We arrived on Prince Edward Island by way of the Confederation Bridge, the longest bridge in the world, an impressive 12.6 Kilometres and connects the Eastern Provinces of Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. We stopped at Gateway Village, a great spot to learn about the history of the island, map out an itinerary for your trip, speak to a local travel counsellor, shop, have lunch, and of course have some more delicious cows ice cream.
After Gateway Village, we drove to meet John from PEI Coastal Tours and Experiences at Greenpark National Park and prepared for our clam digging experience. Having never dug for clams before, we were taught the different ways to properly dig, the different types of clams, what to look for, and how to position the shovel so that we do not damage the clams.
John had a tool that he used to measure the size of the clams. Any that were too small were put back in, which is why it’s important to know how to position the shovel to avoid hurting the clams that are thrown back in.
After digging for about an hour we had enough and it was time to cook them up. YUM!
The park has gazebos that can be rented out ahead of time. Jon had thought of everything and we had a designated gazebo to prepare lunch. Along with the fresh steamed clams, we had potato salad, fresh bread, homemade blueberry pie and cake for dessert. Clam digging is the ultimate family activity if you go to Prince Edward Island. It's off the beaten path, something different than the usual excursions, and memories that will last you a lifetime. The warm salt water, red sand, and the warm sum led to a perfect day.
The park is equipped with washroom, lots of parking area, changing area, and a playground where the kids were able to play after lunch before we headed back in the car for our trip to the West Point Lighthouse.
The West Point Lighthouse Inn is the most unique place that we stayed on our entire 22 day trip. The property itself has a museum, a 1500m board walk along the dunes, the gorgeous West Point Beach, access to Cedar Dunes Provincial Park, and of course the lighthouse. There are not many lighthouses that you can actually sleep in!
This area is absolutely breathtaking, the scenery from our windows throughout the day were like paintings. On top of the awesomeness of sleeping in an actual lighthouse, the ability to walk the beach at dawn and sunset when it’s secluded gave the feeling of waking up in a picture perfect postcard.
The beach at the Lighthouse Hotel is perfect for young children and is shallow for a long stretch, No waves, beautiful red sand beach, and life guards on duty. The beach is open to the public, but we found it was only busy between 12 and 4pm, after that it was just hotel guests. This hotel is definitely one of the places you MUST visit if you go to Prince Edward Island.
We fell in love with Prince Edward Island, and can't wait to visit again. If you are looking for a great family vacation that will truly give you the feeling of calm, peace, and family bliss, I highly recommended Prince Edward Island for the whole family.