Nightlife

One good resource for planning evening adventures is The Buzz, a free monthly newspaper that details ongoing and special events around the island with an emphasis on Charlottetown. It's widely available; look for it in visitor centers or at area bars and restaurants. You can read an online version at www.buzzon.com.

Outdoor libations are on tap at Victoria Row, a section of Richmond Street behind the Confederation Centre that is blocked off to auto traffic each summer. Restaurants and pubs cluster here, serving meals and drinks on outdoor or street-side patios; things get fun and lively, and there's usually live music. Two locally favorite spots here are Café Diem (tel. 902/892-0494) at 128 Richmond St. and Fishbones (tel. 902/628-6569), an oyster bar and seafood grill with good live music at 136 Richmond St.

Last time I checked, the Gahan House Pub (tel. 902/626-2337) at 126 Sydney St. was the only microbrewery on PEI. They serve a pubby menu of fish and chips (cooked in a bag), curries, burgers, pizzas, and chicken, handled pretty well by the kitchen. But that's not the reason most locals end up here. They come to sample one of the house-brewed ales (six at last count) and stout. There are also tours of the brewery, twice a day (except Sunday), in July and August.

For live Celtic-flavored music and occasional lobster and roast-beef dinners, head for the Olde Dublin Pub, above the Claddagh Oyster House at 131 Sydney St. (tel. 902/892-6992).

For high culture, always check first with the Confederation Centre of the Arts Gallery and Museum (tel. 800/565-0278 or 902/628-1864), where three stages bustle with dramatic and musical activity throughout the warm-weather months. The musical Anne of Green Gables, a perennial favorite, is performed here throughout the summer -- but so are revivals and new shows, including a version of Riverdance and a tribute to the late Canadian folk singer Stan Rogers.

Finally, the art-house City Cinema, at 64 King St. (tel. 902/368-3669), has an excellent lineup of domestic and foreign films throughout the year; typically, there's a choice of two films each evening. Movie tickets cost C$8 per adult, C$5.50 for seniors and kids 14 and under.