It seems strange to let an 11-year-old guide you through Prince Edward Island, but then again, few understand the island’s charms quite like Anne of Green Gables character Anne Shirley.
Reading the Canadian literary classic is one thing, but exploring the places that inspired Lucy Maud Montgomery to write about Anne, a red-haired orphan girl adopted by a brother and sister, Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, in the fictional PEI town of Avonlea, is quite another.
I thought that watching fireworks spraying from Toronto’s CN Tower on Canada’s 150th birthday while eating Timbits was easily the most Canadian experience one could ever have. I was wrong.
PEI from above (Irish Mae Silvestre/Daily Hive)
Flying over PEI, a patchwork of red soil and green farmland, on my Air Canada flight while listening to the Audible version of Anne of Green Gables (narrated by a stellar all-Canadian cast, including Sandra Oh, Catherine O’Hara, Victor Garber, and Michela Luci) as I got ready to immerse myself in the land of Anne, I remember thinking, “It really doesn’t get more Canadian than this.”
Here’s how my trip went. If you’re an Anne fan, you might want to take notes about where to go if you ever visit PEI.
The world of LM Montgomery
Before kicking off our Anne of Green Gables tour with Tourism PEI, we stopped for lunch at PEI Preserve Company, which is known for its wide variety of preserves. Since PEI grows a variety of potatoes in abundance, it felt only right to order the potato pie (I cannot recommend this enough, but the portions were huge).
A slice of potato pie at PEI Preserve Company (Irish Mae Silvestre/Daily Hive)
I spot Anne after lunch as I’m browsing through the restaurant’s gift section — on a bright red bottle of raspberry cordial.
Irish Mae Silvestre/Daily Hive
Fans will likely be amused at the sight of the drink. Excited to host her bestie, Diana, Anne serves her what she assumes is raspberry cordial. But when Diana ends up drunk, Anne learns that she accidentally served her currant wine.
Next, we head to the Anne of Green Gables Museum, which was the home of LM Montgomery’s Uncle John and Aunt Annie Campbell.
Anne of Green Gables Museum (annemuseum.com)
The house, built in 1872, is especially significant because it’s where LM Montgomery was inspired to write several of her novels, and the home still belongs to the Campbell family today.
In fact, right next to the building is Campbell’s Pond, which is known in the book as Barry’s Pond. However, in the book, the name is too ordinary for Anne, who decides to give it a far more enchanting name: The Lake of Shining Waters.
At the Anne of Green Gables Museum (Irish Mae Silvestre/Daily Hive)
Inside, the beautifully preserved home offers glimpses into the life of the author: photos of her wedding day, the suit she wore to travel for her honeymoon, and her “Crazy Quilt.”
Not too far from the museum is LM Montgomery’s Birthplace.
Lucy Maud Montgomery Birthplace (Irish Mae Silvestre/Daily Hive)
The author was born on November 30, 1874, and lived in a small home for just 21 months. After her mother died of tuberculosis, she ended up living with her grandparents.
Now, the home features an impressive collection of the author’s scrapbooks, which include her stories, poems, and letters. There’s even a replica of her wedding gown.
Even avid fans of the author are likely to learn something new here.
Many different Annes
It’s hard to miss Anne.
Throughout my trip, I spotted her on almost everything: the back of a truck advertising the upcoming play, on boxes of chocolates, and even on tea towels.
Irish Mae Silvestre/Daily Hive
But nowhere is her presence more notable than at the Green Gables Heritage Place, where I learned that ever since the book entered the public domain, it’s hard to know exactly how many languages it has been translated into.
Green Gables Heritage Place (Irish Mae Silvestre/Daily Hive)
Here stands the Green Gables House, a farmhouse that belonged to the Macneill family, cousins of LM Montgomery. With several rooms added to it over time, the house certainly has a cobbled-together feel. It’s also the setting that inspired the home in which Anne was raised by the Cuthbert siblings.
Green Gables Heritage Place (Irish Mae Silvestre/Daily Hive)
The home is decorated with period-accurate furniture and ornaments. Upstairs is Anne’s bedroom, where you can spot the brown dress with puffed sleeves — a Christmas present from Matthew.
Not far from the house is the famous Lover’s Lane. The path was used for taking the cows to pasture, but Anne definitely gave it a much more romantic name.
Lovers Lane (Irish Mae Silvestre/Daily Hive)
Haunted Wood, where Anne imagines several terrifying creatures living (much to the annoyance of Marilla), is nearby. However, in fairness to Anne, the woods are rather dense, and once the sun starts to set and the wind picks up, it’s not hard to imagine why 11-year-olds would want to stay clear of the place at night.
Irish Mae Silvestre/Daily Hive
The following day, we headed to the Confederation Centre of the Arts, where we met the cast and crew of Anne of Green Gables — The Musical, which is set to open on Wednesday, June 19 at Sobey Family Theatre.
Director Robin Calvert, with Kelsey Verzotti and Marlene Habdrahan (Irish Mae Silvestre)
Robin Calvert directs the show, which features a mostly female cast and crew. Kelsey Verzotti will play Anne, while Marlene Habdrahan will play Marilla. The musical was first launched in the 1960s, and the cast still uses the same set pieces today.
The play’s popularity is evidence of generations of readers’ love for Anne, an orphan with nowhere to go who finds a family and a home in an unlikely place. It’s definitely something to think about as I sit here in Toronto sipping a glass of raspberry cordial — since it’s still a little too early for currant wine.
The author of this post was hosted by Audible, PEI Tourism, and Air Canada.