This self-guided tour incorporates 16 landmarks in Prince Eduard Island related to the Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery who was one of the most famous residents and made the island famous worldwide.
Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942) lived more than half of her life on Prince Eduard Island from her arrival to Cavendish as a toddler to live with her grandparents after her mother passed away till her grandparents died, and she got married when she was 37 years old. She started to write poems and short stories as a child, publishing her first poem at 16 and short stories in newspapers and magazines by 23.
Prince Eduard Island’s landscape and people inspired her to create her famous fictional character, Anne Shirley, the principal character of her first novel, Anne of Green Gables. Published in 1908, the book became a best-seller worldwide, translated to over 36 languages, and adapted into dozens of movies, TV series, films, radio, and stage productions.
When Montgomery married, she left Prince Eduard Island to live in Ontario; she returned for visits and chose it as the prime location for many of her books and her final resting place.
Prince Eduard Island celebrates Montgomery and the characters she created in many locations that were part of her life story and influenced and inspired her novels, and this guided tour lists them all.
The suggested starting point is Montgomery Park, where a life-size bronze statue of Montgomery resides. It is called A Glimpse of Beauty and depicts Montgomery as a young woman sitting on a bench with her notebook while experiencing a moment of inspiration. Near the park stands the Macneill Homestead, where Montgomery grew up and wrote Anne of Green Gables. The restored kitchen still stands and is open to the public.
Across the street from the park are Cavendish Cemetery and Montgomery’s grave.
On the other side of the park is the Haunted Wood trial, which appears in Anne of Green Gables and leads to Green Gables Heritage Place, including Green Gables House and Lover’s Lane (8619 Cavendish Road, Cavendish). Montgomery loved this house and chose it as the home for her fictional character Anne Shirley. Visitors can tour the house and relive Anne’s story in its rooms and garden.
The tour also includes the following destinations:
L.M. Montgomery Birthplace (6461 Route 20, New London).
Anne of Green Gables Museum in Silver Bush (4542 Route 20, Park Corner).
The Confederation Centre of the Arts in downtown Charlottetown has been presenting the Anne of Green Gables – The Musical since 1965 and is the longest-running annual musical theatre production worldwide.
Robertson Library and the L.M. Montgomery Institute at the University of Prince Edward Island (550 University Avenue, Charlottetown). The institute holds Montgomery’s most extensive collection of documents and artifacts, and the library displays Montgomery’s sculpture by Claude Roussel.
