What is there to see and do on Prince Edward Island?

A couple of times a year I get an email from faraway friends or family that’s some variation of “my buddy Gregor is coming to PEI in a few weeks: what should he be sure to see and do?”

I’ve just had another one, and rather than responding privately, I’ll respond here so that others in the same pickle have a place to look (or a place to point).

The things listed below are limited selection that reflect my own particular tastes rather than being any attempt at being broad and universal (of particular note: I’ve left out a couple of places that I don’t want tourists gumming up).

These are the places I take people when they visit, the ones that are not “generic anywhere.”

Where to Eat

Charlottetown

• Thai Pad Food Truck – excellent Thai food beside a brew pub
• Himalayan Curry – tasty Indian food
• Dave’s Lobster – modern lobster rolls
• Phở Hưng – Vietnamese food served by the nicest people on the Island
• Mr. Sushi – our go-to sushi place
• Water-Prince Corner Shop – the best fish & chips
• Sirenella – house-made pasta; the aglio e olio is excellent

Outside of Charlottetown

• The Pearl – quite possibly the best place to eat on the Island; dear, but worth it
• Landmark Café – another contender for “the best place”
• PEI Preserve Company – unsweetened iced tea; raspberry pie
• Richard’s Fresh Seafood – fresh fish, stone’s throw from the beach in Stanhope; tell the National Park attendant “we’re going to Richard’s” and you won’t have to pay park fee
• The Fifth Ingredient – a French bakery in the (relative) wilderness; excellent bread, but also pizza and sandwiches and smoothies of note
• Sheltered Harbour Café – never had a bad meal here; my go-to place in Souris
• Blue Mussel Café – fresh fish; no fries; stellar location; friendly staff

Where to Drink Coffee

Charlottetown

• Casa Mia Café – my go-to breakfast place
• Receiver Coffee – house-roasted coffee brewed with love and wit

Outside of Charlottetown

• Samuels Coffee House – unexpected gem in Summerside; even after the “good coffee… in Summerside?” surprise wears off, the coffee is still good, the space is nice and the folks are friendly
• Shore Market – ice coffee & capers; near the beach; amazing; beside Richard’s in Stanhope (see above)
• Island Chocolates – Factory Coffee = coffee + chocolate; in Victoria-by-the-Sea near the Landmark (see above)

Where to Beach

• Blooming Point – a spectacular semi-officially-recognized beach with no facilities other than parking
• Stanhope – inside PEI National Park; most remarkable for easy access to good food and coffee (see above)
• Argyle Shore Provincial Park – a nice place to picnic; water is shallow and calm and warm
• Canoe Cove Beach – another warm, shallow south-shore beach
• Sally’s Beach – not north shore, not south shore; not near anything; one of my favourites
• Tea Hill Park – an unremarkable beach with lots of mosquitos; but it’s very close to Charlottetown

What to See and Do

Charlottetown

• City Cinema – an “art house” cinema in downtown Charlottetown. Tiny, friendly and air conditioned with an eclectic program.
• Confederation Centre Art Gallery – austere, air conditioned, quiet space right downtown; a good place to get away from the crazy tourism-drenched streets on busy days

Outside of Charlottetown

• Yankee Hill Pioneer Cemetery – the most beautiful cemetery you will ever visit
• MacAusland’s Woollen Mills – worth the drive up west: the most interesting factory you’ll ever visit; you will leave having purchased a blank, I promise
• McKenna Road – one of the Island’s “heritage roads”; best avoided after a rain; drive along a clay road under a canopy of trees; spectacular
• Brackley Drive-in Theatre – the Island’s only drive-in; in the woods (so bring repellent) near the shore; we go at least once a summer
• Gardens of Hope – walking trails through forest and gardens along the river; beside the PEI Preseve Company (see above); excellent if you need a calm oasis
• Dunes Studio Gallery – most interesting for the architecture and the views; be sure to visit the gardens behind
• Trailside Café and Inn – it’s a café and an inn, yes, but most notably it’s a tiny perfect music venue; you will not be disappointed if you see a show here (and do go early and have supper before; you’ll get a good seat and a good meal)
• Kingfisher Outdoors – kayaking for non-kayakers: they have the kayaks, paddles and life-jackets, they drive you up the Morell River and put you in, you lazily drift/paddle down-river for two hours
• PEI National Park at Greenwich – hiking for non-hikers: the walk from the parking lot, through the woods, over the boardwalk through the marsh and out on to beach will take you breath away; it’s my favourite walk on the Island
• Belfast Mini Mills – most interesting to the fibre-loving tourist, but I love the simple pluck of the enterprise