Charlottetown 
Islanders looking for a mix of history, nature, and a bit of ice cream have a reason to head to Souris this month. The Basin Head Marine Protected Area is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a new guided tour that digs into the site’s one-of-a-kind ecosystem and its place in Island culture.
Credit: Govt. of PEI
Running Thursday through Monday from 11 a.m. to noon all September, the tours start at the Basin Head Fisheries Museum and are included with museum admission.
The experience isn’t your average walk-and-talk. Guests will crunch across Basin Head’s famous “singing sands,” try ice cream made with carrageenan (the same substance found in the Irish moss that grows only in this lagoon), and even haul up a green crab trap to check out what’s inside.
“The story of Basin Head is unique and fascinating. It spans thousands of years and features an ecosystem unlike any other, just steps away from one of the Island’s most beautiful beaches,” said Matthew McRae, executive director of the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation, which developed the program with Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Souris and Area Wildlife.
The anniversary itself falls on September 26, but the tours are running all month as part of the celebrations.
The Basin Head Marine Protected Area was established to safeguard a rare strain of Irish moss, prized for its high carrageenan content, while also protecting the wider lagoon ecosystem. Today, it remains a haven for everything from fish and shellfish to seabirds and seals.
For those who want to dive deeper into Island fishing heritage, the Basin Head Fisheries Museum—set beside the old Cannery—rounds out the experience with artifacts, exhibits, and stories of coastal life.
