position in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the island has moderate temperatures.
1. PEI National Park
Prince Edward Island National Park occupies much of the island’s central, west shore. Three parts of the park provide beaches, wildlife viewing, outdoor activities, historical buildings, and “Anne of Green Gables” attractions. Campgrounds and picnic areas cater to families and outdoorsy vacationers.
Close to the soft sands of Cavendish Beach, Anne fans enjoy seeing the iconic Green Gables House in Addition to Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Cavendish Home. The Cavendish area also includes a frenzy of high profile attractions, amusement parks, and golf courses.
From the park’s central part, Dalvay-by-the-Sea historic home was once a regal summer home and is now a hotel and restaurant near Brackley and Stanhope Beaches. In the eastern end of the park, the isolated Greenwich region has a beach and boardwalk paths that are ideal for bird watching for the park’s 300-plus species.
2. Editor’s Pick North Cape
North Cape is the rocky side of Prince Edward Island, along with a scenic drive passes through farmlands and follows an eroding, rural shore to the state’s northernmost point. Intense storms create the blustery cape a perfect setting for towering turbines, turning the abundant wind into energy in one of Canada’s top wind test institutes. North Cape Interpretive Centre has exhibits that describe the procedure. Nature paths and the North Cape Lighthouse are close to the wind farm.
3. Basin Head Provincial Park
This shore and provincial park Points East Coastal Drive is an action-packed place. First-time visitors delight in scuffing their feet across the sands to attempt to make a different “singing” sound, and the squeaky shore is known as Singing Sands.
Giant Irish Moss, a food additive, develops in the tidal lagoon behind the dunes. The entry point to the lagoon is a popular swimming spot. Also located in the provincial park, Basin Head Fisheries Museum presents exhibits about Prince Edward Island’s inshore fishery.
4. Wood Islands
The Wood Islands ferry is a favorite way for people to go home from a Prince Edward Island vacation. The island link spans the Northumberland Strait between Wood Islands, on PEI’s southeast shore, and Caribou, Nova Scotia. A little lighthouse at Wood Islands Provincial Park has exhibits about the region’s seafaring history and acts as a lookout point.
5. Victoria-by-the-Sea
A small fishing village, Victoria-by-the-Sea enchants with its own waterfront fish shacks, vibrant take-out stands, and little lighthouse. The red sandstone cliffs along the Northumberland Strait shore are constantly eroding, which has led to expansive red-sand flats at low tide. A theater, chocolate store, and fishing wharf are favored tourist attractions in the friendly neighborhood.
