In Victoria
The Victoria Seaport Lighthouse Museum (no phone) is located inside the shingled, square lighthouse near the town parking lot. (You can't miss it.) You'll find a rustic local history museum with the usual assortment of artifacts from the past century or so. It's open daily in summer; admission is by donation.
In the middle of town is the cute, well-regarded Victoria Playhouse (tel. 902/658-2025). Built in 1913 as a community hall, the building has a unique raked stage (it drops 17cm/7 inches over 6m/21 ft. to create the illusion of space), four beautiful stained-glass lamps, and a proscenium arch -- pretty unusual for a community hall. Plays staged here from July through mid-September attract folks out from Charlottetown for the night. It's hard to say which is more fun: the quality of the performances or the big-night-out air of a professional play being staged in a small town with absolutely nothing else going on. There's also a Monday-night concert series, with performers offering up everything from traditional folk to Latin jazz. Most tickets are C$26 adults, C$24 seniors, and C$20 students, though a few performances are priced higher; matinees cost about C$18.
Among the two dozen or so businesses in the village, the most intriguing is Island Chocolates (tel. 902/658-2320), where delicious Belgian-style chocolates are made. The shop is open daily from mid-June through mid-September (they do two workshops a week on chocolate making, for C$35 per person).
With a little hunting, you can also find a quilt maker, a candle maker, a used-book store, art galleries, a small provincial park, and an antiques shop here. But that's about it.
In Tyne Valley
Just north of the village on Route 12 is lovely Green Park Provincial Park (tel. 902/831-7912), open from mid-June through early September. Once the site of an active shipyard, this 80-hectare (200-acre) park is now a lush riverside destination with emerald lawns and leafy trees. It still has the feel of a turn-of-the-20th-century estate -- which, in fact, it was. In the heart of the park is the extravagant 1865 gingerbread mansion built by James Yeo, a merchant, shipbuilder, and landowner who in his time was the island's wealthiest and most powerful man.
The historic Yeo House and the Green Park Shipbuilding Museum (tel. 902/831-7947), open June through September, are now the park's centerpieces. Managed by the province's museum and heritage foundation, they together provide a good glimpse into the prosperous lives of shipbuilders during the golden ages of PEI shipbuilding. The museum and house are open daily from mid-June through mid-September, 9am to 5pm. Admission is C$5 adults, C$3.50 students, C$14 families, and free for children under 12.
When leaving the area and returning to Charlottetown, consider taking a brief, highly scenic detour along the bay on Route 12 from Tyne Valley to MacDougall -- it's a little bit longer than going straight back to Route 2 immediately, but much more rewarding.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
