Thanks to morning departure on a non-stop flight from Calgary to Charlottetown, we had a good view of the patches of farmland and forest blocks as we approached the airport. I saw some areas with fall colours. But overall the vegetation was remarkably green. And we thought we’d timed our trip to PEI for peak fall colours!?

The Charlottetown airport reminded me of Penticton’s airfield. I spotted rolling outdoor dis/embarkation ramps. The rental car companies shared supplies and printers. And we walked about 3 minutes from the terminal to the rental car pick-up/drop-off.

We loaded our small roller bags into the trunk of our electric blue Hyundai Elantra rental. Mr GeoK drove. I opened my maps app to direct us to our home for the next 3 nights.

Sydney Boutique Inn & Suites

History

The building has a long history. The original school on this site, operated by the sisters of Notre Dame, opened in 1854. The current 1857 building accommodated a larger pupil count. Expanding enrolment in this private school for young girls of all denominations prompted a 1911 addition to the main building.

Following a 1971 reorganization of the school system on Prince Edward Island, Notre Dame Academy closed. The building transitioned to serve as a home for retired sisters of Notre Dame and provided rental space for various local groups and associations. In 2011, the sisters made the difficult decision to close the convent turned nursing home.

Conversion and Modernization

A group of investors purchased the property in 2014, with the idea of converting it to am 18-room boutique inn along with 18 two-bedroom furnished apartments plus four micro-apartments. The transformation from convent to boutique inn and suites was all done within the existing buildings’ envelopes, although the windows were upgraded to locally-fabricated triple pane units.

Inside, the structure is fully-insulated, with new heat pump systems and all new plumbing and electrical. Most of the original woodwork was preserved and where that was not possible, it was replicated. The rooms are finished with marble bathrooms, custom furniture and draperies, wool carpets and other fine details. We had a lovely corner room on the third floor, with a large sitting area and a view over the park across the street.

At the recommendation of the receptionist, we walked to Famous Peppers for supper, where we shared a mediocre pizza while enjoying the 70s/80s music playing through the ceiling speakers.

Accommodation at the Sydney Boutique Inn & Suites included a buffet breakfast in the basement – the location of the school cafeteria back in the day. Breakfast was an unexpected inclusion, but not a bonus in that we found it decidedly sub-par when compared to any of our Norway breakfasts. But it was a convenient place to grab a takeaway cup of coffee each morning.

Exploring Charlottetown

Guided Walking Tour

The number one highlight of our time in Charlottetown was a 2+ hour walking tour with local guide Jamie Kelly. The Kelly family has been in the Charlottetown area since 1818, so Jamie knows the area, its history and has deep local knowledge of “The Birthplace of Canada” that he is keen to share with visitors. We booked directly through his website, Walk the Walk PEI.

Introductions and Orientation

We met up with Jamie at the bottom of Prince Street in the green space next to Lobster on the Wharf restaurant. Our group of 10 comprised three couples plus four friends celebrating one of that group’s recent retirement, with everyone in the group being Canadian.

As we walked through Confederation Landing Park, Jamie shared a brief overview of the settlement of Prince Edward Island. Original settlers included Irish, French, and Scottish Catholics, with English and Scottish Protestants following. Today it’s more multicultural. A small Amish community is still present. The island hosts a large Buddhist monastery with over 1,000 nuns and monks, and while there are places for Hindus and Sikhs to worship, the Jewish population is minimal, with no synagogue.

Jamie pointed out cute little floating Air BnB units in the Peakes Quay Marina. Our first stop was in front of a hand-painted map of Charlottetown, just in front of Peakes Quay Merchants – an Instagram spot for some in the group.

Here, Jamie gave a brief overview of Charlottetown, highlighting its historical and current features. The town features five green squares, including King Square and Hillsborough Square, with Queen Square now defunct. He mentioned Province House as a significant landmark, Victoria Row as a good street for shopping and dining, and Government House for its lovely gardens.

From there, we walked along Great George Street, stopping at the corner of King Street where there’s a 3-storey building constructed of Kelly bricks. I can’t remember how many “greats” precede the grandpa, but Jamie is a direct descendant of Irish immigrant, farmer and brick-maker, Edward “Yankee Ned” Kelly.

St. Dunstan’s

Our next stop = St. Dunstan’s basilica, place of worship for Charlottetown’s Catholic congregation. The first church on the site burned down in 1913. The replacement used sandstone imported from Nova Scotia. The cream Wallace sandstone is much stronger than native soft and iron-rich red-coloured sandstone.

The interior of St. Dunstan’s features modern stained glass from the 1970s plus an historic rose window from Germany, installed in 1919. The columns are faux finish and wood. Church attendance is solid, especially on Sundays, and in winter, services move to the modern basement due to heating costs. Jamie waited for us outside, admonishing us not to take too much time, nor to visit the confessionals. After all, our tour was on a timeline! Back home, I really enjoyed this detailed armchair audio and photo tour of St. Dunstan’s.

Eckhart in the City

Back outside, Jamie pointed out a little bronze mouse sculpture, one of 9 “Eckhart” sculptures throughout downtown Charlottetown. Eckhart the Mouse is the main character from The True Meaning of Crumbfest, written by PEI author David Weale and illustrated by Charlottetown artist Dale McNevin. The scavenger-type hunt for all 9 Eckharts featured in a past season of The Amazing Race Canada.

John Hamilton Grays

Crossing the street, we stopped in front of a bronze statue of two men: John Hamilton Grays. It’s quite a coincidence that at the meeting of the 23 delegates at the Charlottetown Conference in September 1864, two men had the same name! John Hamilton Gray, the Conservative Premier of PEI, chaired the Conference. John Hamilton Gray represented Saint John, one of five representatives from New Brunswick. Both believed in Canadian confederations, both were pro-railway, and both had active careers in the military. Coincidentally, the MV John Hamilton Gray provided rail, vehicle and passenger ferry service between mainland Canada and PEI from the 1970s until 1997, when the Confederation Bridge connected PEI to New Brunswick.

The John Hamilton Grays are in front of The Great George, an historic boutique hotel located in a row of 17 carefully restored heritage buildings. These are in the Neo-Classical/Adamesqe and Georgian styles, dating to the mid-19th century and characterized by symmetrical facades, simple trim, and traditional clapboard.

Province House

Just one block further on, and across Richmond Street, sits Province House. Parks Canada owns the site. Restoration work is ongoing since 1025. When we visited PEI in early October 2025, locals were hoping the work would finally be completed to allow for the next sitting of the provincial legislature to be held in Provincial House. But since I’ve not found any news stories about the re-opening of the building for legislative proceedings, I’m thinking that hasn’t yet happened (as of December 2025).

Charlottetown Boulder Park

We did have a walk around part of the grounds, where Jamie pointed out various rocks gifted to PEI from Canada’s other provinces and territories. The Charlottetown Boulder Park, brainchild of Dr. Eric Harvie, chairman of the Fathers of Confederation Memorial Citizens Foundation, is next door to Province House. And yes, Dr. Eric Harvie founded the Glenbow Museum in Calgary. The Harvie Passge on the Bow River just downstream of Calgary city centre is named for him.

Jamie poked us a little about the underwhelming size of Alberta’s dolomite sample. But it’s where oil is found, so potentially more valuable than it appears. 😉

Confederation Centre of the Arts

Next, we popped into the basement of Confederation Centre. Another Eckhart mouse is in the stairwell. But the main purpose of this stop was to “ooh” and “aah” over a large sugar model of Anne of Green Gables’ house. Famous Japanese cake designer, Keiko Sakaguichi, created the 136 kg (330 lb) model. I noticed a poster at the nearby box office for a production of “Come From Away” next summer and early fall…almost worth a return visit to PEI.

Classic Fire Truck

Our walking route took us past Charlottetown’s Fire Department HQ, which has a couple of folksy wooden sculptures outside, along with a 1916 Double Tank Combination Chemical and Hose Wagon, the first motorized fire apparatus on PEI. The first call it responded to was a 1916 house fire and it remained in service until June 1947.

Members of Charlottetown Fire Department Station #2 began a restoration project in 2001. In 2004, after countless volunteer hours and $7,500 out-of-pocket, the restoration was complete. The 1916 engine appears in parades and sits outside along Kent Street in fine weather.

All Souls’ Chapel

Built in 1888, this historic chapel attached to St. Peter’s Cathedral is a memorial to Father George Hodgson. Again, the design is by William Harris. The chapel’s walls feature paintings by his brother, Robert Harris. It became a National Historic Site in 1990.

Rooted In Art

Starting 2020, Charlottetown puts out an annual call for local artists to incorporate specific trees into their work. Some of the earliest exhibits included painted canvas wraps around the trunks, reminiscent of some of the pieces in Banff’s “Art in Nature Trail.” This 2025 piece, called “Boat Loads of History” uses a red oak in Rochford Square park to represent the island of PEI. The boats represent some of the 900 ships launched from 22 PEI shipyards between 1820 and 1880. Christina Patterson, artist.

Beaconsfield Historic House

From there, we walked along Grafton Street, passing some beautifully maintained/restored Victorian homes on our way to Beaconsfield Historic House.

Mr. James Keith, a local merchant, moved another house from the site to have Beaconsfield constructed in 1877. It was so luxurious inside that he couldn’t really afford it, so didn’t live in it for long before he had to move out. It’s now a Parish museum.

Across the street from Beaconsfield Historic House is an area that used to be a bog, featured in the Anne of Green Gables book series. Also across the street is Government House, home for PEI’s Lieutenant Governor, representative of the King. We made a return visit to walk the grounds later in the day. This particular government house is one of 6 properties in Canada owned by the Royal family, and it’s where they stay when visiting PEI.

Jamie also talked about how the Charlottetown Harbour freezes over in winter. Icebreakers open a channel to allow delivery of heating oil, gasoline and other essential supplies.

Wrap-Up and Farewell

With our tour winding down, we walked along West Street to Haviland Street, past the Culinary Institute of Canada before turning left onto Water Street. The Culinary Institute of Canada is located in a National Historic Site heritage building. And we’d hoped to dine there during our visit. But it wasn’t yet open, as the newest intake of students hadn’t had enough class time to begin operating the seasonal restaurant,

Just about back at our starting point, Jamie bade us farewell across from the Water Prince Corner Shop restaurant, where we immediately went to order lunch. It was a great tour – a good mix of fact and humor, local insights and in good company. We’d highly recommend Jamie’s walking tour of Charlottetown.

One follow-up note = at one stop on the tour, Jamie talked about Steve Berry, an author Jamie has met on more than one occasion. In fact, they have become friends to the point that Jamie appears as a character in The 14th Colony. It turned out that Mr GeoK had a Steve Berry audiobook on his phone, The 9th Man. It’s one of Berry’s highest rated books (according to Goodreads) and has a very interesting premise. But we struggled to finish it. Still, we may have to lay hands on a copy of The 14th Colony, if only to try to guess which character is based on Jamie!

Lunch Break

Of course we had to try the Water Prince Corner Shop. I enjoyed fish cakes with salad; fish and chips for Mr GeoK.

After finishing our tasty main courses, we headed over to Founders’ Food Hall & Market where we discovered wenever pastry. Based out of Summerside, wenever has a satellite location in Charlottetown showcasing amazing cream puff creations. We split 3 cream puffs: mini matcha and lemon for me, full-sized strawberry for Mr GeoK.

Then we wandered the Market, where we sampled potato fudge. Yes, PEI, land of great potatoes, has found a way to incorporate mashed potatoes into fudge! The sample pieces were right-sized, and induced us to buy a 6-pack of the “Northern Lights” varietal. Those pieces were too big for us, so we ended up splitting one that evening, one the next day and then sharing the rest with friends we met for lunch a few days later.

Charlottetown Boardwalk

With all that dessert on board, we had to burn some calories. So we headed off to walk the Charlottetown Boardwalk starting near Beaconsfield Historic House.

We didn’t get far before detouring across the street to enjoy the autumn foliage and a chat with a volunteer gardener at Government House.

Government House

Architect Isaac Smith designed Government House. He worked with local builders on the 1834 construction. The Georgian style incorporates echoes of the Palladian tradition. As a private residence (home of the Lieutenant Governor of PEI), the House is not open to the general public except for July and August, when guided tours are offered between 10 am and 3 pm, Monday through Friday.

NOTE: one photo was taken with a phone camera using the wide angle lens, the other with a MFT interchangeable mounted with a fisheye lens and then processed with “lens corrections” turned on. Goes to show how two photographers, each doing their own thing, can come away with very different looking images.

Although the original land parcel was 100 acres, in 1876 most of the land was gifted to the City of Charlottetown and developed into Victoria park. The remaining parcel of 10 acres is open to the public most of the time.

Angle Stone

I may have some of this wrong because I am only willing to put 10 minutes into trying to understand what a meridional line is and why it’s important. As best I can infer from my readings, a meridional line allows surveyors to take into account the difference between magnetic north and true north (aka magnetic declination). This is important when surveying plot lines and boundary markers and is probably all handled these days by GPS-enabled survey equipment.

But back in 1809, the government of PEI passed an Act of the Legislative Assembly to establish a meridional line for surveyors in the colony. In 1820, three commissioners reported their calculations to Governor Charles Douglass Smith and placed stone markers in a field near Government House. Additional markers placed at right angles to the meridional lines remain in situ to this day.

Prince Edward Battery

Constructed in 1805, the Prince Edward Battery has a western vantage point overlooking the mouth of the Charlottetown Harbour. The guns (cannons) have been upgraded over the years. Today, there are three long 32-pound smooth bore, muzzle-lading guns (installed 1866) and three other rifled, muzzle-loading guns (installed 1901). Never used in action, local militia used the guns for drills and ceremonies. Also on site is a stone magazine building.

Staffed only until early in the 20th C, the Battery fell into disuse and neglect. Restoration began in 2001, with the work completed in 2005, just in time for the City of Charlottetown’s 150th anniversary of incorporation.

Into Victoria Park, to Dead Man’s Pond

Victoria Park is the largest of Charlottetown’s many parks. The shore frontage runs for about 1.5 km (1 mile), and is outfitted with a terrific boardwalk.

In addition to the Angle Stone and Prince Edward Battery, Victoria Park is home to a public swimming pool, tennis courts, softball fields, a playground, a skate park and a network of walking trails.

Our primary motivation for finding the way to Dead Man’s Pond? The fact that we live just down the road from Dead Man’s Flats! Dead Man’s Pond is underwhelming. But we enjoyed all the grackles flying around. And damage from Hurricane Fiona was evident through the park.

COWS

Confederation Centre of the Arts

We were both lucky and unlucky here. On the downside, 2 exhibit areas were closed due to in-progress exhibition changeovers. But on the plus side, we had a great chat with the receptionist who said we could enter by making a small donation rather than purchasing tickets. Even with 2 galleries closed, we spent a good hour exploring all three levels of exhibit space.

There was a special, temporary exhibit of some original manuscripts by Lucy Maude Montgomery, on display because a Japanese documentary had been on site shooting footage.

Some of the art work that caught our attention:

I particularly enjoyed the Kathleen Daly and George Pepper exhibition.

There was a temporary exhibition about Canadian hip hop, although we didn’t listen at any of the stations:

And the brutalist architecture of the space inspired me to try some more creative photography, including some intentional camera movement shots.

Public Art and Scarecrow Festival

Departing the Confederation Centre for the Arts shortly before its closing time, we accumulated yet more steps as we checked out a couple of sculptures and stopped to puzzle out the themes of some of the eight hundred scarecrows that had gone up overnight.

Bluefin Bullet:

PEI Art Tower:

While the history of the Charlottetown Scarecrow Festival is a little unclear, it most likely started in 2017. It got a boost early in COVID-19 pandemic, when people were desperate for ways to get outside to socialize. It’s now the largest scarecrow festival in Atlantic Canada. Each year, residents and businesses create their own scarecrows, fostering community-wide engagement.

Beyond the scarecrows, there’s a range of associated activities and events over the month of October. Farm Day in the City (a giant pop-up farmers’ market); the Wicked Spirits Cocktail Mix-Off, Oktoberfest, tarot card readings, and wagon rides are just some of the options.

PEI 2025

Kind of like the (recently relocated) big “Banff” sign in Banff, Charlottetown has a big red numbers sign on the waterfront. It was originally created by Parks Canada in 2014, to mark the 150th anniversary of the Charlottetown Conference that set the stage for Canadian Confederation. The sign was so well received that the downtown Charlottetown association took it over. The last digit (or two) of the sign is changed each year, so that it’s a evolving tourist landmark, readily accessible by cruise ship and other visitors.

Founders’ Food Hall, reprise

To wrap up the day, we headed back to the Founders’ Food Hall and Market in search of supper. Even though this was Mr GeoK’s idea, he didn’t find anything that he really wanted. So he wandered around while I enjoyed a very large kumpir (stuffed baked potato). At $10.90 plus tax, it’s quite a bit more expensive than an Arby’s baked potato. But also much better, especially since it was a PEI potato! And compared to the CAD equivalent $22 stuffed bake potato at Kistefos in Norway, a bargain!

Day Trip from Charlottetown

After racking up more than 23,500 steps our first full day on PEI, we opted for a vehicle-based day trip from Charlottetown for day 2, loosely based on the south portion of the Points East Costal Drive. I had roughed out a route that included a fall color hike along the Selkirk Forest Walking Trail. But since we were too early for full-on autumn foliage, we opted to visit more lighthouses instead.

We spotted huge cruise ship in the harbour as we crossed the Hillsborough River Bridge; it was still there when we returned to our hotel around 4:30 in the afternoon. We were glad we did our guided walking tour the day before, as Jamie would have been all booked up with cruise passengers! And the city center would have been much busier.

Point Prim Lighthouse

We made our first stop at Point Prim Lighthouse, about a 45 minute drive from Charlottetown. Despite stopping at Maid Marian’s for breakfast before leaving the city, we still managed to arrive shortly before the official 10 am opening time. That gave us a bit of time to explore the point.

Each floor was like a mini-museum covering all sorts of lighthouse-related things. We learned that Point Prim Lighthouse was built in 1845, and is the first and oldest lighthouse on Prince Edward Island. A sign in the lighthouse says it’s one of only three round brick lighthouses in Canada, but other sources suggest it’s one of only two (the other being Fisgard Lighthouse in Esquimalt, BC).

The demand for a guiding beacon into Charlottetown Harbour was driven by concerned merchants and ship owners, who petitioned the colony’s General Assembly. Following considerable debate about location and funding, in 1844 the Assembly agreed on Point Prim as the location for a 60 feet tall lighthouse, with a budget of £156 for the structure, £358 for the lantern and £90 for the keeper’s cottage.

The lighthouse was designed by Isaac Smith, who had designed Government House and would later design Province House. From 1845 to 1969 there were eleven lightkeepers. Their most important duty was to light the lantern at dusk and keep it burning until dawn. During daylight hours, lamp maintenance and lens polishing took precedence. In 1969, Point Prim was converted from kerosene to automated electric operation and Manson Murchison retired as the last keeper.

Souvenir Idea

While in the lighthouse we saw a display for a Royal Canadian Mint $20 silver coin featuring the Point Prim lighthouse and marking the 150th anniversary of Prince Edward Island joining Confederation (minted 2023). Unfortunately, the gift shop was sold out of the coin, as was every other lighthouse where we asked. BUT, we persevered, and after returning home found a coin dealer selling the coin for the original mint price of $104,95 and purchased one as a souvenir of our trip.

Hannah’s Bottle Village

Perhaps the quirkiest stop of the day, Hannah’s Bottle Village is comprised of nine buildings made of glass bottles and cement. These include a school, lighthouse, church, replica Anne of Green Gables House and more. Admission is free, with donations accepted for the IWK Children’s Hospital in Halifax. As of the date of our visit (October 2025), the landowners had raised a cumulative $155,000 (plus the $10 we left in the donation box).

Mr GeoK will say I spent WAY to much time here, but I was having fun with intentional camera movement. 🙂 I’ve included a couple of representational photos taken by Mr GeoK to give an idea what I used to create my swirl shots.

Wood Islands Lighthouse Museum

Built in 1876, the 54 square foot Wood Islands Lighthouse is attached to a two-storey, six bedroom home that operates as a museum and gift shop. At the time of our visit, the lighthouse was closed AND the museum was swarmed with cruise ship passengers transported on two “Lighthouses of PEI” tour buses. We took a few photos from a distance and continued on our way.

Note that one of the above photos shows a ferry at the Wood Islands ferry terminal. This ferry route, to Nova Scotia, is part of the TransCanada Highway.

Cape Bear Lighthouse

The parking lot for this lighthouse was gated off, but there was ample parking just outside the gate. Cape Bear Lighthouse was built in 1881 as part of the government program to improve marine safety. In addition to serving as a navigation and safety aid, the lighthouse was used to spot German U-boats during WW II. Both the lighthouse and adjacent Marconi Wireless Telegraphy Station were closed at the time of our visit. The Marconi station was relocated to Charlottetown in 1922 and the lighthouse was decommissioned/replaced with a skeleton tower in 2011.

The Cape Bear Lighthouse is an excellent example of the development of aids to navigation along Prince Edward Island’s south shore. The lighthouse was built in 1881 as part of a government program to improve marine safety by erecting lighthouses at various remote locations. A Marconi Wireless Telegraph Station was built next to the lighthouse in 1905 and served to communicate with ships at sea. The station was relocated to Charlottetown in 1922. The lighthouse is also associated with the Second World War, when it was used to spot German U-boats that approached the coast.

Murray Head

We turned right from Cape Bear Lighthouse, heading down a red dirt road to Murray Head, overlooking the Northumberland Straight. We nabbed a couple of photos, doing our best not to disturb the 3 occupants of an idling car, and then headed back to the paved road and lunch!

Harbour View Restaurant

We stopped at a local family-owned seasonal restaurant situated in Murray Harbour for lunch. It was packed! We soon discovered that’s because it was closing for the season in just 2 more days. I had the house specialty – seafood chowder. According to the restaurant’s website, their seafood chowder won 1st place in the Eastern PEI Chowder Trail competition for 4 years in a row, as well as 1st place in the Island wide PEI Chowder Trail.

We planned to leave without dessert. But because they were getting ready to close for the season, hard ice cream cones were going for a dollar. We couldn’t resist!

Panmure Island Lighthouse

Another volunteer association owned and managed lighthouse, Panmure Island was our fourth and final lighthouse stop for the day. We paid $4 each to climb the 52 steps to the top of the octagonal wood-shingled tower sitting on a stone foundation. The lighthouse was built in 1853 by local craftsmen experienced in ship-building techniques. No nails were used in the original construction. The windows are vertically aligned with pedimented caps to match the cap over the door.

The original lantern was a series of reflectors that used whale or seal oil as fuel. The most recent update to the lens was in 2010, when the Fresnel Beehive lens installed in the late 1950s was replaced with a low maintenance automatic light triggered by a solar switch.

We enjoyed chatting with the volunteers in the gift shop. They were also sold out of the $20 silver coin featuring the Prim Point lighthouse.

Panmure Island Provincial Park

Panmure Island Lighthouse is situated in Panmure Island Provincial Park. With a wetland on one side of the causeway we drove to reach the lighthouse, and a white sand beach on the other side, we felt we had to stop and wander along the beach for a bit. The tide was out and we saw shorebirds, kelp, shells and driftwood. Hardy souls were sunbathing.

On the wetland side, we spotted a bald eagle enjoying lunch. We were too far away to see what was on the menu…likely some kind of fish.

Back to Charlottetown, via Montague

We had a hankering for cinnamon buns, so headed to a well-rated bakery in Montague. It was closed! This turned out to be a significant downside of visiting PEI in October (the offseason); most of the labour supporting the tourist service businesses is university and/or high school students on summer break. So a lot of places shut down right after Labour day weekend. Several places showing as open in Google Maps turned out to be closed when we pulled up to the front door.

Instead of cinnamon buns, we headed across the street to the Save-On grocery store, where we picked up a few groceries before heading back, inland, to Charlottetown.

On the outskirts of Charlottetown, we stopped at yet another Save-On where we bought sandwich supplies for supper. We were back at our hotel around 4:30, having traveled 235 km that gave us a much better feel for the size of PEI (smaller than we’d imagined, at least in terms of the ground we’d be able to cover in a day).

Final Thoughts

To us Charlottetown felt both smaller and larger than you’d think for a population for about 80,000 people. Smaller in the sense it’s very walkable – colourful, compact and lots of parks and pathways. Charlottetown’s outsize role in Canadian Confederation (rich history) combined with its strong arts and culture vibe means there’s something here to like for just about anyone. Highlights for us included our half-day guided walking tour with Jamie Kelly and an afternoon in the Confederation Centre for the Arts. We also enjoyed our walk from Peakes Wharf to Victoria Park.

After two days in Charlottetown, it was time for us to move on. Stay tuned for the next post in this Fall 2025 Getaway series – a road trip to Alma, New Brunswick.