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If there's a prettier provincial capital in Canada than Charlottetown, we're yet to find it (even its name sounds quaint). Eschewing the headlong rush for concrete and glass that characterizes many big Canadian cities, Charlottetown has stayed true to its small-town roots, with a low-rise downtown that retains many of the redbrick facades and Victorian buildings of its late-19th-century heyday. Covering just a few blocks inland from the harbor, the old part of town was designed to be walkable, and it pays to wander and soak up the sights – including its impressive mock-Gothic cathedral and a surfeit of heritage homes, browsable shops and colorful clapboard buildings. The town's fast-growing food and craft-beer scene is boosted by the presence of the Culinary Institute of Canada downtown.
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Charlottetown.
Historic Site
This wonderful 1850s gable house is the birthplace of Sir Andrew MacPhail, celebrated local author, physician and soldier. The homestead is now a museum celebrating his life. Its beautiful grounds, with a nursery, vegetable garden and woods, are a delight to wander. It's a 29km drive east of Charlottetown.
Lighthouse
Purchased from the provincial government for the princely sum of $1, this gorgeous historic lighthouse is maintained by the not-for-profit Point Prim Lighthouse Society, the oldest on Prince Edward Island. Inside is a wonderful museum that explores the lighthouse-keeping life. From the top, enjoy fabulous views and a real sense of history and wonder.
Notable Building
Charlottetown has its fair share of impressive period buildings, but this handsome mansion is the finest. Designed and built by the prominent PEI architect WC Harris in 1877 for James Peake, a wealthy shipowner, and his wife Edith, it sports all the fashionable features of the day: elegant 19th-century furnishings, gingerbread trim, a grand verandah and a crowning belvedere.
Factory
Apart from the potato, the ice cream produced here is arguably PEI's best-known export (there's even a COWS in Beijing these days). So it would be a crime not to sample some – you can take a self-guided tour of the factory, step into a cheese cave, try some Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar and, of course, eat enough ice cream to make yourself ill.
Notable Building
This striking colonial mansion, with its grand hall, Palladian window and Doric columns, has been home to PEI's lieutenant governors since 1835. As it is a private residence, the house is not open to the public outside the months of July and August when guided tours are conducted.
Historic Site
This intriguing site 28km east of Charlottetown brings the past back to life, with an array of period buildings including a blacksmith's, schoolhouse, mill, community hall and even a charming village store. Costumed guides help bring the place to life.
Notable Building
Rising from the ashes of a 1913 fire, the three towering stone spires of this Catholic, neo-Gothic basilica are now a Charlottetown landmark. The marble floors, Italianate carvings and decoratively embossed ribbed ceiling are surprisingly ornate.
Park
Dedicated in 1873, Charlottetown's most popular and beautiful waterfront green space has 16 hectares of lush loveliness for you to enjoy on a fine day. A boardwalk runs along the park's southern edge.