Although I grew up in New Brunswick, many areas of Prince Edward Island feel almost as much like home to me as Saint John, Quispamsis, and Rothesay. Right now my hubby Dustin and I are on a 3 night mini-excursion on PEI before we return to Saint John and wrap up our 2 week visit to New Brunswick.
I don’t have any family in PEI, but this island has been a place that my family has traveled to together for many summers. Sometimes it was just me, my sister, my parents and our dogs. Other times our grandparents and cousins, accompanied us, and we made so many fun memories. (My cousin Tara and I still fondly recall the time as kids when we arrived at Twin Shores campground at different times- when we saw eachother from across a field we ran dramatically to eachother with arms outstretched, laughing, seemingly in slow-motion).
While only a 2.5ish hour drive from my family in NB, PEI is an island paradise in the summer with its red mud, clean sandy beaches, and delicious, fresh seafood.
^New Glasgow Lobster Suppers is my favorite place to get a good feeding of seafood when I’m here.
During the summer tourism season there are plenty of weird and wonderful little spots to check out if you encounter a rainy day: Wax museums, mini golf, amusement parks, waterslides, fairy gardens, Cow’s Ice Cream, Ripley’s Believe it or Not Museum, boardwalk marketplaces, tourist villages, small local restaurants and shops, a ‘haunted mansion’, even a potato museum! (I’ve never been to the potato museum, but I kind of want to go just so I can say I went to a potato museum.)
^Anne is a charming character that you will encounter everywhere here, from L.M. Montgomery’s beloved Anne of Green Gables series.
Some of my favorite attractions are sadly no more. I was really heartbroken when I found out that Rainbow Valley, a unique family park full of strange curios and rides, was being taken down. Rainbow Valley was a fairly recent loss, but Fairyland is another memorable place that I have vague, dreamlike memories about: visiting grandmother’s cottage and finding the wolf under the covers!
One memorable PEI trip before my sister was born, my parents and I were camping during a crazy, windy rainstorm. One entire side of our aging crank-up camper blew off in the middle of the night. We ended up seeking refuge with the camper nextdoor- a posh old woman and her flatulent pug.
^This trip we arrived in some pretty windy, wet weather, but it’s since cleared up. Nowadays you can take the Confederation Bridge, but I remember taking the ferries when I was a kid!
If while in PEI you are fortunate enough to have a sunny day that isn’t too windy, the beaches here are something you shouldn’t miss. You can visit Cavendish Beach or several other beaches directly by car, but my favorite way to experience the beaches is to rent a campsite or cottage by the seaside. Twin Shores campground has been our family go-to since I was a kid, but they have surged in popularity, so you’ll want to book ahead. This time Dustin and I are staying at Adam’s Seaside Cottages, just down the road a ways from Twin Shores. This is a lovely, cosy little spot directly on the beachfront!
***Edit: Thanks so much Matthew for linking this post on your awesome blog with my first ever blog badge 🤩✨ I really appreciate it!
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