Atop a grassy hill sits a pretty home of white clapboards and green shutters. It is the famed Green Gables House from which Lucy Maud Montgomery drew inspiration to write her adored tales about a red-haired orphaned girl named Anne.
In the little over a century that the stories have been in print, the Anne of Green Gables books have made PEI and this little house famous. Thousands visit from around Canada and the world (and from Japan in particular) each year to see Anne’s Green Gables House in Prince Edward Island National Park.
Visit the Anne of Green Gables House during a PEI Summer Family Vacation
Daily during the spring, summer, and fall, visitors can walk through the Anne of Green Gables house. The Parks Canada website notes that the Green Gables House was originally the home of cousins to Lucy Maud Montgomery’s grandfather. Now a Canadian Historic Site, the house mirrors how Montgomery described the Green Gables House.
Visitors to PEI can walk through the house, exploring the rooms of the Green Gables House and also discovering the simplicity and hard-work that accompanied daily life during the last century. The rooms on the first floor of the Green Gables House include the:
- Parlor
- Dining room
- Matthew’s room
- Pantry
And upstairs the:
- Hired hand’s room
- Sewing room
- Marilla’s room
- Guest room
- Anne’s room
From the simple dresses hung in Anne’s room to the beautiful quilts on the beds, the details help bring the adored story of Anne of Green Gables to life in Prince Edward Island.
Summer Family Vacation Activities at Green Gables
Once visitors have walked through the Green Gables House, there is still plenty to explore. The grounds of the site are also home to walking trails. Brave walkers can explore the Haunted Woods and then amble through Balsam Hollow. There are also many barns humming with activity, providing insight into how small farms once operated. Visiting the Green Gables House, however, is just one of endless Anne of Green Gables activities in PEI.
Summer Family Vacation Activities: Cavendish Beach, Golfing, the Charlottetown Festival
Nearby, the red coastline of Cavendish Beach beckons those on a summer family vacation to the calm swimming waters and intriguing scenery of sand dunes and caves—an area perfect for exploration or enjoying a summer read. Alternately, seize the opportunity to play a round of golf on one of the famous PEI golf courses.
Whether golfing, walking, biking, or sun-tanning, visitors are bound to be hungry after a long summer family vacation day. Head to Dalvay-by-the-Sea National Historic Site, where diners can enjoy an an exquisite dinner in the opulent setting that was the one-time summer retreat for Scottish-born, Ohio-based businessman Alexander McDonald and his family. The large, regal-looking home also offers bed-and-breakfast accommodation.
After dinner, venture into Charlottetown to see the musical production of Anne of Green Gables – The Musical, which plays every summer at the Charlottetown Festival.
