Green Gables
photo from Parks Canada

Green Gables -- the home of author Lucy Maude Montgomery is a favorite with visitors to Prince Edward Island. It's at Cavendish, just north of Charlottetown, and is one of many historic sites on PEI.

Green Gables House is operated by Parks Canada, and Prince Edward Island National Park stretches along the northern shore of the island from new London Bay to Tracadie Bay. Other Anne-related sites are the Green Gables Post Office, the Anne of Green Gables Museum , Montomery Manor, and Cavendish Cemetery, where the author was buried in 1942. The annual Lucy Maude Montgomery festival is held in August. The best way to tour the Cavendish area is to take Route 2 (the King's Byway) from downtown Charlottetown.

Prince Edward Island

The Trans-Canada Highway loops across the mid section of the island, from the new PEI Bridge (at Borden) to the Woods Island Ferry Terminal, from which you can take the ferry to Nova Scotia. The ferry trip takes 75 minutes across the 14-mile Northumberland Strait.

From the northern end of the Trans-Canada, at Borden, the route leads northeast through the city of Charlottetown, meeting the sea again at Cherry Valley (on Pownal Bay). It curves around Orwell Bay, heading south through a half-dozen small towns, ending at Wood Islands.

To really enjoy the island, you have to leave the Trans-Canada and take to the narrow sideroads that lace the countryside. Many of these roads lead to seaside resorts and villages, and through the extensive farmlands that produce the famous PEI potatoes.

If you take Highway 2, heading north, you'll reach the Malbeque Bay area, and then the North Cape peninsula.

Golfing:
PEI is a great place for golfers, with scenic courses on all parts of the island. The Links at Crowbush, opened in 1994, is a rolling Scottish-style course beside the water of the north shore. Brudenell is nearby, as are Stanhope, Rustico, and Green Gables (all on the north shore). Clyde River and Glen Aften are on the south shore, near Charlottetown. Mill River is close to the north end of the island.

Fishing:
You can catch broom trout in the inland streams, rivers, and ponds. The Morell River is famous for its Atlantic Salmon. Deep Sea fishing is at its best just offshore, with mackerel, cod, and flounder available. Tuna charters leave from North Lake. Deep Sea tours operate from July 1st to September 15.

Outdoor Fun:
The island is perfect for easy cycling, with mild temperatures and gentle slopes. The backroads of the island are perfect for cyclists: uncrowded and very scenic. Hikers enjoy the serene beauty of PEI, on Parks Canada trails in the Cavendish, Stanhope, and Calvay areas, and in four provincial parks (Green Park, Mill River, Brudenell, and Strathgartney). The Confederation Trail uses a former railway right of way and is open to hikers and cyclists, and for snowmobilers in winter.

The island is lined with beaches -- 40 of them -- with a beach within 15 minutes' drive from anywhere on PEI. You'll find white sand beaches at several provincial parks, and many of the best beaches are in out-of-the-way places at the end of island sideroads. Birding is a prime activity with 315 species sighted across the island. Bird lists are available from the Visitor Information Centers throughout the island. Colonies of seals inhabit the rivers.