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North Cape Coastal Drive
Picturesque fishing and farming communities, Summerside's historic architecture, secluded beaches, non-stop festivals and events...
these are just some of the highlights awaiting visitors touring Prince Edward Island's North
Cape Coastal Drive. Add to this unspoiled natural wonders, fresh seafood and an area rich in Acadian culture and you have a
first-rate tour of the Island's northwest region.
To find out more and to download the North Cape Coastal Drive 2006 Touring Guide, visit the official website.
You'll find each of the communities below along the North Cape Coastal Drive. To learn what you can expect
to see during your tour, simply click on the name.
Why not begin your tour of the North Cape Coastal Drive with a history lesson. A walking tour of
Summerside's tree-lined streets past
stately heritage homes will reveal much about this community. Look for the excellent walking tour guidebook published
by the City of Summerside. In the downtown
area, significant events in the town's past have been portrayed in dramatic fashion in large murals and visitors can
learn more about the boat building and fishing heritage at the boatshed at
Spinnakers' Landing on the Summerside
Waterfront.
Shipyard Market, newly
opened on the site of an historic shipbuilding facility adjacent to Green's Shore Beach, overlooks Summerside Harbour,
Indian Head Lighthouse and Holman's Island. Here you can browse the shops, enjoy a promenade on the boardwalk or just
relax and enjoy the view from the spacious deck and open-air seating.
The Confederation Trail, once the railway route across PEI and now a
groomed walking and biking trail stretching right across the province, passes through the centre of
Summerside and on through the heart of the
region. Pick up a bicycle or take a stroll on this level, easy-to-negotiate trail. Plan to begin at the pavilion that
marks the birthplace of the TransCanada Trail, just in the centre of the city.
The Celtic heritage of the Island is alive and well and waiting to be experienced at the
College of Piping, also in
Summerside. Throughout the summer, the
College has a busy schedule of ceilidhs and concerts, including free mini-concerts each afternoon.
For a taste of one of the Island's other founding cultures, drive a few minutes to the west to
La Région Évangéline. Here, Prince Edward Island's vibrant
Acadian culture thrives. A visit to The
Acadian Museum in Miscouche will set the scene, followed by a tour around this French-speaking area. Some suggested
stops include the unique Bottle
Houses in Cap-Egmont and the historical Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel
Church. Visitors will delight in crafts from Le
Centre d' Artisanat in Abram-Village, the Quilt Economuseum and, of course, many samplings of traditional Acadian
food.
La Région Évangéline is synonymous with lively rhythms,
especially during several festivals held through the summer. Next to the festival grounds, you can take in a lobster
dinner or Acadian-style buffet at the
Centre
Expo-Festival in
Abram-Village.
A bit further along the coast, you will find the West
Point Lighthouse Inn, whose deck looks out over the white sand beaches of Cedar
Dunes Provincial Park. A community initiative converted the historic lighthouse into an inn and restaurant and as
you climb to the top, you will learn much about the life of early days lighthouse keepers.
As you tour along the coast watch for the traditional gathering of the Irish Moss. Especially after a
windstorm, Islanders of the area may be seen gathering the Moss, often with horse-drawn carts. The story of the Moss is
told at the Interpretive Centre in
Miminegash, where they also serve the intriguing, but yummy, Seaweed Pie.
North Cape brings together the results of the forces of nature with some of man's most innovative
projects. Offshore lies the longest natural rock reef in North America. Onshore, the Atlantic
Wind Test Site features advanced windmill technology at work creating electricity for Islanders and information for
wind energy development - learn all about it at the Wind
Energy Interpretive Centre. Enjoy the view from the restaurant overlooking the meeting of the tides of the Gulf of
St. Lawrence and the Northumberland Strait and leave time for a walk along the
Black Marsh Nature Trail.
The citizens of Tignish celebrate their heritage at the
Tignish Cultural Centre, where visitors
can learn about the early Irish and Acadian settlers. Visitors can also follow a walking trail to an observation deck
overlooking Tignish harbour - a prime spot for birdwatching. Visit the St. Simon and St. Jude Church, where a
magnificent pipe organ is still used.
Now that you have arrived at the far north and west reaches of the Island, (be sure to pick up your
ribbon or your certificate at the North
Cape Interpretive Centre if you are taking part in our Tour the Island program!) continue
your tour from Tignish and
North Cape by following the shore road to
Alberton and
Northport. In
Alberton the
Museum & Genealogy Centre houses a display chronicling the Island's
fox farming industry glory days in the early 1900s while historic murals and folk art Canada Geese adorn the town's streets. A new
development at nearby Northport includes shops, an interpretive centre and a seaside restaurant featuring fresh seafood and a view of
the active fishing port. All the rooms at the four-star Northport Pier
Inn look out over the harbour, where majestic blue herons may be seen gracing the sandy shoreline.
At MacAusland's Woolen Mills near Bloomfield,
Island wool is turned into fine yarn and blankets, on sale at their
Old Mill Craft Company shop. And at Mill River, a
full-service tourist destination offers championship golf, a resort, camping at the
Provincial Park and fun for the family at the
Mill River Fun Park.
The community of O'Leary is in the heart of one of the Island's most productive potato farming regions,
and here they pay tribute to our most important crop at the Potato
Museum. City-dwellers may think it amusing to find a whole museum devoted to a humble vegetable, but displays of
machinery, pictures and videos explain the central role that the potato has played in the province's agricultural
history.
The North Cape Coastal Drive is home to the largest native population on Prince Edward Island. Discover
the history and culture of the Mi'kmaq at the Community
Museum on Lennox Island
describing Mi'kmaq spirituality and local culture. There's also an
ecotourism centre with a nearby walking tour and a
restaurant featuring traditional Mi'kmaq dishes.
A visit to Green Park Shipbuilding Museum and
Yeo House will provide a more in-depth look at PEI's shipbuilding history. A tour through immaculately restored
Yeo House reveals a wonderful vision of the lifestyle of these "shipbarons" of the 1800s. And in nearby Bideford, a
museum recounts the time L.M. Montgomery spent there
during 1894-95 and the role of the parsonage in the community, as well as the era of shipbuilding.
Save time for a visit to the charming village of
Tyne Valley where you might just find
live music at the local pub, or you can sit down for a pre-arranged dinner prepared with produce from the organic market
garden at the Doctor's Inn.
In fundamental ways, this area of Prince Edward Island remains unchanged. Many of the farmers and fishers
are following family trades which go back nearly two centuries. Visitors touring this region will see farm tractors in
red plowed fields, lobster boats unloading their traps at the wharf and oyster fishers working their tongs in
the rivers.
