Green Gables Heritage Place — Attraction in Cavendish

One of our planned stops on PEI as we drove the island from New Brunswick. We had planned a longer stay on the island but had only a few hours due to a health emergency.

We drove on the property which looked very modern and not at all set back in the Green Gables time period. Until, you walked on the property. Parking was free and space for busses, larger vehicles and family automobiles.

Unfortunately, we didn’t realize that it closes at 5pm, so we only had 30 minutes once we purchased our ticket. The desk clerk warned us that we’d only have a short time so it would be best to come back another day. They also mentioned that the gift shop was open an additional hour after the rest was closed. However, the snack shop closed at 5pm as well. It was a hot day and would have been nice if they were also opened a bit after the attraction closed.

We still paid the same fee as if we’d taken several hours on the property, with only 30 min. to close. We didn’t mind though, thinking we are contributing to the upkeep.

Even at the late hour, it was early August and there were several tourists. We noticed a cross culture of people, which made it fun to see all that enjoy this sweet story.

Once entering the visitor center, it’s very open and easy to navigate with a map of the property. You walk through the stable to walk through the property. Seeing the house made it as picturesque as you’d imagine, with the beautiful flower garden and rolling hills to the bridge to the haunted forest.

Once entering the house, you are greeted by a friendly, knowledgeable tour guide, ready to answer any of your Anne Shirley questions. Walking through the home, you get to an area where who’s standing but Miss Anne Shirley herself, all excited and happy to greet you.

Anne Shirley stays in character the entire conversation. We asked her to give a greeting to my husband’s brother, who just completed the 72 hr. Audio book, that kept him company as an over the road truck driver. She questioned what a video was, what a truck driver was. It was adorable!

If you’re an Anne of Green Gables fan, visiting PEI is worth the journey. It’s also endearing the way the island and especially the community around the property embraces the novelty of the attraction. Local hotels, resorts, restaurants and shops, raking on some characteristic of the novels.

If your family grew up with the story, you’d love this experience. People of all ages were visiting and it was sweet to see some of the fans so excited to see the storyline come to life.

The gift shop was like most at attractions. A variety of gifts at all price points, mostly over-priced. Sweatshirts over $60, keychains $7 and up, etc. But… if you’re caught up in the novelty of it all, you might want a piece of Green Gables to take with you. Including the Raspberry Cordial! Try it, it’s tasty!

We’d love to go back again to be able to spend more time walking...

As a lifelong fan and English Major who studied L.M. Montgomery, the heritage place was extremely disappointing. I had envisioned something along the lines of the Avonlea Village of years past (an interactive Anne experience with actors and book related details). What I experienced was nothing like what I'd hoped for. The new interpretive center and museum was nice and new. The home itself did not correspond to the details of the books, there was no signage, and few details were evident. For example, it would have been nice to have a sign noting the special puffed-sleeved dress in Anne's room, or have a cherry tree outside of her window. There were no animals or actors. Nothing had a sign even stating what room was which. Although the house itself was disappointing, I decided to stroll through the haunted wood trail. The trail had signs leading to the old school house foundation, L.M.M.'s grave site, the post office, the L.M.M. Park, and her Cavendish home. We followed the trail to her home where we discovered that we would have to pay an additional fee to view her home on top of our Heritage Place charge. We considered taking one of Matthew's carriage rides to feel more in the spirit, but the cost per person for a half hour was astronomical! What I wish they had done with this site: have staff dress as characters (e.g. Marilla welcoming you into her house, Diana having a picnic, Gilbert on lover's lane), have signage in the house and around the site about book details, have farm animals, have the sites interconnected (e.g. one charge and a big map showing all of the sites), explain story elements and moments, think of the details (e.g. cherry tree, fox in the woods, Anne's fort, chicken coop, Marilla's broach etc.). It seemed like just another over-rated and expensive tourist attraction. Not for the book fans or locals, but for travelers and those without...

Let me break it down for you: spending over 12 bucks each for a measly 5 minutes of touring? That's daylight robbery disguised as tourism. I dragged four of my buddies along, thinking we'd soak up some culture, but man, were we wrong.

First off, the price tag. Fifty hard-earned dollars down the drain faster than Anne's pigtails in a storm. And what did we get? A rushed, pitiful excuse for a tour. They might as well have handed us a pamphlet and called it a day.

And let's talk about the "heritage" they're peddling. You'd think Anne of Green Gables was some kind of national treasure the way they hype it up. Newsflash: it's a fictional character, folks! I'd rather spend my time binge-watching Netflix than pretending to care about Anne's fictional exploits.

The cherry on top? The staff acted like they were doing us a favor by letting us in. Yo, we paid your exorbitant fee – show us some respect! Instead, we got rushed through like cattle at a county fair. "Next exhibit, please!" Yeah, no thanks.

Oh, and don't get me started on the ambiance. It's like they sprayed artificial quaintness everywhere. Give me real charm or give me nothing at all. We were better off chilling at a roadside diner, soaking in real PEI vibes without the Anne of Green Gables propaganda.

To sum it up: Anne of Green Gables Heritage Site in PEI is a con job wrapped in a tourist trap. Save your money, save your time, and save yourself from the disappointment. Trust me, you'll...