So much to do, so little time! Prince Edward Island summers are short, sweet and stuffed with amazing things to see and do. Here’s some help sorting your way through to October!
Get Outside and Activate!
- Want fresh air, but don’t enjoy sleeping on hard ground? Get your glamping on at Treetop Haven, Shanty Stay in Souris, O’Tentiks in the National Park, or the new Yurt at Nature Space Eco Resort.
- Walk or drive along one of many beautiful heritage roads in PEI.
- Discover the trails at Robinson’s Island, in PEI National Park.
- Ride the Miniature Railway in Elmira. Visit the on-site railway museum and walk or bike Confederation Trail at the same site!
- Fresh air and movies – The Brackley Drive in Theatre has been operating for decades.
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- Pitch in at a local farm with the Chore Time experience. A fantastic family outing!
- Get up close with wild bluefin tuna with a local tuna fishing charter.
- Get moving and hike or bike the 18 km of trails at Bonshaw Hills Provincial Park.
- Learn how to rake oysters and then enjoy an Oyster picnic on the shore.
- Go Stand Up Paddleboarding in Summerside with the Paddleshack or East Coast Paddle Adventures in Souris.
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- New in 2021 – The Island Walk! Circumnavigate the Island: 32 sections, 700 kilometres, one journey.
- Enjoy some of Atlantic Canada’s best mountain bike trails at Brookvale Nordic Mountain Bike Park.
- Check out The Story of Confederation at Confederation Centre of the Arts. This includes an accurate replica of the Confederation Chamber in their upper foyer.
- Get your adrenaline pumping as you climb and zipline at the Rise and Climb Adventure Course.
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- Walk the breakwater to reach the Indian Head Lighthouse.
- Fresh air AND music! Join Captain J.J. Chaisson – The Fiddling Fisherman aboard his boat, Chaisson A Dream, for an authentic PEI experience with music and dance.
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Arts and Culture
- The Trailside Music Hall must be one of the busiest music venues in the Maritimes. Be sure to check their schedule regularly- their new downtown site is conveniently located at The Arts Hotel on Kent St. in Charlottetown.
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- Tucked away in coffee shops and other venues you will find pocket art galleries. Check the gallery at the Guild on your way to a performance, or admire the artwork while waiting for a coffee at Receiver.
- If you are a book lover then go no further than the stretch of Queen St. in Charlottetown where you will find no fewer than three independent book retailers! The Bookmark carries new books while the Bookman and The Book Emporium have a huge selection of used books. Then – head to the beach!
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- Glenaladale is a 529-acre estate overlooking PEI’s Tracadie Bay. Once home to two extraordinary families, the museum has connections to the Island’s early people: the Mi’kmaq, Acadians, Scots, Irish, and English plus a walking trail.
- The Lennox island First Nations Community offers a hands-on experience creating work of art made from quill work on birch bark. Learn more about PEI’s aboriginal heritage.
- Put July 19-21 on your calendar and plan to visit Summerside’s 2021 Art Refresh. Artists have been invited to create a sculptural piece made entirely with recycled material scrounged, hoarded, bartered or gifted!
- Tucked away on a side street in downtown Charlottetown you will find City Cinema – an intimate movie theatre that presents films just a bit beyond mainstream.
- The most talented artisans of PEI exhibit their products at the Crafts Council Retail Gallery in Charlottetown – great news – it’s all for sale!
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- The dates are set! PRIDE PEI Week runs July 18-25.
- River Clyde Pageant is a spectacular outdoor performance held each summer in New Glasgow, PEI. Professional and emerging artists create pageantry that includes giant puppets, stilt-walkers, musicians and performers of all ages. In 2021, it will be held over two weekends – July 23-25 and July 30-August 1.
- Two powerful female performers – two amazing shows that pay tribute to their talent: At Confederation Centre, Dear Rita is a world premiere that celebrates the life and songs of the Maritimes’ most beloved singer-songwriter, Rita MacNeil. At the nearby Guild – Tapestry, a Tribute to Carole King plays from July 30-August 14.
- The Confederation Centre Young Company is back in 2021 with an inspiring new production called The Rising – a high-energy musical journey to a better and more equitable humanity featuring protest music from such artists as Tracey Chapman, Lady Gaga, Macklemore, CCR, and Bob Marley.
- Shopping for original local arts and crafts is made very easy with visits to Artisans on Main in Souris and Montague.
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- Standardbred horse racing has a long and honoured tradition on PEI and now you too can experience the excitement of meeting your horse and trainer or driver and seeing “your horse” pace to the wire! Own a race horse for an evening at the Charlottetown Driving Park!
- Step way back in time at the Roma at Three Rivers National Historic Site of Canada. The site has lots planned for 2021, including The Great Escape events happening July 31, August 7 and 14.
- Two museums, one location in scenic Rustico: The Farmers Bank of Rustico & Doucet House Museums to learn more about the oldest Acadian settlement in PEI.
- Enjoy some classical music at the Indian River Festival in historic St. Mary’s Church designed by renowned architect, William Critchlow Harris.
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- Get out of town, enjoy a scenic drive and catch some live theatre at Victoria Playhouse or the Watermark Theatre in North Rustico.
- Visit Village Pottery in New London where ice cream and pottery go very well together!
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- Discover Acadian culture at Village Musical Acadien – a site complete with musical entertainment, a restaurant and bakery as well as art gallery and gift shop.
- Looking for more? Visit the PEI Arts & Heritage Trail site and its long list of visual arts, performing arts and heritage sites.
Love to eat?
- Well, that makes sense – a parking lot for food trucks! Street Eats is a new foodtruck food court in Summerside, located in the Harbour Quay parking lot on Heather Moyse Drive.
- There’s something very appealing about the Slaymaker & Nichols deck in downtown Charlottetown – and the menu is pretty great too.
- There’s a new restaurant in Stanley Bridge, and you can expect great food, especially in the seafood category as these guys at The Farmer & The Fisher know their oysters!
- Why does food always taste better next to the water? Can’t get much closer at Charlottetown’s Floating Food Court located at lively Peake’s Quay.
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- Not too far away you will find Founders Food Hall with at least 10 vendors bringing you everything from pizza to doughnuts! Also at Founders, you will find the classy Notables liquor store – ask about their regular tasting evenings.
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- Pho anyone? Charlottetown boasts two incredible restaurants serving the delicious broth.
- Sample artisanal cheese at New Glasgow Glen Farm. They make great pizza too!
- Take the liquid tour with Hop, Sip, Swirl: Cider, distilled spirits, craft beer and wine.
- Meet community members of Lennox Island and learn the traditional way of preparing Bannock & Clams in The Sand. On this hands-on experience visitors will cook bannock under red hot embers, listen to stories of life in the First Nation community of Lennox Island while enjoying freshly picked shellfish.
- What better way to spend a lazy late Sunday afternoon than with a wine-tasting at the gracious Dalvay by the Sea on PEI’s North Shore?
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- Finish your clam-digging and kayaking adventure with By-The-Sea-Kayaking in Victoria with some fresh beach-side chowder for lunch.
- There’s a new café on Great George St. in Charlottetown. Located in a former gallery, the aptly named Gallery Café has a lovely atmosphere and an excellent menu!
- Sip on craft brew at any of PEI’s 9 craft breweries.
- In 2021 The Inn at Bay Fortune will debut a new FireWorks Feast, a relaxed getaway and immersive farm-to-table dining experience hosted by Chef Michael Smith.
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