Travel

This Gorgeous Red-Sand Island Is Even Better in the Fall

Goats, ghosts, and crimson leaves add to the autumnal vibes.

Yingna Cai/Shutterstock
Yingna Cai/Shutterstock
Yingna Cai/Shutterstock

Canada’s Prince Edward Island isn’t exactly off the beaten track. When Canadians want to escape to the east coast, they’ll probably head to this teeny-tiny island province, with its cute-as-hell Anne of Green Gables history, colorful mansions, and beaches with natural arches cut out of sandstone cliffs.

But the thing is, PEI’s peak season is from June to August. In the shoulder season, like, say, September through November, you basically get the 120-mile-long island to yourself-and that’s not even the only reason why it’s the best time to visit.

You get to see colorful leaves fluttering down red dirt roads, you can dig into incredible farm-fresh food like lobster rolls and oysters at the Fall Flavours festival, or get spooked by ghosts in a haunted mansion. Plus, if or when you visit in the fall, all those adorable lighthouse-like cottages are actually available to book. Damn, I might’ve just talked myself into going back for another trip.

Darryl Brooks/Shutterstock
Darryl Brooks/Shutterstock
Darryl Brooks/Shutterstock

How to get to Prince Edward Island

PEI had some of the toughest pandemic restrictions in Canada, but it has since opened to international travelers (along with the rest of the country) and is clambering to revive its tourist industry. If you choose to fly in (the closest airports are in Charlottetown, Moncton, and Halifax), you’ll need to follow Canada’s travel restrictions including being fully vaccinated, plus getting a Covid test ahead of time, and filling out the online ArriveCAN form.

If you drive (easy for you Mainers, but it’s about 10 hours from Boston, if that puts it in perspective), keep in mind that you’ll need to cross the 8-mile Confederation Bridge, which costs $48.50 CDN ($37.85 USD) round-trip for a normal car, paid when you leave.

Either way, you’ll also need to register for a PEI Pass, regardless of how you get in.

marevos imaging/Shutterstock
marevos imaging/Shutterstock
marevos imaging/Shutterstock

Go leaf peeping and hiking

PEI is stunning, and the drifting crimson, green, and neon-yellow maple leaves in fall take it to another level. Drive down tree-shaded roads where the iron-infused dirt has oxidized red, or cruise along the Atlantic Ocean for a lovely coastal drive.Tourism PEI even has a helpful map.

But the best way to experience PEI is on your own two feet. The Greenwich Dunes Trail, part of Prince Edward National Park, is a 2.7-mile jaunt that takes you through a marsh, past huge sand dunes, and ends at the beach. Other fun hikes include the 15-mile network of trails along the river in Bonshaw Hills Provincial Park and the path behind the Anne of Green Gables Museum known as the Balsam Hollow Trail -and I’m not just recommending it because it’s my last name.

Can’t decide on which hiking trail to take? Circumvent the entire island with the freshly-signposted Island Walk, a 32-day, 434-mile walk inspired by Spain’s Camino de Santiago. Or hop on a bike and do the 180-mile Confederation Trail on former railway lines.

COSPV/Shutterstock
COSPV/Shutterstock
COSPV/Shutterstock

Explore PEI’s red-sand beaches

PEI is known for its white and red-sand beaches flanked by sandstone cliffs. Don’t let the usually not-too-cold fall weather deter you. Beaches are pretty much everywhere in PEI, but some of the most popular are Brackley Beach, which is closest to the capital, Charlottetown, and Cavendish Beach. If in doubt, drive down any road that leads to the sea and find your own secret beach. Whatever floats your goat!

Did I just say goat? You can frolic with the lovable, bearded mammals on a beach every Saturday (up until October 24) at Beach Goats. Trust me, this is not your average petting zoo.

Vadim.Petrov/Shutterstock
Vadim.Petrov/Shutterstock
Vadim.Petrov/Shutterstock

Creep yourself out (on purpose)

Let’s face it, PEI’s historic buildings are beautiful, but they’re also pretty spooky if you think about all the people who lived and died in them. Fortunately, the province embraces its creepy side during Halloween season with the Scarecrows in the City festival in Charlottetown, which features ghost walks, wagon rides, and mystics in the park.

Other spine-shivering adventures include exploring abandoned theme park The Great Island Science & Adventure park, the Haunted Mansion in Kensington, and the terrifying Route 6 Motel.

For some fall fun that doesn’t give you the heebie-jeebies, there’s pumpkin and apple picking at farms all across the island.

Yingna Cai/Shutterstock
Yingna Cai/Shutterstock
Yingna Cai/Shutterstock

Feast on the harvest

Prince Edward Island prides itself on being “Canada’s Food Island,” and harvest season is undoubtedly one of the best times to cash in. The Fall Flavours festival running from September through to October 14 has tons of mouth-watering-and cleverly named-events like Oystoberfest, and Clammin’ and Jammin’. If land-born meat is more what you’re after, September’s Burger Love festival features buns stuffed with a truly unhealthy (but tasty) amount of stuff, like Thirsty Chef‘s “Whole Shebang,” with beef, steak, pickles, cheddar, bacon, cremini mushrooms, veggies, and sauces.

Just want a great meal? Blue Mussel Cafe in North Rustico is popular for a reason-try the lobster thermidor and seafood chowder. Over in Victoria, Lobster Barn gives you that quintessential wharf experience with lobster rolls and fries made from PEI potatoes.PEI might be small, but it has a surprising number of craft breweries, distilleries, cideries, and wineries. Among them are Upstreet Brewing in Charlottetown, Rossignol Estate Winery, Riverdale Orchard & Cidery, and Deep Roots Distillery for its absinthe-October seems like an appropriate month to chase a green fairy.

But no trip to PEI is complete without taking in a local music show, and the place to do that is at Trailside Music Hall, which serves up hardy meals in front of top-class Canadian musicians-Séan McCann of Great Big Sea and Joel Plaskett have performed recently.

Unsplash/Carl Campbell
Unsplash/Carl Campbell
Unsplash/Carl Campbell

Where to stay on Prince Edward Island

PEI hosts some of Canada’s prettiest and most historical hotels and B&Bs -but they’re usually full in summer. You should have better luck in the fall though, and some fun places to stay include West Point Lighthouse Inn, which was built in 1875 and has a pretty spooky vibe. Other unique spots are Around The Sea, a hotel that rotates 360 degrees throughout the day for egalitarian views of the ocean, and Dalvay By The Sea, a Canadian National Historic Site that’s extra special for Anne of Green Gables fans, as it’s featured in several movie adaptations.Want more Thrillist? Follow us on InstagramTwitterPinterestYouTubeTikTok, and Snapchat.

Joel Balsam is a freelance journalist and travel guidebook writer whose work can be found in National Geographic Travel, Time, The Guardian, Lonely Planet, and Travel + Leisure. Follow him @joelbalsam.

Travel

Ditch your Phone for ‘Dome Life’ in this Pastoral Paradise Outside Port Macquarie 

A responsible, sustainable travel choice for escaping big city life for a few days.

nature domes port macquarie
Photo: Nature Domes

The urge to get as far away as possible from the incessant noise and pressures of ‘big city life’ has witnessed increasingly more of us turn to off-grid adventures for our holidays: Booking.com polled travellers at the start of 2023 and 55% of us wanted to spend our holidays ‘off-grid’.  Achieving total disconnection from the unyielding demands of our digitised lives via some kind of off-grid nature time—soft or adventurous—is positioned not only as a holiday but, indeed, a necessity for our mental health. 

Tom’s Creek Nature Domes, an accommodation collection of geodesic domes dotted across a lush rural property in Greater Port Macquarie (a few hours’ drive from Sydney, NSW), offers a travel experience that is truly ‘off-grid’. In the figurative ‘wellness travel’ sense of the word, and literally, they run on their own independent power supply—bolstered by solar—and rely not on the town grid. 

Ten minutes before you arrive at the gates for a stay at Tom’s Creek Nature Domes, your phone goes into ‘SOS ONLY’. Apple Maps gives up, and you’re pushed out of your comfort zone, driving down unsealed roads in the dark, dodging dozens of dozing cows. Then, you must ditch your car altogether and hoist yourself into an open-air, all-terrain 4WD with gargantuan wheels. It’s great fun being driven through muddy gullies in this buggy; you feel like Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park.  As your buggy pulls in front of your personal Nature Dome, it’s not far off that “Welcome…to Jurassic Park” jaw-dropping moment—your futuristic-looking home is completely engulfed by thriving native bushland; beyond the outdoor campfire lie expansive hills and valleys of green farmland, dotted with sheep and trees. You’re almost waiting to see a roaming brachiosaurus glide past, munching on a towering gum tree…instead, a few inquisitive llamas trot past your Dome to check out their new visitor. 

To fully capture the awe of inhabiting a geodesic dome for a few days, a little history of these futuristic-looking spherical structures helps. Consisting of interlocking triangular skeletal struts supported by (often transparent) light walls, geodesic domes were developed in the 20th century by American engineer and architect R. Buckminster Fuller, and were used for arenas. Smaller incarnations have evolved into a ‘future-proof’ form of modern housing: domes are able to withstand harsh elements due to the stability provided by the durable materials of their construction and their large surface area to volume ratio (which helps minimize wind impact and prevents the structure from collapsing). As housing, they’re also hugely energy efficient – their curved shape helps to conserve heat and reduce energy costs, making them less susceptible to temperature changes outside. The ample light let in by their panels further reduces the need for artificial power. 

Due to their low environmental impact, they’re an ideal sustainable travel choice. Of course, Tom’s Creek Nature Domes’ owner-operators, Cardia and Lee Forsyth, know all this, which is why they have set up their one-of-a-kind Nature Domes experience for the modern traveller. It’s also no surprise to learn that owner Lee is an electrical engineer—experienced in renewable energy—and that he designed the whole set-up. As well as the off-grid power supply, rainwater tanks are used, and the outdoor hot tub is heated by a wood fire—your campfire heats up your tub water via a large metal coil. Like most places in regional Australia, the nights get cold – but rather than blast a heater, the Domes provide you with hot water bottles, warm blankets, lush robes and heavy curtains to ward off the chill.

nature domes port macquarie
Photo: Nature Domes

You’ll need to be self-sufficient during your stay at the Domes, bringing your own food. Support local businesses and stock up in the town of Wauchope on your drive-in (and grab some pastries and coffee at Baked Culture while you’re at it). There’s a stovetop, fridge (stocked as per a mini bar), BBQs, lanterns and mozzie coils, and you can even order DIY S’More packs for fireside fun. The interiors of the Domes have a cosy, stylish fit-out, with a modern bathroom (and a proper flushing toilet—none of that drop bush toilet stuff). As there’s no mobile reception, pack a good book or make the most of treasures that lie waiting to be discovered at every turn: a bed chest full of board games, a cupboard crammed with retro DVDs, a stargazing telescope (the skies are ablaze come night time). Many of these activities are ideal for couples, but there’s plenty on offer for solo travellers, such as yoga mats, locally-made face masks and bath bombs for hot tub soaks. 

It’s these thoughtful human touches that reinforce the benefit of making a responsible travel choice by booking local and giving your money to a tourism operator in the Greater Port Macquarie Region, such as Tom’s Creek Nature Domes. The owners are still working on the property following the setbacks of COVID-19, and flooding in the region —a new series of Domes designed with families and groups in mind is under construction, along with an open-air, barn-style dining hall and garden stage. Once ready, the venue will be ideal for wedding celebrations, with wedding parties able to book out the property. They’ve already got one couple—who honeymooned at the Domes—ready and waiting. Just need to train up the llamas for ring-bearer duties! 

An abundance of favourite moments come to mind from my two-night stay at Tom’s Creek: sipping champagne and gourmet picnicking at the top of a hill on a giant swing under a tree, with a bird’s eye view of the entire property (the ‘Mountain Top picnic’ is a must-do activity add on during your stay), lying on a deckchair at night wrapped in a blanket gazing up at starry constellations and eating hot melted marshmallows, to revelling in the joys of travellers before me, scrawled on notes in a jar of wishes left by the telescope (you’re encouraged to write your own to add to the jar). But I’ll leave you with a gratitude journal entry I made while staying there. I will preface this by saying that I don’t actually keep a gratitude journal, but Tom’s Creek Nature Domes is just the kind of place that makes you want to start one. And so, waking up on my second morning at Tom’s —lacking any 4G bars to facilitate my bad habit of a morning Instagram scroll—I finally opened up a notebook and made my first journal entry:

‘I am grateful to wake up after a deep sleep and breathe in the biggest breaths of this clean air, purified by nature and scented with eucalyptus and rain. I am grateful for this steaming hot coffee brewed on a fire. I feel accomplished at having made myself. I am grateful for the skittish sheep that made me laugh as I enjoyed a long nature walk at dawn and the animated billy goats and friendly llamas overlooking my shoulder as I write this: agreeable company for any solo traveller. I’m grateful for total peace, absolute stillness.” 

Off-grid holiday status: unlocked.

Where: Tom’s Creek Nature Domes, Port Macquarie, 2001 Toms Creek Rd
Price: $450 per night, book at the Natura Domes website.

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