Planning for PEI: Five places we must revisit

Yay! I’ve been biding my time through a long cold winter, but it’s FINALLY time to kick it into high gear in planning for PEI in summer 2015! Next week we can say we’re going next month. And if you think I’m excited, you should hear Lucas – he asks at least once a day how much longer until we go.

I honestly can’t tell you what we’re more excited about: revisiting favourite places from last year, or discovering new ones. For today’s post, here’s five places we loved so much that we know we’ll be going back again.

1. PEI National Park at Greenwich

Adventures in PEI

We loved this part of the Island so much that we chose a cottage in the vicinity for this summer. Pastoral dunes, marram grass, calm waters, red rocks… I swear, I feel calmer just thinking about it. During our 2014 visit, we only had time to hang out on the beach for a couple of hours. This year, we’re planning on exploring the interpretive centre, the dunes and the boardwalk. And I found this awesome list of fun activities at the Greenwich, Cavendish and Brackley parts of the park. Sandcastles, beach detecting and a discovery dome? Yes! And there’s even geocaching. We’re pretty excited about the time we’ll be spending in PEI National Park!

2. Souris and Chef Michael Smith’s Flavour Shack

At the Flavour Shack

Although Souris is a little bit off the beaten path, it was one of the main areas we considered when renting a cottage this year. It’s a delightful little town with everything you could want, including one of only two Tim Hortons on the eastern half of PEI. Of course we’re looking forward to returning to Chef Michael Smith’s Flavour Shack. After a year of inviting Chef Michael into our home two or more hours a week as we PVR and watch archival episodes of Chef at Home, I feel like we know him personally! And here’s a not-so-secret: there’s great beachcombing and seaglass hunting right behind the boardwalk where the Flavour Shack is perched! If you like sea glass, be sure to check out the Souris Lighthouse – they have a big exhibit of sea glass and lots for sale in their gift shop.

3. Basin Head Provincial Park

Souris and Basin Head PEI

Our cottage is about a five minute walk from miles of white sand beaches, but we’ll still make the drive out to the far northeastern tip of the Island to revisit Basin Head beach and its famous singing sands – probably more than once! Last year the water was cold but lively with waves, and our visit to Souris and Basin Head was my favourite day on PEI. I might even let the boys jump off the famous bridge and let the river current carry them out to the salt water of the open sea — maybe just once! There’s a fisheries museum there too that we missed last year. That will be definitely worth checking out!

4. Green Gables House

Cavendish, PEI

We’re still working our way through the Anne of Green Gables books. We’ve made our way to Anne of Ingleside so far, which we’ll probably finish in time for our trip. I would have thought that one visit to Green Gables would have sufficed to satisfy the boys’ curiousity, but to my delight all three said they would like to go back this year. It’s a lovely, low key way to spend a few hours.

5. Cows Ice Cream

Souris and Basin Head PEI

Okay, the photo above wasn’t actually Cows ice cream – we weren’t exclusive in our ice cream choices on the Island. 😉 But the Cows was the best, and the boys (and their ringleader Beloved) have been talking about Cows ice cream and going on the factory tour we didn’t take last year all winter long. We may also find it in our hearts to sample ice cream from a few competitors while we’re there. You know, just to make sure that Cows is in fact the best on the Island. And we’ll quaff a bottle or two of Anne’s Raspberry Cordial while we’re at it.

Other places we’re looking forward to revisiting: Peter Llewellyn’s Shoreline Designs in Georgetown, the lighthouse at Panmure Island, Rick’s Fish and Chips, Boom Burger in Charlottetown… so many great memories, and so many new ones waiting to be made!

Points East Logo 1Most of the places mentioned above are on the Points East Coastal Drive, our favourite region of PEI. If you’re looking for ideas, inspiration or accommodations for your PEI vacation, check them out!

In my next post, I’ll talk about some new places and events we’re looking forward to discovering for PEI 2015!

Disclosure: Points East Coastal Drive is one of our bloggy sponsors. However, if you’ve been around at all this year, you know my love of PEI and my excitement to share it with you are 100% genuine!

Author: DaniGirl

Canadian. storyteller, photographer, mom to 3. Professional dilettante.

5 thoughts on “Planning for PEI: Five places we must revisit”

  1. This is a great list and I hope you have a wonderful time! Eastern PEI is where we too hang out in the summer (5 weeks this year). Depending on when you are there, you might want to check out the Rollo Bay Fiddle Festival, and don’t miss Lin’s take out on the way up to Greenwich! I would caution a *little* against jumping off the Basin Head Bridge unless your guys are super strong swimmers – there is a major undertow and a little girl almost drowned there last summer or the summer before.

  2. Our family used to take a trip to PEI (from NS) almost every year! We always wanted to go to Rainbow Valley, despite the suggestions of my parents that we try something else for once. Alas, the land of the creepy animatronic mannequins is no more.

    I highly recommend the New Glasgow Lobster supper, though.

  3. The Cows factory tour is fun. And buy some of the cheese. I still think about the cheese. It was divine.

  4. I love Cows ice cream but was disappointed in the tour as the only thing we saw them making was t-shirts.. they rarely show the ice cream making… I also felt it should have been FREE, like the HERSHEY Factory tour used to be.. ’cause they know everybody is going to be buying stuff in the store afterwards 🙂 that said, the cheese was magnificent!!

    that is my only negative “rant” (does it even qualify?) because you know I am uber positive, especially about P.E.I…. one of my favorite places 🙂

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