PEI 2026: North Rustico to Brackley Beach

Brackley Beach is a scenic resort and rural community on PEI’s north shore just east of North Rustico where we were staying at our home swap cottage. We passed through this area on our second day in in the province when we drove from Charlottetown to the Greenwich section of PEI National Park. We visited Dunes Studio Gallery and hiked on the Greenwich Dunes Trail but did not get a chance to explore the points of interest in the Brackley Beach area until another day. Because of the bad weather, we never made it to the actual beach itself but located enroute from North Rustico to Brackley Beach are a massive art gallery, an acclaimed seafood restaurant and a cool soap store. The community is also home to the only drive-in movie theatre on the island, making it a popular attraction for both locals and tourists. 

Located on a scenic point of land in South Rustico, extending into the southwest side of Rustico Bay, is the Fine Crafts Gallery of Gaudreau Fine Woodworking, a large 2000-square-foot gallery space that features high-quality regional woodworking, pottery, weaving and paintings by artisans across Atlantic Canada. There were so many beautiful pieces to look at and we had limited room in our carry-on bags for our flight home to Toronto, but we were tempted to buy something. After a bit of debate and negotiation, we settled on a hand-woven cotton throw and a small round casserole dish.

Right across the street from the Fine Crafts Gallery is the Blue Mussel Café, a popular family-run seasonal seafood restaurant that once sat on the North Rustico Harbour near our home swap lodging, before moving to this new location near Oyster Bay Bridge in 2026. The restaurant does not take reservations but allows you to join an online waitlist during its opening hours. The first day that we tried to get a table, I monitored the size of the waitlist starting around 4pm, hoping to join before it got too busy, but timing it so that we could have a meal and then get to the Brackley Beach Drive-in for 7:30pm. The wait seemed reasonable at about 15-30+ minutes up to 4:30 but then suddenly it jumped and by 5pm, the estimated wait time was almost 2 hours making it too late for us to have dinner. We went to the Fisherman’s Lobster Supper in North Rustico instead and decided to try again the next day. This time, we had 7:30pm tickets to a play at the Watermark Theatre so we joined the waitlist just after 4pm to get a 5pm seating.

The food was excellent and worth the hassle involved in landing a table. The restaurant is known for its locally sourced seafood delivered multiple times daily and takes pride in not serving any deep-fried food, to preserve natural flavours. As an appetizer, we ordered tuna tartare with fresh PEI tuna marinated in sesame, ginger, caramelized garlic, and ginger on a bed of corn and cucumber, served with an avocado paste and crostinis. For mains, I ordered their famous Lobster Thermidor topped with a cognac/parmigiana cream and breading served with green apple mash potato and seasonal vegetables. Rich had the pan-seared halibut with mango salsa, roasted red potato and seasonal vegetable.

Within the community of Brackley Beach is the Great Canadian Soap Company which sourced the lobster-shaped goat milk soap that Rich purchased in a gift soap in North Rustico Harbour. We saw one of the goats that produced the milk for the soap although he disappeared into his pen by the time we left the shop. There were several signs warning customers not to pick up the chickens, but we did not spot any chickens. Open since 2000, the Great Canadian Soap Company is Canada’s largest producer of handmade goat milk soap, specializing in 100% natural, moisturizing skincare products including bar and liquid soap, shampoo, shaving cakes, lip balms, body cream and laundry soap. The soaps come in a wide variety of scents and fun shapes such as hearts, stars, clovers and even ones shaped like bran muffins. Rich spent quite a bit of time looking at the options and walked away with “Three Wise Men” and “Number Eight Cologne” soaps.

The company was featured in the 2018 version of Amazing Race Canada when contestants participated in a “Suds” challenge that involved milking a goat and identifying 10 different soap scents. 

Brackley Beach Drive-In is one of the last remaining drive-in theatres in Canada and has been in operation since 1959. It was restored to its classic 1950s décor in 1992 after being purchased by the Boyle family. There are two screens each running a double feature starting at dusk from May through October. Vintage cars are placed under the screens to add to the nostalgic vibe. Admission tickets for the double-bill include a free soft drink per person or you could buy a combo ticket that also includes popcorn.

The canteen/snack bar continues with the 1950s décor with an authentic 1950s Morris minor car, a vintage juke box and old-styled Coca Cola machine on display. The concession stand offers a classic snack menu of soda pops and freshly popped popcorn, as well as hotdogs, burgers and other hot food items. Sound for the movies are broadcast through your vehicle’s FM radio by tuning to FM 99.1.  The etiquette for the drive-in is to have your car running in a mode where the radio can play but the engine and lights are not running.

The double feature that we attended was showing the animated children’s film Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie as the first movie and then the female buddy comedy Spa Weekend as the second film. As we were concerned about whether our rental car battery would last through both movies, and since we were really only interested in the second film, we decided to watch the first one without sound while we ate popcorn. Unfortunately, it was raining throughout both movies and by the middle of the first one, it was pouring so hard that it was impossible to see the screen without constantly turning on the engine to use the windshield wipers. By the second film, most people had left and we were told not to worry about watching with the car running so that the wipers could operate on a constant timer. Once again, we were hampered by the stormy weather that we encountered through the back end of our visit to PEI but we made the most of it. Given that this was my first drive-in movie experience, I still had a great time! The actual movies themselves were fun and fluffy time wasters that did not require much concentration, which was perfect for this environment.

On the drive home after the movies, I spotted what looked like a man and woman with bicycles trying to cross the busy Portage Road while a young child was sitting on the back of one of the bikes. I was horrified that they were out in the pitch-black night during a gale-force rainstorm. But as we passed by, I saw the man’s face and realized these were mannequins. The next time we drove by in the daylight, we stopped to take a closer look. Intrigued, I researched on the Internet and learned about Norm and Roxanne, an attraction first created by local resident Stan Skeffington in 1999. 

Participating in a friendly local rivalry to see who could decorate their rural mailboxes more elaborately, Skeffington decided to carve a single wooden mannequin which he named Norman and used it as a support post for his mailbox. Then he began to dress Norman in different outfits, including a farmer, a golfer and a fisherman. This was so much fun and generated so much interest that Stan decided to expand the display. Over the years, he gave Norman a girlfriend named Roxanne, had them get married, added a dog named Sherman and finally after a pregnancy, a little girl named Piper-Lee was born. As things got more elaborate, Skeffington switched to using commercial mannequins instead of carvings so that he could more easily dress and manipulate the family with their different outfits and props. Stan constantly updates the family's outfits, props, and scenarios to match the seasons, holidays, and milestones. This has become a popular stopping point for people to pose for photos with the “Portage” Family.  The display even made the CBC News and is a destination on Google Maps, located at 4122 Portage Road, Oyster Bed Bridge, PEI.

PEI 2026: North Rustico Home Swap

On our third day in PEI amidst torrential rain and gale-force winds, we spent the morning visiting the art gallery in the Confederation Centre of Arts in Charlottetown followed by a leisurely lunch before finally heading to our home swap cottage in coastal North Rustico. The original plan had been to set out as early as possible to maximize our time in the area by exploring the PEI National Park between North Rustico to Cavendish. But given the inclement weather, we flipped the entire trip.

Having front-loaded our outdoor activities during our first two sunny days by driving out from Charlottetown to go on strenuous nature hikes and beach walks, we decided to ride out the worst of the storm by loading up on groceries and relaxing “at home” the next day while enjoying our accommodations. After our vacations in the past few years, we continuously talked about slowing down and allocating some rest time on our trips. This gave us the perfect opportunity to do so and it did not feel like a “waste of money” since the home swap did not involve paying for our living quarters.

Driving north from Charlottetown towards North Rustico, we stopped at Gallant Country Food Market in Rustico to pick up enough food and snacks to tide us over for that evening’s dinner plus breakfast, lunch and dinner the next day. Our home swap host told us that she provided coffee so we just needed milk, juice, fruit and vegetables, and something more substantial for dinner. We found some lobster rolls that were a step down from the ones we had earlier in Charlottetown and Covehead but were not bad for something from a grocery store. We also bought a bag of frozen breaded clams to continue with our seafood eating agenda. Next, we stopped at Olde Village Bakery in North Rustico and picked up some muffins and pastries for breakfast. At this point, it was pouring rain and the wind was gusting so hard (trending at 90km/hour!) that our umbrellas were useless. There was no point trying to explore more of the little town so we just grabbed our food and headed for the home swap.

When we were selecting potential home swap locations in PEI to request a guest points swap, we considered several areas including Georgetown and Stanhope. In the end, we decided to concentrate on North Rustico because it is on the coast with easy access to all sections of PEI National Park and is a quick drive from Charlottetown. The vibrant fishing town of North Rustico itself has much to offer including quaint shops, seafood restaurants, walking trails, red-sand beaches, scenic harbour views and even a small community theatre.

Our home swap lodging was the sweetest little vacation property with an outdoor deck, patio furniture, and a barbeque. Unfortunately, we were not able to use any of these amenities during our stay because of the weather. Luckily, the interior was stylishly, comfortable, functional, and easy to keep clean. This was perfect since we planned to stay a day and a half inside waiting out the storm. We had a full kitchen and eating area, plenty of couches and chairs in the living area to spread out, two bedrooms to choose from, and use of a washer and dryer. There was strong WIFI which was important since the cell service in the area was spotty. We were able to surf and play games on our phones and I worked on my vacation blogs on my laptop. We even managed to cast streaming services from our phones onto the TV. Our only issues came when we lost power a few times. The first two times were during the day and the power came back within seconds. The last time was most stressful since it occurred at night and lasted several minutes. As we sat in the dark, we tried to calculate how much battery power we had left on our phones and my external power pack. But luckily, the power did come back and we were OK for the rest of the evening.

By our fifth day in PEI, the storm had subsided and although it was still drizzling, we were able to venture out to explore the area. Just a few blocks from our cottage was Harbourview Drive, a scenic street following the coast where shops, restaurants and fisheries can be found. Cricker’s Creamery is a popular ice cream shop that uses milk and ingredients sourced from local dairy farms. They serve hard and soft-serve ice cream, flurries, milkshakes, sundaes and dipped cones. I loved the cow and calf sculptures positioned in front of the store which were whimsically dressed up in rain ponchos after the deluge. Nearby was Rustico Bay Wool Sweater Company which specializes in handmade local and Canadian wool sweaters, blankets and accessories, including the classic “Doyle Curl Neck” sweater, named after Doyle’s Cove in PEI National Park.

Tide and Tales is a popular bistro, bakery and independent bookstore that sits in a historic harbourside building a short distance from the wool store. There were some really good-looking muffins, baked goods, sandwiches and even smash burgers that would have made great meals for our day spent inside our home swap, but we didn’t make it this far in the pouring rain. There were some cute books too including the punny “Stan of Green Stables”.

Located on the boardwalk that runs along the harbourfront on Harbourview Drive is a group of local artisan shops at North Rustico Seawalk Park including a surf shop and a café. We visited the Harbourside Boutique where I bought a cheery sundress with pockets that was 50% off and Rich bought a bar of goat milk soap with a lobster carved on the side. We would actually stop at the company that produces this soap a few days later. We also checked out Seawalk Studio which had a variety of paintings, ceramics and other artworks, many of which represented views of PEI scenery. One beautiful work of crashing waves was actually a weaving while another depicted the iconic Teapot dune that was destroyed by Hurricane Fiona in 2022. I liked the tiny ceramic geese including one decked out like Anne of Green Gables with her trademark red braided hair and straw hat.

Almost at the tip of North Rustico Harbour on Court’s Wharf is Seagull’s Nest Gift Shop, a nautical and souvenir shop open since 1984 inside a historic, old fishing warehouse that dates back 150 years.  The shop features unique, hand-painted nautical murals and props created by a local artist as well as nautical and coastal souvenirs, local PEI crafts and clothing including sweatshirts, rain gear, socks, and hats. A menacing shark’s head with an open mouth is cheekily mounted on the façade by the entrance.

The North Rustico Harbour, nicknamed “The Crick” (creek) by locals, is centred around a working harbour established in the 1700s with a multi-generational lobster and mackerel industry. The harbour supports 40 local fishing vessels with a lobster season in May/June and catches of mackerel, cod and Bluefin tuna in the summer months. You can buy fresh seafood directly from the boats or from the colourful fishermen’s huts lining the water. Several buildings offer deep-sea fishing excursions. One of the highlights of the harbour is the 1.1km wooden boardwalk known as the Rustico Promenade that connects the town and harbour to North Rustico Beach.

We took a stroll along the boardwalk and passed some scenic views of North Rustico Harbour and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. We came across the Seawalk Park Gazebo which acts as a viewpoint, rest stop and rain shelter. Along the length of the path are heritage relief sculptures carved into local sandstone by a local artist. We found carvings of Indigenous people, a sailing ship, a fish and a heron. In the marsh, we spotted a live Great Blue Heron with its neck raised looking for food. Then we had an unexpected surprise when we saw the six-foot-tall bronze sculpture of a 1920s Acadian fisherman in the middle of the water. The sculpture was erected in 2018 to mark over 250 years of fishing heritage and honor the region’s founding Acadian families and fishermen.

As we got closer to the harbour, we noticed the whimsical sign and art in front of the local artisan workshop PEI Wooden Lobster Buoy. There is a cutout of a fisherman in bright yellow rain slickers and a sign indicating “Friends Gather Here”. Right at the tip of the Court’s Wharf is Outside Expeditions where we were planning to rent bicycles during our stay in North Rustico before the inclement weather and high winds nixed those plans. By the beach is the North Rustico Harbour Light, a classic 52-foot-tall wooden lighthouse dating back to 1876 which guards the entrance of the channel.

A path from the lighthouse leads to North Rustico Beach, a quieter, less crowded setting than the more popular Cavendish Beach to the west. Looking back across the red sand towards the lighthouse and the town, you see a very picturesque vista that sums up PEI’s beauty. In a grassy patch by the lighthouse is a whale’s jawbone that has been here since 1969 and has become a local landmark marking the start of the beach. Further inland at 130 Lantern Hill Drive is an architecturally unique building known as the “Rotating House”. This is a 5000-square-foot rental apartment built on a motorized disc that turns 360-degrees, taking 45-60 minutes to complete a rotation.  Four luxury 625-square-foot rental units are available and the rotation allows each unit to have access to views of the sea, red cliffs and harbour.

We ate well in Prince Edward Island and stuck to our goal of consuming some sort of seafood with each major meal. This continued during our stay in North Rustico which has multiple seafood restaurants. Fisherman’s Wharf Lobster Supper is a well-known dining hall open since 1979 with a massive seating capacity for up to 500 people. A main course of a whole lobster (1, 1.5 or 2 pounds) is accompanied by a large buffet of salads, mussels, corn on the cob, clam chowder soup, nachos, and a variety of desserts. If lobster is not your cup of tea (although then why go to a restaurant called Lobster Supper?) you could alternately order scallops, snow crab, breaded haddock, breaded shrimp, chicken, or steak as your main. Because there was so much seating, we were able to walk in last minute without a reservation. The long lineups at the buffet stations were a bit worrisome since we had a time constraint to get to the theatre after dinner, but the lines moved quickly.

We ate at our first “Maritimes Lobster Supper” years ago when we visited Hubbards, Nova Scotia’s Shore Club. For us that was the gold standard as we were presented with substantial lobsters that were stuffed full of meat, large juicy mussels and a delicious no-bake blueberry cheesecake for dessert. The atmosphere there was folksy as we sat at communal tables with red and white checkered tablecloths. By comparison, this lobster supper felt very commercial and the size of it made as feel like we were in an assembly line. It was probably the wrong season but the lobsters and mussels were not as meaty. While it is always a treat to eat an entire lobster, the experience did not quite measure up to our memories of Hubbards.

On our last day in North Rustico, we had lunch at the newly opened Rustico Cannery and enjoyed it much more than the lobster supper. Located right by the water on Court’s Wharf, it is a modern restaurant with an open kitchen, wood-planked walls decorated with local art, and tables by large windows with great views of the harbour. On a nicer day, there is a large outdoor patio deck directly above the water where you could watch fishing boats head out to sea during the day or experience the sun setting during dinner. The bathroom stalls are decked out like ship cabins with opaque ocular windows and brass nautical hardware. Below the bar are examples of locally sourced oysters including ones from the adjacent bay where oyster traps are visible from the windows. The oysters on display include Lucky Limes, Raspberry Point, Irish Point, Rustico and Pickle Point. The bartender explained that the oysters varied in taste and salt level depending on the type of water that their beds were found in.

Rustico Cannery offers fresh, locally caught maritime seafood including freshly shucked oysters, oysters broiled with bacon, butter and breadcrumbs, tuna carpaccio, lobster rigatoni, fish cakes, and more. They also offer a curated list of handcrafted cocktails. As Rich had to drive back to Charlottetown and then the airport after lunch, we both ordered non-alcoholic mocktails including the Captain’s Punch (PEI rhubarb, strawberry, lemon, soda) and the Dry Dock (PEI blueberry, lime, ginger beer). Since we already had an oyster-dominant meal when we visited Malpeque Bay, we decided to try other seafood. We started with Cajun crab dip topped with cheddar, breadcrumbs, pickled shallots and cherry tomatoes served with sourdough and naan. For our main course, we both ordered the panko-crusted haddock with pickled beet remoulade, jalapeno relish, confit potato and coleslaw. These choices were delicious and this restaurant is a great new addition to North Rustico’s dining scene.

As avid patrons of live theatre, we always look for an opportunity to watch a play or musical while on vacation. We were particularly thrilled to learn that the Watermark Theatre was located just a block away from our home swap cottage. Founded in 2008, this is an acclaimed professional company that puts on plays during summer months in the 110-seat thrust-stage theatre. Initially launched as the Montgomery Theatre which produced works written during the lifetime of L.M.Montgomery, it was renamed and rebranded in 2013 and now focuses on a broader range of classic and contemporary plays.

We were lucky enough to secure tickets to one of the final performances of the last show of the 2026 summer season. Bed & Breakfast is a comedy written by Canadian actor and playwright Mark Crawford in 2015 about Brett and Drew, a gay couple living in Toronto who struggle to purchase a home amidst the high-priced and overly competitive real estate market. When Brett unexpectedly inherits his aunt’s house in an unnamed rural town 3 hours from the city, the couple decide to move there, renovate the home and set up a bed and breakfast establishment. What follows is a hilarious social comedy as the couple from the big city experience fish-out-of-water situations, make new friends, but also encounter homophobia in the small town. The play is all the more impressive given that in addition to the central roles, two actors hilariously play all the other quirky characters of varying genders, ages, and backgrounds, including townspeople and the eccentric patrons of their bed and breakfast. The talented actors rapidly switch roles and, on several occasions, even hold verbal discussions and physical interactions with themselves while playing multiple characters at the same time. 

In addition to being a laugh-out-loud, feel-good play, the plot includes a moving tale about being outwardly gay in rural Canada that gives it depth while commenting on identity, tolerance, and finding community. The play premiered in 2015 in Ganaoque, Ontario, where Crawford starred as Brett, before touring regional theatres and festivals across Canada. In 2018, the show was added to Toronto’s Soulpepper Theatre’s season.  During its run at Watermark Theatre, the roles of Brett and Drew were played respectively by Montreal actors Chris Barillaro and Jonathan Patterson, who are married in real life. On its opening night, a special fundraiser was held where 50% of the proceeds from that performance were donated to support Pride PEI. We had a wonderful time at this show, making it one of the highlights of our trip.

PEI 2026: Greenwich Trails in PEI National Park, Original Richards, Dunes Studio Gallery

PEI National Park stretches 40km along the north shore of Prince Edward Island with three distinct sections including Cavendish-North Rustico to the west, Brackley-Dalvay in the centre, and Greenwich to the east. For the second day of our trip and the last forecasted day of sunshine, we drove from Charlottetown to the eastern end of PEI National Park to hike on the Greenwich Trails. On the way back, we made stops at Dalvay by the Sea, Original Richards for lobster rolls and Dunes Studio Gallery and Café. We were lucky to be visiting PEI at the tail end of the summer season, since the “Canada Strong Pass” initiative which gave free access to Canadian National Parks was still in place until September 7. This meant we could enter PEI National Park for free, both to hike on the Greenwich Trails, and to visit Cavendish and Brackley Beach portions of the park during the next few days.

The Greenwich Trails are a set of 3 hiking trails of varying lengths and geographic points of interest. The most popular is the Greenwich Dunes Trail (4.4m round trip) which features a floating boardwalk leading to Greenwich Beach. The Tlaqatik Trail (4.7km loop) is peaceful and pastoral, passing through agricultural fields and coastal woodlands that run along the edge of the peninsula overlooking St.Peter’s Bay. The name means “Gathering Place” since this is once where the Indigenous people set up seasonal camps. The Havre-Saint Pierre Trail (1.1km) is the shortest and most historic as it overlooks and is named after the site of a 1720 French colonial settlement which abuts Indigenous archaeological digs.  Placards explain the historical, cultural and archaeological connections that the Mi'kmaq people have with the land. Parks Canada has partnered with the Mi'kmaq community to maintain a hand-constructed birch bark wigwam at the start of the trails.

Walking along the 1.1km packed gravel, tree and shrub-lined path from the parking lot towards the start of the Greenwich Dunes Trail, we passed through a few clearings that provided views of St. Peter’s Bay and the colourful buildings in St. Peter’s Harbour. At one point, we came across a swath of pink-purple fireweed plants before reaching a long wooden stationary boardwalk that cuts through a forest of spruce, birch and maple trees. This was the start of what would lead to the iconic floating boardwalk that spans Bowley Pond.

The 700-metres Floating Boardwalk is the highlight of park, zigzagging over the pond and marshes without disturbing the sensitive wetland and dune ecosystems underneath. It is designed to move with water levels.  Plastic floats are attached beneath the planks to provide maximum buoyancy to the boardwalk above the water. Flexible hinge joints absorb foot traffic, heavy winds and small waves without tilting or snapping. The boardwalk is dismantled before winter to protect it from intense storms and freezing, then replaced in the spring. As you walk on the floating platform you can see lush vegetation and wildlife on either side. Further in the distance are giant parabolic sand dunes that rise up to 65 feet high, resembling small mountain ranges.  Some of the dunes have distinct ridges of sand separated by sparse patches of grass.

At the end of the floating boardwalk is a steep sandy incline, with ropes on either side to help in the ascent, leading to a set of stairs that descend over a coastal sand dune. At the bottom is Greenwich Beach, a pristine white-sand beach with gorgeous views of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Someone had built a lean-to out of logs halfway between the stairs and the water, making for a nice shelter from the sun. We found a long log to sit on and admired the scenery while marveling at how empty the beach was on such a nice day.

Heading back the way we came, we retraced our steps along the Greenwich Dunes Trail. It was interesting that although we were walking along the exact same path on the floating dock, the views looked totally different going the other way. We spotted more wildlife in the water including ducks and geese and the curvature of the long bridge over the pond was more pronounced.

We next set out on the Tlaqatik Trail which was pretty but lacked the awe-inspiring experience of walking on the spectacular boardwalk on the Greenwich Dunes Trail. We did spot a heron and found binoculars that gave us a good view of a far-off lighthouse. This loop was 4.7km after already walking 4.4km on the previous trail, so the last bit became a bit of a trudge to complete. Despite that, we decided that we might as well finish off with the last loop since the Havre-Saint Pierre Trail was only 1.1km. Here we were rewarded with views of what we decided were lobster boats at work.

Dalvay-By-the-Sea is a historic Queen Anne Revival-style hotel, sitting on 120 acres of land, which was originally built as a summer home for Scottish-American Industrialist Alexander Macdonald in 1895. It passed through multiple hands after his death in 1910, until it was converted into a boutique hotel in 1935 and acquired by the Government of Canada in 1937. The hotel is now part of the PEI National Park and offers 25 historic guest rooms and eight 3-bedroom cottages. Along with a bar, lobby, library and dining room, the hotel provides access to sandy beaches, nature trails, croquet, tennis, kayaking, canoeing, and bike rentals. This site was featured in Anne of Green Gables movies and was visited by Prince William in 2011. We were hoping to stop by for a quick drink and snack in the bar but arrived too late. We settled for a quick peek at the downstairs rooms before continuing on our way.

The location that we had chosen for our late lunch/early dinner was Richards Fresh Seafood on Covehead Wharf. Richards is famous for seafood and especially its lobster rolls. This particular location is also known as “Original Richards” since it is the first location that opened in 1976 in a classic, red, canteen-styled fish shack sitting on a working fish dock. Although two more locations have been opened in Brackley Beach and Victoria-by-the-Sea, this original location still holds special status with locals and travelers alike, and has become a mecca for seafood lovers due to its unique location and cool vibe. It was originally opened by a local fisherman and his wife as a spot to serve other fishermen directly off their boats.

When we arrived, there was a lengthy lineup out the door and down the long ramp leading to the eatery. We joined the line and waited over 20 minutes before reaching the front to place our order. At that point, we were given a pager and took a seat to wait for our food to be prepared. When the pager buzzed and we finally picked up our lobster rolls wrapped in grease-proof paper, we found that the hype was warranted and the wait was worth it.  We each had a bun teeming with large chunks of lobster meat, along with fries and a small coleslaw. We ate several lobster rolls during our PEI trip but this one was by far the best.

Cove Head is a scenic stop with Covehead Wharf and Harbour on one side of the road where Original Richard and other shops and eateries are found, and a picturesque lighthouse with a path leading to Covehead Beach on the other side.  The wharf was severely damaged by Hurricane Fiona in 2022 and construction to repair it continues today. A nominal parking fee is collected when entering the wharf, which is used to fund help the repairs. A painting in the seating area of Original Richards depicts the wharf, beach and famous Covehead Bridge which was commonly used by thrill-seekers for jumping off into the swirling waters before guardrails were added and fines imposed to prevent this.

The site of the lighthouse at the entrance to Covehead Bay dates back to 1879 when two wooden masts hoisted lanterns to guide ships. Lighthouse keepers would physically move the lanterns across the sand dunes to align with changing tides. The current 8.2 metres, red and white wooden lighthouse was erected in 1975. It is still active today and is managed by the Canadian Coast Guard. A pyramid-shaped housing at the top holds an electric lantern which projects a flashing white light every 5 seconds, visible to ships up to 7 nautical miles away. The historic, revolving “bulls-eye Fresnel lens” is over 100 years old. On the side of the lighthouse is a plaque that commemorates one of the worst maritime disasters in PEI history. The “Gale of 1851” raged for two days, destroying 80 ships and claiming 150 lives. Covehead Beach is a quiet stretch of white-sand beach with shallow water surrounded by dunes. An interesting tour group was also visiting the beach when we were there.

Our last stop of the day was at the Dunes Studio Gallery & Café near Brackley Beach. This is a well-known gallery selling decorative arts and crafts including paintings, sculptures, prints, woodworking, textile, glass and pottery. It also sells clothing, jewelry, artisan soaps, decorative candles, custom-made furnishings and more. The space includes a café and a gorgeous outdoor sculpture garden. The gallery is owned by local potter Peter Jansons who operates a pottery’s studio on site along fellow potter Joel Mills. Their works source the pottery on sale in the shop including wheel-thrown bowls and tableware, unique vases and organic shapes with rich glazes. Jansons’ life-partner Nash designs the vibrant, eclectic clothing line for both men and women, featuring specific collections like Pena, Hot Flash, and Bali Boy.

The gallery showcases works by over 50 Canadian artisans alongside exotic global imports, especially from Bali, Indonesia where Peter and Nash travel to each year to source items for the shop. The gallery is full of eclectic items including a rendering of a peacock sitting on a tree branch which is made entirely with layered feathers. One section of the gallery called the “Island Art Gallery” focuses on works inspired by the beauty of the East Coast. Another section features hand-carved Southeast Asian teak artifacts, global home decor pieces, and eco-friendly furniture made from repurposed, decommissioned Indonesian fishing boats.

As interesting as it was to walk through the various gallery spaces, what was most spectacular is the vast garden area behind the gallery which features gorgeously landscaped water gardens, fountains, ponds, sculptures and wild, outdoor furnishings. Each pond is surrounded by bright floral arrangements, lush plants, water lilies and grasses. Look closely and you can find a Buddha, totem or crane sculpture rising from the water or peeking out from behind a bush.

The outdoor furnishings in the garden are custom-made through collaborations with Southeast Asian artisans who create nature-inspired pieces out of heavy, rustic teak wood and reclaimed boat wood. The natural oils and rubbers in teak prevent the wood from rotting when exposed to outdoor elements and form a weathered, silver-grey patina over time. Although some of them look wild and wacky, visitors are encouraged to sit and interact with the functional pieces, which are all available for sale.

Throughout the garden were many more sculptures made from wood, stone and cement. There were Southeast Asian-inspired motifs, ones made to look like Easter Island heads or ancient or prehistoric artifacts, woodland sculptures, regional “Dunes” people and more. There was something new to discover at everywhere that you turned.

Standing in the garden and looking back on the building that backed onto the gallery, we could see the personal apartment where Peter and Nash live, and the pottery studio where Jansons creates his wares, along with Joel Mills. In one of the windows, we could see stacks of unglazed ceramic vessels. Had we been there at the right time, there might have been an opportunity to watch live demonstrations by the master potters spinning clay on their potters’ wheels.

The Café/restaurant consists of a two level dining space serving locally inspired cuisine by Executive Chef Norman Day, with dishes often presented on the gallery’s own handmade pottery. It is too bad that we had already gorged ourselves with lobster rolls from Original Richards and were not in the position to partake in a meal here.

Following our visit to Dunes Studio Gallery, we returned to Charlottetown. We were happy that we were able to take advantage of two days of bright sunshine, since we knew that a large storm was due to arrive the next day.

PEI 2026: Thunder Cove Beach, Malpeque Bay Oysters

We booked two nights at a boutique inn in Charlottetown for our first two days in Prince Edward Island (PEI), with the full intent of exploring the province’s capital and largest city before heading off to our home swap location in the coastal village of North Rustico. But forecasts of torrential rain and wind for the duration of our stay in North Rustico made us up-end our plans. During our initial two sunny days, we would drive from Charlottetown to go on hikes and visit red sand beaches and dunes before returning at night to sleep. Then once we reached North Rustico, we would go on activities that were at least partially indoors or otherwise less exposed to the elements. This impromptu plan gave us two sunny days to enjoy PEI’s natural beauty.

On the day that we landed, after picking up the rental car, grabbing a quick bite to eat while we explored the Charlottetown harbour, then dropping our bags off at our accommodations, we set out for our first outdoor adventure. We would drive an hour north-west to Thunder Cove Beach to see red sand beaches and dunes, then another 15 minutes to Malpeque Bay to eat (what else?) Malpeque oysters!

PEI is known for its red sandy beaches and sand dunes, a result of the iron-rich minerals in its underlying rock and sediments which have oxidized and rusted over millions of years to create the crimson red hematite mineral in the sandstone. The strong waves of the Atlantic ocean break down the red cliffs along the shoreline to create red sand. One of the most beautiful and dramatic locations in PEI to see red sandstone cliffs, sea stacks and sand dunes is Thunder Cove Beach in the coastal community of Darnley. Parking along the side of Thunder Beach Road with the rest of the vehicles, we arrived at the top of the sand dunes and looked down upon the vast (and uncrowded) beach area by the water. The sand of the beach actually looks more tan or grey in colour since the red sands are intermixed with sediments, shells, and other minerals washed in by the tides. But up top by the dunes, the sand is definitely red, as are the cliffs that we see in the distance. Because of the precariousness of the shifting sands on the dunes, there are warning signs of danger and threats of fines for climbing on these, but the rock cliffs seemed to be fair game.

Coming down the main trail to the beach and turning left, we followed the rock formations until we came across a series of sea caves, hollowed out by relentless thrashing waves. We had checked the daily and hourly tide reports for this area to make sure we were there during low tide and would be long gone before the rising tides washed away our access. Scooting under a rock formation with a narrow layer of sand that was already quite close to the gently lapping waves, we got to the other side where we were blown away by the gorgeous red cliffs surrounding us.

Rather than retrace our steps along the beach, we tried to take the “high road” along the top of the sea caves and were rewarded by some spectacular views of the ocean and other cliffs. But then we had to find our way back down again and luckily reached a section that was just low enough that Rich could slide down from a seated position and then I could take a leap into his arms.

An iconic view that unfortunately no longer exists is the “Teacup Stack” that once stood out in the water off Thunder Beach and was shaped like a giant teacup and saucer.  Post-tropical storm Fiona destroyed the stack in 2022, leaving only the saucer. However, many images and artistic representations of it can still be seen in the local art galleries and shops.  We would see a similar stack later on in North Rustico, at Mackenzies Brook on the Gulf Shore Parkway but it was too bad this one would never be seen again.

After descending from the cliffs, we spent more time exploring the beach area in the other direction as the sun started to go, forming cool shadows in the sand. At one point, we came across a tidal run-off stream that blocked further access unless we wanted to get our feet wet, which we didn’t. At low tide, the water, which originates from marshy wetlands and ponds behind the dunes, flows towards the ocean. This is a dynamic stream that shifts, widens and deepens or dries up depending on the storm patterns, wind and rainfall. As the sun continued to set and the tide continued to rise, we returned to the original jutting rock formation and saw that it was no longer easily accessible with deeper waters and stronger waves blocking the path. This was a fantastic experience and we were so lucky to have a sunny day to explore this area.

While planning our visit to Thunder Cove Beach, we realized that we would be very close to Malpeque Bay, home to the Malpeque oysters that we often order in Toronto. It delighted us to think that we could dine on Malpeque oysters fresh out of Malpeque Bay! Malpeque Bay is protected from the Gulf of St. Lawrence by a long sandspit and dune, providing sheltered salt marshes, tidal flats, and shallow estuaries that oysters and many other species need to grow and thrive. The spit protects oyster beds from strong waves while still allowing tidal exchanges that provide plankton as an ongoing food supply.  As we approached Malpeque, we passed by the Keir Memorial Museum, housed in a Presbyterian Church, displaying artifacts depicting culture life in Malpeque. Across the street is the beautiful Gothic Revival-styled Princeton United Church, one of many gorgeous churches that we saw during our visit to PEI. At the picturesque bay, we chose the Malpeque Oyster Barn to have our dinner.

Malpeque Oyster Barn is a seafood and oyster restaurant known for its oysters but also offers meals featuring lobster, mussels, scallops, chowder and other seafood as well as selling fresh seafood on site. Because it is located right on the harbour, the people lucky enough to score a window seat are probably looking out at the oyster beds that sourced their meals. We were lucky to get a seating at all since we had not decided to visit this area until the night before and it was too late to make a reservation because the restaurant only accepted them by phone. We snagged the last table in the last seating and helped close down the place. We ordered a dozen small Malpeque oysters and a half dozen small quahogs (marine clams) for appetizers, then doubled down on the Malpeques by selecting pan-fried breaded oysters served with crostini and salad. Rich ordered a blueberry ale, the first of many on this trip, and for dessert, we shared a rhubarb crisp topped with whipping cream.  This marked a nice end to our first day in Prince Edward Island and we made the most of the (soon-to-be-gone) good weather.