The Toddler Tourist:

East Coasters

—by Hillary Handy

Occasionally, the Toddler Tourist heads north or south in the summer months to explore our province. This year, we were fortunate to head East to explore Prince Edward Island! For our Thanksgiving issue, I felt it was only appropriate to reflect on this adventure with gratitude and thanks as I recognize not everyone is able to do such an undertaking with little ones. We have also never been able to take a family holiday in the summer months, historically, based on our work schedules, so this was especially cherished time together. In classic fashion, this tourist was all about the outings that were free and or affordable. While we attended these locations in the summer, many could be attempted in the fall or late spring

The Toddler Tourist:

East Coasters

—by Hillary Handy

Occasionally, the Toddler Tourist heads north or south in the summer months to explore our province. This year, we were fortunate to head East to explore Prince Edward Island! For our Thanksgiving issue, I felt it was only appropriate to reflect on this adventure with gratitude and thanks as I recognize not everyone is able to do such an undertaking with little ones. We have also never been able to take a family holiday in the summer months, historically, based on our work schedules, so this was especially cherished time together. In classic fashion, this tourist was all about the outings that were free and or affordable. While we attended these locations in the summer, many could be attempted in the fall or late spring

Our family loves to explore. This is one activity we all can agree on and is often FREE to do. This was easy to tackle by searching for lighthouses and beaches amidst the unique topography of the East Coast. We first visited Cape Tryon where the lighthouse is perched on top of a red sandstone cliff north of the French River. We were able to see some fishermen down below and even watch a seal bob up and down along the coast. Now for those with little-littles this could be stressful keeping an eye on them, you know, near a cliff… but there are lots of safe spaces to look at the beauty of the coast, without scaling a rock wall. 

Five minutes down the road is the New London Lighthouse, which is another little gem. The beach was virtually empty. The kids went haywire searching for shells and unalive crabs. Kids can spend hours playing in the sand, collecting rocks and shells, making forts and sand castles…the beach surely is a magical place. My son is kind of obsessed with crabs and lobsters, so this was the best outing for him. Again, it was free to park, but spaces were limited as many cottagers lived on adjacent properties, so make sure to read the posted signage and park accordingly. The swimming was shallow with a sandbar as it is in a little bay. 

Thunder Cove Beach was probably my favourite beach to check out. You think you are driving on the road to literally nowhere and then are able to park for free on the side of the road and explore. We were sunset chasers here with a group of friends and had a magical time seeing this unique landscape.  

We also loved North Rustico Beach because there is the little hamlet of North Rustico nearby where you can eat, shop and wander if you need a break from the sun. We also swam! It was another great sandbar for kids. We Northern Ontario folk can swim in just about anything, but the ocean temperatures in August were very manageable and the jellyfish had come and gone by then. 

We also did some geocaching around the Island. This is FREE to do and can be done literally anywhere. So, you know in addition to exploring, we tacked on some treasure hunting. Some of your classic tourist destinations are accompanied by a hidden cache.  So it was easy to double-dip.

We did do some outings that had an admission fee, such as enjoy the Island’s COWS Ice Cream and check out the Green Gables Heritage Place. For this heritage site, it was $9 for an adult to enter, but children were free, so I count this as an affordable outing for those who are into Anne. It is pretty interesting how an entire tourism industry is based around a fictional character. But we were into it! We saw the Lake of Shining Waters, adjacent to Cavendish Beach. We explored other areas that had a connection to Anne or her author, Lucy Maud Montgomery. All in all, it was a great, affordable family vacation and we had a wonderful time! 

As we enter the fall months, I am thankful for the summer adventures we have been able to enjoy this year. The Toddler Tourist lives for summer, but we certainly can appreciate the other seasons and the unique opportunities they bring. 

Anne Shirley, in the Island’s classic Anne of Green Gables comments, “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” We certainly loved PEI in the summer. Maybe we will just have to venture back to see what Anne was talking about in the autumn.