Green Gables - Prince Edward Island
Sarah grew up with L.M. Montgomerys tales of a red haired orphan named Anne and a certain farmhouse named Green Gables. The books were an incredible success and were inspired by the Green Gables site which is located in Cavendish, PEI. After paying the small entrance fee a walk through the barn provides the perfect frame for the first glimpse of the property.
The site is (as you would expect) stylised to emulate the descriptions in the books. Rather than trying to replicate the actual time period perfectly Parks Canada opted to bring to life the fictional works of L.M. Montgomery and have achieved that end (according to Sarah)
The property serves its purpose very well, drawing in hundreds of thousands of tourists to this tiny island every year and represents a significant contribution to the islands economy, after all, those hundreds of thousands need food, drink and accommodation....and they have to pay that damn $45 toll too.
We took our time exploring the site in glorious sunshine again. After looking around the house we went out to the back garden and through the white picket fence onto the 'Haunted Wood' trail (a direct lift from the book) Though we are still a little early for the autumnal colours to really kick in we did see some beautiful leaves along the way.
The site of L.M.Montgomery's home is actually close by but the house itself is no longer there. Green Gables was in fact the home of her grandparents cousin and was called something else entirely until soon after the publication of the book 'Anne of Green Gables'. When people started seeking out the property on which the book was based the opportunity was quickly recognised.
We returned to the house and then beyond it onto 'The Balsam Hollow Trail' via 'Lovers Lane' (again all names lifted from the book) It was actually a nice place to spend a few hours wandering and on our return along 'Lovers Lane' I grabbed this shot of Green Gables framed by two nearby trees.
We made our exit via the big red doors of the barn and back to the car for the short drive to the Gulf Shore Parkway to continue our exploration of PEI.