The first things that come to mind when people think of Prince Edward Island are Anne of Green Gables, red dirt roads and lobster suppers. While all of those are great, Canada’s smallest province has more to offer if you take the time to step off the well-worn trail of Charlottetown shops and Cavendish attractions. Here are three PEI experiences that won’t leave you disappointed.
Witness red cliffs that predate the dinosaurs at Cabot Beach Provincial Park
Geologists will tell you that PEI is essentially one giant sandstone formation slowly being eaten away by the sea as the island loses about a metre of coastline every year. Nowhere else is that more visible than Cabot Beach Provincial Park where the shore is lined with dramatic red rock cliff formations that are being eroded by waves from the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Tucked away on the island’s northwestern tip near Malpeque Bay, Cabot Beach is an amazing place to explore, especially during low tide when you can walk right up to the base of these crimson cliffs and see the geological layers up close. Best of all, there are virtually no crowds when you visit.
The park also features some excellent hiking trails that wind through the dunes and offer spectacular ocean views. Pack a picnic and plan to spend the afternoon.
https://www.tourismpei.com/what-to-do/beaches-parks/cabot-beach-provincial-park
Explore Canada’s forgotten fortress at Fort Amherst
While every Canadian schoolchild learns about the Plains of Abraham, few know about Skmaqn–Port-la-Joye–Fort Amherst, the site where European settlement of PEI began in the 18th century. Located just across the harbour from Charlottetown, this national historic site preserves the earthworks of what was once Port-la-Joye, a crucial French fortification that served as the administrative centre for Île Saint-Jean, as PEI was then known.
When the British took over, they renamed it Fort Amherst and used it to oversee the deportation of the French-speaking Acadian population, a dark chapter in Canada’s history that doesn’t make it into many tourism brochures.
What makes this site compelling isn’t just the history, but the location. The fort sits on a bluff with commanding views across Charlottetown Harbour, and on a clear day you can see right into the heart of the island. The earthworks are still clearly visible and interpretive trails help you understand how this strategic position controlled maritime traffic for over a century.
https://parks.canada.ca/lhn-nhs/pe/skmaqn
Step back in time at PEI’s most authentic historical village
Prince Edward Island loves its heritage tourism, but if you’re looking for something without the theme-park treatment, try Orwell Corner Historic Village. Tucked away in the rural heart of Queens County, about 30 minutes east of Charlottetown, this living history museum captures the messy, unglamorous reality of 19th-century Maritime life
This isn’t a collection of buildings moved from various locations and prettied up for tourists. The village grew organically around the original Orwell Corner crossroads, and most of the buildings have stood on these exact spots for over a century.
The centerpiece is the 1896 community hall, where locals still gather for old-time music sessions and community events. Step inside and you’ll find original pressed tin ceilings, worn wooden floors and the kind of austere Presbyterian functionality that defined rural PEI communities.
