We stayed at the Cavendish Campground within Prince Edward Island National Park. What a great park with privacy between sites.
Location was convenient for sunsets and getting into town.
Today, July 20, we set out exploring on our bikes. What a great trail for walking or biking.
We continued into town stopping first at the Resting Place of L.M. Montgomery, the author of Anne of Green Gables.
It was nice that they have a path of pavers from the cemetery entrance to Montgomery’s gravesite. The gravesite had red and white flowers making nature’s own grave blanket. The large name MACDONALD threw me at first. That was her married name.
Montgomery was born in 1874 and passed in 1942. Her husband Ewen Macdonald was a pastor who passed the following year.
Heritage Place – Welcome to Anne of Green Gables!!
The Anne of Green Gables Visitor Center was very well done. It provided comprehensive overview of Montgomery’s life and her desire early on to be a writer.
Montgomery wrote her books by hand in cursive!
Wow–what a compliment from another incredible writer – Mark Twain! These both had characters with real deep and vulnerability as we all have.
A basic knowledge of the book makes the visit more meaningful and enjoyable. Here is a quick summary in pictures that they provided…
Anne Shirley is an orphan. The orphanage is contacted by an aging brother and sister (Matthew and Marilla). Marilla thinks adopting a boy to help Matthew on their farm- Green Gables on Prince Edward Island would be a good idea.
The orphanage didn’t get the word that they wanted a boy. They sent Anne Shirley. Matthew picks her up at the station, realizes the error but is quickly charmed by Anne. Matthew knows Marilla won’t be happy.
Matthew quietly takes a very excited Anne home to Green Gables.
Marilla is stunned when she comes out to greet their boy and sees Anne instead.
Matthew kindly pleads a case by saying that Anne would be a great help to her inside the house with all the chores she does everyday. Sternly, and quite doubtful, Marilla agrees to let Anne stay, but on a temporary trial-basis.
Anne was a big help and Marilla quietly appreciated Anne’s lively spirit and hardwork. So they told her they agreed to adopt her. Anne finally had a family.
Anne is smart, extremely imaginative, and quite spunky. She finds herself in various predicaments due to her imagination, creativity and dreams. She stands up for herself when Gilbert Blythe teases her for her red hair by calling her “Carrots”.
Anne accidentally gets her best friend, Diana Barry, drunk with currant wine and dyes her own hair green. (She thought she was serving the NON-alcoholic cherry cordial.)
Marilla, Matthew and Anne become a real family as she transforms their lives with love and laughter. In fact, Anne brings new life to the entire community.
Later, Matthew dies suddenly from a heart attack, and Anne learns that Marilla is going blind. Anne gives up her 4-year college scholarship to return to Green Gables to teach locally while helping Marilla out at the farm. Love of family was more important than her dream of a 4-year degree. (There is much more in this book and there are 8 additional books to the Anne of Green Gable Set of novels.)
The many languages that Anne of Green Gables has been translated.
In her early years, Montgomery sometimes published under a pseudonym. Some used were Maud or Joyce Cavendish and Maud Eglinton. Montgomery was a prolific writer and published hundreds of short stories and poems BEFORE publishing Anne of Green Gables. She wrote and published a total of 20 novels, 500 short stories and 500 poems.
Montgomery loved cats so much that she often included one in her signature! She even dedicated her novel, Jane of Lantern Hill to one of her favorite felines, JL also referred to as Lucky.
Stepping out of the Visitor Center and onto the Green Gables property, I felt transported into a 4-dimensional version of the book!
“Diana” was in the barn creating a stunning textile art piece. She had NO pattern! She was truly just creating. I was very impressed. She seemed please that I didn’t just walk by as though she wasn’t even there, but actually engaged with her!
Anne came up and became quite curious with my phone/camera device. I forgot this would give my time travel away if the wrong person saw it. I felt my secret was safe with Anne. 🙂
The Power of Friendship –never to be underestimated!
What a peaceful place.
We toured the Green Gables House. This home and property was Montgomery’s sister’s home, but Montgomery spent so much time here growing up that this was her setting for her writing. Included the slate Anne broke over Gilbert’s head when he called her “Carrots”! 🙂
Walked the Haunted Woods…
And Lover’s Lane…
We both enjoyed walking into the Anne of Green Gables books today.
Aerial view of the property to get a feel for where everything is located. The visitor center buildings in the foreground, barns/cafe, Green Gables house, Lover’s Lane path off the back of the house, Haunted Woods across the front yard and the path down the hill.
A lego version of Green Gables:
I was about to buy the first book – Anne of Green Gables for Mona. I looked at an easier to read version, but is watered down and loses Montgomery’s voice. It was “the story”, but not the richness of content and vocabulary. Often when starting a good book you have to read a bit before being pulled totally in and motivated to finish it. I was afraid Mona would have too many distractions. When I flipped through the book, the “typewriter font” just didn’t have the appeal current books have -especially with all the graphic novels that have come out over the last decade.
A poem by LM Montgomery:
Before leaving I had to buy a Raspberry Cordial to try. I was hoping it wouldn’t be too sweet, but hoping didn’t make it so. I couldn’t drink too much, but at least I tried it to complete my Anne of Green Gables Experience. 🙂
We continued on our bikes. We stopped at Avonlea Village.
I must admit I’ve never seen a church that is a burger joint INSIDE! BoomBurger is located here. Almost seems sacrilegious. We didn’t eat here. We went down the Avonlea Village to Lone Oak.
We wanted their Seafood Chowder, but they had just run out of it! Dang. We settled for an order of their mussels–They were OK. Barry had a beer and I had a grapefruit Radler.
Before biking back to the campground, we rode to Mariner’s Cove Boardwalk. I went into Ship’s Company Pub & Galley. They had seafood chowder, so I got some “TO GO” for us to have later for dinner. It was really good. Next door was Handmade Hand Pies Company. While I waited on our chowder order I went in. They had just taken their raspberry cream ones out of the oven, so I got one for me, and a bumbleberry one for Barry. OMG they were so good!
The bike trails here are awesome. It was perfect to have such a blended experience today.
We finished the day/evening at the campground beach for the sunset.
Further down the beach was an indigenous hoop dancer. It was an unexpected treat to see here. Here’s a little clip of him.
He reminded me of the phenomenal one we saw at Lower Antelope Canyon -August 2025. ( Antelope Canyon hoop-dancer )
