June 20, 2023- Charlottetown and North Rustico, PEI

June 20, 2023

Charlottetown, PEI -- We had a guided tour of the Beaconsfield Historic House, built in 1877. This is a perfect example of the Victorian architecture common in PEI at the time. The details in the house were impressive -- the moldings were amazing. And we got a brief history of the house and owners.

We then had a guided tour of Great George Street, one of only two national historic streets in Canada. A costumed historical interpreter led us around the area, and was really good. Very interesting history. This whole area's history is intricately linked to the Scottish immigrants and the French Acadians. A lot of trade went through the Charlottetown ports.

Charlottetown is on the south/central shore of PEI, and we drove up to the north/central shore to North Rustico, a small fishing community. We visited the Stanley Bridge Marine Aquarium, which is really a misnomer, as there were no fish there. The museum did have an amazing stuffed bird exhibit. I don't usually care for stuffed animal exhibits, but these birds were quite exceptional. However, at the Carr's Oyster Museum we did get a lecture on oysters, with a show & tell & sample on how to open them and suck them out. Yuck.

We then drove over to the North Rustico National Park along the Bay. Great waves, great colors and great sounds. Very nice.

Finally, we returned to Charlottetown for free time and dinner. Our hotel was just a few blocks from the waterfront Victoria Park. It had a nice walkway along the coast, and an old Prince Edward Battery, with cannons, protecting the Bay. We also walked through the town a bit on the way to dinner. We found several book stores, which sucked Peter right in. I was amazed at how many books were in the shop, and how many were just laying about on the floors. How the owners knew what books were in their inventory was beyond me.

For me, this dinner was one of the best on the trip. They had a great burrito bowl, with rice & beans & veggies.. No fish or french fries. Actually, by this time, everyone was really tired of potatoes, served with most meals.

Photos: