Plan the Perfect Anne of Green Gables Vacation

To plan the perfect Anne of Green Gables vacation, you’ll want to know:

1. What books should I read?
2. What sites can I visit?
3. Where should I stay?
4. And how do I get to each site?

I have compiled the answers to these questions below and linked to the websites you will need.

Books for your To-Be-Read List:

• Anne of Green Gables – Purchase via Bookshop / Amazon
• Emily of New Moon – Purchase via Bookshop / Amazon
• Pat of Silverbush – Purchase via Bookshop / Amazon
• The Story Girl – Purchase via Bookshop / Amazon
• The Blue Castle – Purchase via Bookshop / Amazon
• The Selected Journals of L. M. Montgomery – Purchase via Amazon
  

Disclosure: These are affiliate links, meaning if you purchase a book through one of these links I will make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting the businesses that help keep this blog going.

Sites to Visit:

Green Gables Heritage Place, Lovers Lane, and the Site of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Cavendish Home

Green Gables Heritage Place looks just like you’d expect Anne’s Green Gables to look. The outside of the house is painted white with green trim and inside the rooms have been fixed up to look like Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert’s home. In “Matthew’s room” off the kitchen his suit is laid out on the bed as if he’s just stepped out. Upstairs in “Anne’s room” a dress with puffed sleeves hangs on the closet door. If you’ve seen the 1985 Megan Follows TV mini-series adaptation, you’ll feel like you’re walking through the film set. This house was actually the home of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s cousins, her mother’s family, the MacNeills.

Montgomery’s childhood home no longer exists, however if you take the short “Lover’s Lane” trail behind Green Gables you’ll end up at the former site of the home where Montgomery lived with her grandparents. An excavated outline of the foundations indicates where the house once stood. Nearby stands a small bookshop maintained by descendants of Montgomery. Family members stop by on occasion to tell visitors about their ancestor, the famous author. The site is also a short walk from the post office where Montgomery worked and the church where she met her husband. Montgomery’s grave is also near this property.

Read more: 

• Looking for Anne & Finding Maud at Green Gables Heritage Place, P. E. I.
• The Real Cavendish Home That Inspired L. M. Montgomery’s Green Gables
• PEI Tourism: Green Gables Heritage Place Website
  
• The Netflix Effect on Green Gables Heritage Place

Avonlea Village

Avonlea Village is not the historic village I had assumed it was. Instead it is a small park with tourists shops and five different restaurant options each in a building meant to replicate the style of shops and houses from the era of the Anne books. The only two original buildings in Avonlea Village are the schoolhouse Montgomery taught at and a small church which is still used today. Avonlea Village is next door to Green Gables Heritage Place, making it a great place to stop for lunch after a morning spent touring Green Gables.

Read more:

• Avonlea Village, Prince Edward Island
• Avonlea Village Website
  

Lucy Maud Montgomery Birthplace

Lucy Maud Montgomery didn’t spend much time in the house in which she was born. With her mother ill and her father unable to care for her she was soon taken in by her grandparents. Her birthplace, however, is still a museum dedicated to the life of the author. On display is a replica of Montgomery’s wedding dress, scrapbook pages from different periods of the author’s life, and rooms with period furniture like they might have held during the family’s lifetime.

Read more:

• PEI: Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Birthplace & the Anne of Green Gables Museum
• Montgomery Birthplace Website

Anne of Green Gables Museum, the Lake of Shining Waters, & Matthew’s Carriage Rides

The Anne of Green Gables Museum was the former home of Montgomery’s aunt and uncle, the Campbells, and the house is still owned by the Campbell family. Montgomery spent a lot of time here and many elements on the property appear in her books. Inside the house is the blue chest which shows up in The Story Girl and in another room is the cabinet with glass doors in which Anne saw her reflection and created an imaginary friend. In front of the house is the lake that inspired Anne’s “Lake of Shining Waters” and group carriage rides with drivers that don’t exactly look like Matthew run around the property at intervals.

Read more: 

• PEI: Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Birthplace & the Anne of Green Gables Museum
• Anne of Green Gables Museum Website

Bideford Parsonage Museum

L. M. Montgomery lived at the Bideford Parsonage house for one year during her first post as a teacher on PEI. It may be this experience Montgomery drew on when writing about Anne becoming a teacher on PEI. After arriving in Bidford, Montgomery enquired of the Minister and his wife who lived in this house if she could rent a room because the Parsonage was only a half mile walk to the one-room school in which she taught. Today the schoolhouse is gone, but a park with picnic benches has been put on the former schoolhouse property in memory of the school and Montgomery’s post there.

Read more:

• Miss Montgomery of Bideford Parsonage: A Teacher To Us All
• Bidford Parsonage Website

Orwell Corner Historic Village

Orwell Corner Historic Village is exactly what I thought Avolnea Village was going to be. Some scenes in film adaptations of Montgomery’s books have even been filmed here. Old original buildings have been moved here to recreate the former Orwell village. The buildings include a school house, a general store, a church, farm buildings, and even a blacksmith shop. Historically dressed reenactors are available inside each building to teach you about each space and will break character to answer questions.

Read more:

• Experience Anne’s Avonlea at Orwell Corner Historic Village, PEI
• Orwell Corner Website

Charlottetown

Anne occasionally makes trips into Charlottetown in the books, so although there are no specific locations related to Anne in the city there are a couple places you might visit. The first is the Anne shop filled with souvenirs similar to those you will find in the gift shops at all the other Anne museums listed above. If you are flying out of Charlottetown you may want to make this your last stop to pick up any last minute gifts. You can also attend Anne of Green Gables-The Musical in Charlottetown.

Read more:

• Charlottetown, PEI: A Matter of Perspective
• Anne of Green Gables-The Musical Website

Where to Stay & How Long:

When planning your visit to PEI, I would suggest a stay of 3 to 5 days. If you just want to see the Anne sites, 3 days is plenty. The Prince Edward Island Tourism even has a 3-day Anne of Green Gables itinerary on their website. I would recommend staying a few days more to experience the island beyond the touristy Cavendish area. The island is small enough that you can stay in one place and take day trips by car to other parts of the island. We moved accommodations a few times due to availability, but I’m glad we did because each place had its perks.

Kindred Spirits Inn & Cottages

While touring the Anne sites in Cavendish, spend at least a couple nights at the Kindred Spirits Inn & Cottages. And if you’re going to do things right, get the Anne of Green Gables Package. For adults, I recommend the Meadows Memory Romance package instead.

Read more: 

• PEI Accommodations for the Anne of Green Gables Fan
• What Anne Taught Me About A Little Sand in Your Romance

Dalvay By the Sea

The Dalvay by the Sea hotel was used as the White Sands Hotel in the 1987 Anne of Avonlea film as well as in The Road to Avonlea TV series. The White Sands Hotel is where Anne wore her Sunday best and gave her first community poetry recitation. You’ll definitely want to wear your Sunday best while staying at the Dalvay. You’ll probably even feel the same sense of awe Anne felt for the White Sands as soon as you walk in the lobby of the Dalvay.

Read more:

• An Unexpected Honeymoon at Dalvay by the Sea, or Anne’s White Sands Hotel [A Year Early]

How to Get Around Prince Edward Island:

The easiest way to get to the various sites you’ll want to visit, as well as experience PEI in general is to rent a car.

Read more posts about PEI:

• How to Pack for Summer on Prince Edward Island
• Good Eats: Prince Edward Island
• Explore the Beauty of Prince Edward Island Beyond Green Gables
• Where to Shop Local on Prince Edward Island
• The Kindred Spirits of PEI Restore Faith in Humanity

Watch my PEI Vlog:

Have you visited Prince Edward Island? Do you have any tips? Do you want to visit? Do you have any other questions? Let’s discuss in the comments below!

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