Prince Edward Island is a crescent-shaped island of red soil, rolling green fields, neat rural settlements; pretty fishing villages and farms that resemble the patchwork quilts the island is famous for. It is approximately 224 km (140 miles) in length and approximately 6-64 km (2 –4 miles) wide. We are the smallest province in Canada.
Prince Edward Island is known simply as PEI or “The Island” to the locals who were either born or grew up here. The Micmac Indians called it Minegoo, which means “The Island” or Abegweit “cradled on the waves” so technically these were the first names associated to Prince Edward Island.
Driving to and around the island, I believe the first thing you will find remarkable about PEI is our red soil, it is quite amazing especially when you arrive at the Northumberland Ferry terminal or cross over the 12 km Confederation Bridge. As you travel the island you will be charmed by the green rolling hills; the blue of the water against the stunning red soil and the white sand beaches and dunes that go on for miles.
Take a tour through each community where the beach houses, executive homes and cottages are located and see the real island. Expand your visit to extend your knowledge and leave with more than a memory. Experience Eastern Prince Edward Island…. the garden of the gulf!
Throughout the year, nature displays an ever-changing array of colours in our four seasons. You may find our roadsides abloom with lupins & wild roses, while fields fill with fireweed, daisies, brown-eyed-susan, Queen Anne's Lace and other wildflowers. Wooded areas are home to our provincial flower, the delicate “Lady Slipper”.
On a sunny day, sunbath and swim on one of our many 50+ beautiful beaches, we are surrounded by them. Overcast or raining try beachcombing for shells, driftwood and pieces of rare sea glass. Our region is dotted with trails and other opportunities to experience wildlife in it natural habitat. Walk or bike our Confederation Trail, which is the old railway system that has been turned into trails from one end of the island to the other. Prince Edward Island tourism offers a tip to tip certificate if you are energetic enough to travel the entire trail. Golf at one of the many golf courses across PEI.
If you are a bird watcher you will be happy to know we have 333 species of birds on our island. One of the most beautiful to watch are the bald eagles soaring in the sky. The Robin is the island provincial bird.
The island is by a strong margin the most Celtic and specifically the most Scottish province in Canada and perhaps the most Scottish place (ethnically) in the world, outside Scotland. 38% of islanders claim Scottish ancestry, but this is an underestimate and it is thought that almost 50% of islanders have Scottish roots. When combined with Irish and Welsh, almost 80% of islanders are of some Celtic stock, albeit most families have resided in PEI for at least two centuries. According to the census, just over half (53%) of Islanders live in what is classified as rural PEI while 30% live in unincorporated areas.
From community festivals to church lobster suppers, country auctions, to the many Ceilidh (kitchen parties), friendly faces abound on ‘the island'. We enjoy meeting people that “come from away” and sharing the island ways. During our “wee” chat you will find the best spots to go for music, a feast of lobster, best clamming beaches or a secluded picnic. PEI is considered a very friendly place and those who come to visit often come back to visit or stay.
The island is known around the world for our Lobster, Malpeque Oysters and ‘Island Blue Mussels', which you'll find throughout the waterways. Most of our waterways are actually estuaries and have tides, which are needed for the mussel industry.
Yes, the island is well known for its P.E.I. potatoes however, we also have scallops, different types of clams, lots of fresh meats, and strawberries, high and low bush blueberries, dairy products and fresh vegetables. Freshly served to you from the local wharf, family farms or restaurants, they are all served throughout PEI!
In the fall you can experience many island delights at our Fall Flavor Festival, which takes place in the month of September. The festival is celebrated across the entire island and the island cuisine is bountiful.
Our provincial government has ‘preserved the past' by designating eleven select roads “Scenic Heritage Roads”.
These clay dirt roads are excellent for biking and walking and very well maintained.
The rich, red clay passage ways wanders through bright green glens where wonderful woodland and pastoral farmland greet the traveller.
Each of these heritage roads are located in once thriving agricultural community where French, Irish, English and Scottish nationalities settled, most of the farmland has been reclaimed by woodland. Today the roads are used as an access to farm lands, scenic drives and shortcuts to the main roads. During Prohibition years, the remoteness of the roads made them a prized location for rumrunners and bootleggers to hide illegal alcohol.
While enjoying your drives, along these red dirt roads, imagine the horse drawing carriages or sleigh and the horseback riders of days gone by.
The island is by a strong margin the most Celtic and specifically the most Scottish province in Canada and perhaps the most Scottish place (ethnically) in the world, outside Scotland. 38% of islanders claim Scottish ancestry, but this is an underestimate and it is thought that almost 50% of islanders have Scottish roots. When combined with Irish and Welsh, almost 80% of islanders are of some Celtic stock, albeit most families have resided in PEI for at least two centuries. According to the census, just over half (53%) of Islanders live in what is classified as rural PEI while 30% live in unincorporated areas.
The lighthouses that still guard our shores, architecture of older homes, churches, barns and commercial buildings whisper of times past. Our museum artifacts, photos, displays and exhibits will inform and entertain you with yarns of our past. The names of many villages and towns tell of the former communities from which our earliest settlers came. Our churches range in style from simple country chapels, to island stone structures designed by William Critchlow Harris.
The harbours that are along the Points East Coastal Drive are excellent for those of you who love to travel by water. You can travel the eastern end of the island visiting all the fishing villages by the water and drop anchor at beautiful wharfs. There are many of our harbours that can accommodate sailboats.
During the season you can purchase lobsters fresh from the boats.
When you think about Prince Edward Island you automatically think beaches or our potato. Although our PEI potatoes are delicious this is about our magnificent beaches. We have eleven hundred kilometres of shoreline, much of it in the form of pristine beaches. When you visit our beaches you'll experience white sand, red sand or our famous “singing sands”. In eastern region of PEI you are almost never more than 15 minutes away from a body of water and beach. The beaches are virtually deserted and on some of them you can literally walk for miles and not see a soul. Sand bars, sea stacks, ever-changing sand dunes and sand spits provide variety for our pleasure. Periwinkles, sand dollars, sand fleas, mussels, several types of clams, crabs, oysters, lobster, starfish and jellyfish are some of the water life you will find while exploring. The long exceptional 50 +beaches and dunes that surround our eastern area of the “Island” are great for swimming, relaxing in the sun, building sandcastles, walking for miles or experiencing magnificent sunsets.
Our famous Basin Head “singing sands” beach located in eastern PEI; just past the seaside town of Souris is the number one beach in Canada. This beach makes a strange sound whenever the wind swirls or when we walk on it which is due to the high amount of silica and quartz in the sand. The sound is a unique feature of the Basin Head Beach that has some of the warmest waters north of Florida. In summer months, the water temperature will top 21 Celsius degrees (70 Fahrenheit) at our more than 800 kilometres of beaches. One of the reasons is that the island is surrounded by sandbars, when the tides are out the sun heats the sand, which warms the water as it rolls ashore.
Prince Edward Island… "Where Land, Sea and Sky come together"
