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Crafts East
The Eastern Arts and Crafts Trail

On this route, we'll be following the Points East Coastal Drive as we take a tour of the eastern towns, villages and harbours of PEI.

Leaving Charlottetown, travel across the Hillsborough River bridge on the Trans Canada Highway until you come to the village of Eldon, turn onto Route 207, go another 10 km to Route 204, then 2 km down Route 204, you'll come to Koleszar Pottery. Here, a selection of delicate, hand-painted porcelain, cream glaze and table and decorative ware awaits you.

Picking up the Trans Canada Highway back at the Eldon junction, follow along this route and you'll come upon a number of interesting spots to stop along the way.

As you meander along the Trans Canada, you'll come the Plough the Waves Centre Visitor in Wood Islands. With an information centre, Internet site, exquisite gift shops, landscaped grounds, and a gazebo, it's the perfect place to stop, shop awhile, have a picnic, visit our lighthouse and enjoy!

By now, you'll be thirsty, and there's no better place to take a break than at the Rossignol Estate Winery. Here you can sample award-winning wines, peruse Island folk art and artwork and enjoy the panoramic view of the Northumberland Strait.

The next stop on this tour is Murray River. Be sure to visit Ladies In The Garden in Point Pleasant. You can spend some time enjoying the harbourfront and visiting a number of stores along the way. Don't forget to visit The Old General Store featuring Island and regional handcrafts, pottery, pewter, woodcarvings, windchimes, linens, artwork and more, and Spit ‘n Image Creator of Fine Alpaca Knitwear, specializing in organic knitwear made from luxurious and soft alpaca yarn.

Following along our route further north to Montague, where you'll find A Touch of Gold and the PEI Soap Company in the Down East Mall offering Maritime and Island jewellery, collectibles and crafts. Take a stroll along the harbourfront and visit Me & My Mom crafts store and see their treasure trove of Island arts and crafts

When leaving Montague, follow the Points East Coastal Drive and enjoy the beautiful scenery as you pass the many bays en route to Souris. One of the first stops along this journey is the Cardigan Craft Centre and Tea Room. Enjoy a cup of tea, or a bowl of soup in the Old Station Tea Room, then browse through the display of handcrafts featuring tole painting, hooked rugs, braided rugs, quilting, weaving, pottery, and more. Be sure to leave time for a stop at Tamarack Wood Products, featuring quality outdoor furniture crafted from the durable wood of the Tamarack tree, as well as to enjoy the hand-crafted works at Time-Peace Crafts in Rollo Bay.

Once in Souris, take some time to visit the local arts and crafts stores. For oil paintings of local scenes, refinished antiques and fresh and dried herbs and flowers, visit Naturally Yours.

Travelling further north on the Points East Coastal Drive, you can visit Basin Head Day Park, home to one of the most beautiful beaches on the Island and famous for its "singing sands". Here you can also check out a quaint boardwalk boutique featuring fine handcrafts and gifts from PEI and Atlantic Canada at the Basin Head Country Store.

Next stop is East Point, approximately ten minutes east of Basin Head, the most easterly point of PEI.

As you travel back towards Charlottetown on the northwest coast of PEI, you'll come to St. Peters Bay, home to St. Peters Bay Craft & Giftware, displaying high quality pewter fashion jewellery featuring Celtic, Victorian and contemporary designs. While in St. Peters Bay, it's only a hop, skip and jump to the Greenwich Interpretation Centre in Prince Edward Island National Park. This gateway to the park features an art gallery.

Next stop, Cottage Laine at Crowbush Cove, a unique gift shop in the Rodd Crowbush Resort featuring charming collections of work by Island artisans, decorative painting by Elaine Clark, pottery, stained glass, original watercolours, prints, golf accessories and special treasures.

Then, drop by PEI T-Shirts for a wide selection of t-shirts screen printed with water-based inks. Be sure to also keep an eye out for Glenroy Gallery. Featuring the Island's finest artisans in pottery, wood, sculpture, photography and more, it's worth the time to stop. Don't miss Ginger Snaps Treasures and Treats, it's an ice cream parlour, antiques, toys and gifts store.

From here, it's approximately a 15 minute drive back to Charlottetown.