Prince Edward Island
Best of Prince Edward Island
Program No. 22391RJ
Discover why Prince Edward Island is known as the “Garden of the Gulf” as you explore verdant landscapes, savor locally grown cuisine and experience grand traditions of art and culture.
Enroll with Confidence
We want your Road Scholar learning adventure to be something to look forward to—not worry about. Learn more
Protecting the Environment
We offset a portion of the emissions created by your travel. Learn more
7 days
6 nights
16 meals
6B 5L 5D
1
Check-in, Welcome Dinner, Orientation
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
2
Beaconsfield House, Introduction to PEI, Historic Walk
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
3
PEI National Park, Green Gables, Cavendish Beach
Brackley Beach, PE
4
PEI National Park, Greenwich Dune Ecology, Fisheries
Brackley Beach, PE
5
PEI Agriculture, Farm Visits, Acadian History
Summerside, PE
6
Fox Museum, Oyster Farm, Confederation Bridge
Summerside, PE
7
Transfer to Airport, Program Concludes
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
At a Glance
Explore Prince Edward Island, a land of undeniable yet simple charms, where Maritime and Acadian history is proudly told. Set out in Charlottetown to discover the city’s heritage as one of the earliest crossroads of European exploration and settlement in North America. Experience rural P.E.I., coastal outposts and the extensive National Park system, home to the splendid and well-preserved dunes.
Activity Level
Keep the Pace
Walking up to two miles during field trips; some destinations will have stairs but no elevator. Full days, including some bus rides of 4-5 hours.
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.
Best of all, you’ll…
- Experience P.E.I.’s agriculture and cuisine firsthand, and get to know the landscapes and people driving the island’s world-class food industries.
- Immerse yourself in the island’s cultural heritage, including the settings that inspired the classic "Anne of Green Gables" and the life and times of its author, as well as the island’s unique musical tradition merging Scottish, Irish and Acadian roots.
- Learn about the National Park system’s diverse ecosystem of hundreds of species of plants, animals and birds, archaeological digs from 10,000 years of settlement and a unique dune system overlooking white-sand beaches.
Featured Expert
All trip experts
Susan Dalziel
Susan has lived on Prince Edward Island for her entire life. As a teacher with 30 years of experience and Road Scholar group leader for 10, Susan loves sharing knowledge of her home province with visitors. For the past 30 years, Susan has dedicated herself to the promotion and development of women’s hockey. Getting others involved and spreading the joy of Canada’s favorite sport is a true passion of hers. When the snow melts, Susan can often be found gardening, and she knits year round.
Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.
Susan Dalziel
View biography
Susan has lived on Prince Edward Island for her entire life. As a teacher with 30 years of experience and Road Scholar group leader for 10, Susan loves sharing knowledge of her home province with visitors. For the past 30 years, Susan has dedicated herself to the promotion and development of women’s hockey. Getting others involved and spreading the joy of Canada’s favorite sport is a true passion of hers. When the snow melts, Susan can often be found gardening, and she knits year round.
Wayne MacKinnon
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Wayne MacKinnon grew up on a family farm in Prince Edward Island and has always been interested in agriculture and rural issues. An award-winning author, Wayne has written extensively on Prince Edward Island politics and history. He co-wrote a study on traditional, sustainable agriculture on the Island and is a lecturer in political science at the University of P.E.I. For over 20 years, Wayne has held senior communications roles at the Prince Edward Island Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and later, the Department of Finance.
Cameron MacDonald
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Cameron Bennett MacDonald was born in Charlottetown, as a 9th generation Islander. Being between the theatre and history of the Island his entire childhood, it only made sense that Cameron joined the Confederation players in 2013, a historical reenactment troupe. The troupe combined a knowledge of history and group leading experience, with a theatrical side as well, a job to honor both his parents. As the troupe’s artistic supervisor, he writes historical vignettes and shares his knowledge with those around him.
Routes Adventures Mobile Phone
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Please call the toll free line at 1-866-745-1690 during regular business hours or for non-urgent matters (Mon - Fri 8:30 - 4:30 EST). The mobile phone #1-613-331-5777 is for after hours and weekends for emergency use only. The phone is carried by a staff member.
Kate MacQuarrie
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Kate MacQuarrie is an award-winning botanist, naturalist, and author who has been eating wild foods, tracking wild animals, and interpreting the natural history of Prince Edward Island for more than 30 years. She holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in biology, has conducted research in PEI’s upland hardwood forests and coastal sand dunes, found plants not previously known to exist on the Island, published papers in national and international peer-reviewed journals, and released a book on the Wild Foods of PEI.
Suggested Reading List
(5 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Best of Prince Edward Island
Program Number: 22391
Canada's Food Island: A Collection of Stories and Recipes from Prince Edward Island
Canada's Food Island combines nearly 100 inspired seasonal recipes with homegrown stories and beautiful photographs to capture the essence of the island's unique food culture - a blend of people, place and locally sourced fresh natural ingredients.
Celebrate the Island's farm-to-table cooking and meet the farmers, fishers and artisans who make those delicious dishes possible. From preparing the perfect lobster roll in spring and galettes filled with sweet fresh-picked strawberries in summer to making savory potato pizza in fall and roast turkey with an oyster, bacon and wild mushroom stuffing in mid-winter.
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants
In a rich braid of reflections that range from the creation of Turtle Island to the forces that threaten its flourishing today, Robin circles toward a central argument: that the awakening of a wider ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world. For only when we can hear the languages of other beings will we be capable of understanding the generosity of the earth, and learn to give our own gifts in return.
Why I Hate Canadians
First published in 1997, this hilarious book launched satirist Will Ferguson's career. Challenging the notion that Canadians are nice,” the book asks, Do we as Canadians deserve a country so great?” Tackling subjects from Canada's favorite inbred royals to the mighty beaver as national icon, from sex in a canoe to all-Canadian "superhero" Captain Canuck, Ferguson rampages across the cultural landscape.
The Seamstress of Acadie
As 1754 is drawing to a close, tensions between the French and the British on Canada's Acadian shore are reaching a fever pitch. Seamstress Sylvie Galant and her family--French-speaking Acadians wishing to remain neutral--are caught in the middle, their land positioned between two forts flying rival flags. Amid preparations for the celebration of Noël, the talk is of unrest, coming war, and William Blackburn, the British Army Ranger raising havoc across North America's borderlands.
Anne of Green Gables
First published in 1908, this heartwarming story has beckoned generations of readers into the special world of Green Gables, an old-fashioned farm outside a town called Avonlea. Anne Shirley, an eleven-year-old orphan, has arrived in this verdant corner of Prince Edward Island only to discover that the Cuthberts—elderly Matthew and his stern sister, Marilla—want to adopt a boy, not a feisty redheaded girl.