We set off this morning in search of Green Gables, the fabled home of Anne Shirley, in the novels by Lucy Maud Montgomery. The kids and I read "Anne of Green Gables" together this spring. And we spent a good chunk of this trip listening to "Anne of Avonlea" in the car; we finished it up yesterday.
Montgomery modeled her fictional village of Avonlea on Cavendish, the north-shore town where she grew up. And so there is no shortage of Anne-related attractions along the bustling tourist strip. Paging through our guide books, we found it hard to sort out the more authentic options from the gimmicky tourist traps. There's the house (more precisely, the stone foundation) where Montgomery grew up and where she wrote "Anne of Green Gables." There's the cemetery where she is buried. There's an Anne of Green Gables Museum, at the former homestead of the author's aunt and uncle, where she was married, which has some of Montgomery's furniture and photographs on display. There's Avonlea Village, a development of faux historical buildings (it was built in 1999) with a variety show, hayrides and staff in period dress. And then, down the road, there's a Wisconsin Dells-like mess of amusement parks, go-cart tracks, mini-golf courses, a Ripley's Believe-It-Or-Not museum and other cheese-ball attractions that are trying to cash in on the Green Gables crowd as much as the beach-going vacationers.
We ended up at Green Gables. Montgomery modeled the fictional home of her fictional character after the home of her cousins, the Macneills, who lived on the next farm over. The property is now owned and operated by Parks Canada (it's part of PEI National Park) and has been restored and decorated to match the descriptions in the "Anne" novels as closely as possible,
and to stand as an example of how similar homes of the time might have looked. So, basically, it's a historical reproduction of a make-believe place. Got it?
We toured the beautiful grounds, as well as the house, walked the nature trails through "Lover's Lane" and the "Haunted Woods" and tried to imagine Anne coming up the path and through the gate. It really is a lovely spot, with vibrant gardens and an amazing view of the spruce-covered hills beyond the farm. And I imagined that if I were Anne, I'd make up my mind to stay at Green Gables, too.
After an afternoon touring Green Gables, and, of course, the Green Gables gift shop, Keith and I declared ourselves "Anned-Out." So we drove down the road to the Cavendish Beach, part of the national park, and walked along the dunes, so beautiful all covered with raspberry, bay berry and wild rose bushes.
We had the most stunning weather of the trip today: clear blue sky and a gentle, cool breeze. Tonight, the stars are making a brilliant appearance. But no cloud cover makes for a very cool night! I think I'll bundle up!
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