Kindred Spirits at the Green Gables Heritage Place

August 14, 2023

We had a day-by-day set itinerary for PEI, carefully planned by Taylor with my must-dos, but unfortunately the weather had other plans--as many residents told us, it was an unseasonably rainy July. Since it looked like the only sunny day we'd certainly get was Monday, we jumbled all our plans up and decided to prioritize the Green Gables Heritage Place, site of the Anne of Green Gables house and other L.M. Montgomery landmarks. (I did agonize over the choice, though, because I also hated to lose seeing the beautiful PEI coast in sunny weather.)

We got to the Green Gables Heritage Place about 15 minutes before it opened, and it seemed like my usually-chill Elowen had been possessed by some wild spirit (perhaps from the Haunted Wood? Ha!). We made small talk with an older couple who had driven in an RV from Phoenix and who were fans of the Netflix show...come on people, read the books!)...and then the doors opened and we moved at a quick trot to the house, because I wanted to have it to myself at least for a few moments.

Montgomery didn't live in the house; it belonged to her cousins, the Macneills, and she grew up nearby (raised by her grandparents). She really did visit there though and named her favorite nearby trails (the Haunted Wood and Lover's Lane), which made their way into Anne of Green Gables. The house is redone to reflect descriptions in the book, but also true to the time period--you walk in to a lushly wallpapered entry before winding through a sitting room, a formal dining room, and the kitchen; then you climb up some fairly steep stairs to the heart of the house, a bedroom recreated to look like Anne's garret--complete with a puffed sleeve dress hanging on the closet door.

I walked through the house myself the first time, because Elowen was still tantruming outside like she'd never tantrumed before. In fact, I could hear her screams in every room of the house. Then Taylor walked through carrying our shrieking child, ensuring the two teenagers serving as docents in the house take their birth control. Such are the perils of taking a toddler on vacation--some things are more enjoyable than you expect, and others are worse than you could have imagined.

Mom, I hate it here! Also fun fact, her dress isn't buttoned because it was too small--whoops. I couldn't give up the perfection of the gingham though, especially since I wanted us to match.

Despite that, though, it's hard to put into words how meaningful it was to be at the Anne house. The books have been such a joy and an escape and a solace throughout my life, so seeing where their author walked and the places that inspired her was such a special experience, especially being there with my own daughter. There's never been a character who felt so real and such a friend to me, except perhaps Jo in Little Women. If Elowen also loves Anne, I hope I can take her back and re-live all those moments again through her eyes.

After the house, we first took the Haunted Wood trail, a shady and wooded path along which the museum has posted informative signs about Anne and Montgomery. You can walk from the end of the trail to the nearby cemetery to see Montgomery's grave, though I was appalled and kicked into a state of feminist ire by the tombstone, which reads "Wife of Ewen MacDonald"--as if he ever did anything of merit. Patriarchy is wild, guys.

From there, we only managed a little bit of Lover's Lane--I do wish we had finished it, knowing it was Montgomery's favorite walk, but it was getting hot and Elowen was absolutely not having the experience. So, we made a quick stop for Elowen to make a beaver puppet for Canada Day (she refused to pose with it) and then we were on our way to Cavendish Beach!

I'd been dying to get pictures with the vibrant purple and pink lupines we saw blanketing the fields, so I was very pleased to find them growing rampant near the beach.

The shoreline and water were beautiful, too, though Elowen hates sand and water, so she continued her screaming at us as we carried her football-hold-style to a little gazebo where she could sit sand-free.

A lovely walking path near the beach.

Around lunch-time she did start to perk up, as food is one of her love languages. We at the Blue Mussel Cafe in North Rustico and were second in line--you have to get there early to get a table, especially in the summer. We snagged a table overlooking the water and Taylor was soon in heaven with his seafood charcuterie board, oysters, lobster roll, and Caesar--which is basically a Bloody Mary with an oyster on it. I had a portobello Wellington with red pepper cream, and it was phenomenal--so savory and rich. And, since Elowen was in a good mood I figured we could make it at least twenty more minutes, I also risked ordering a magical hybrid of blueberry pie/crumble with fresh cream and vanilla ice cream. It was even better than it looked.

That face is judging me, I think.

Then, eager to outrun the storm that was supposed to be rolling in, we raced back to Charlottetown--only for it to remain sunny and allow us to visit the weekend Farmer's Market and do some shopping in the small stores lining the main street.

For dinner, we went to Merchantman, and I had one of the best things I ate on the trip--a Nashville hot chicken sandwich with slaw and spicy aioli on a toasted brioche bun. But I must have been starving and exhausted from Elowen, because I didn't take a single picture.