Summerside - city in Prince Edward Island, Canada

Summerside is the second-largest city on Prince Edward Island. The Summerside area was at one time home to the world's largest concentration of Tame Silver Fox farms. This is highlighted at the International Fox Museum.

Understand

This article covers a large rural area comprising most of western PEI, centred on Summerside (pop 14,750) as the second-largest community on the island.

Summerside was host to a Royal Canadian Air Force base from 1942-1991; the land is now an industrial park and the airfield used only for general aviation.

Get in

By car

• From the Trans-Canada Highway, take PEI Route 1A (near Borden-Carleton) for 22 km north-northwest to Route 11 and Summerside.
• From Charlottetown, Summerside is 60 km west on Route 2.

By bus

• Maritime Bus, info@maritimebus.com. Operates an inter-regional bus service between destinations in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. 2022-04-24 Operates a bus route between Summerside and Borden. Travel time to Summerside from Borden is 30 minutes.
  • Travel to Summerside from the following destinations involving same day transfers is as follows:
  • • From Amherst and Charlottetown with a transfer in Borden.
  • • From Moncton and Halifax, with a transfers in Amherst and Borden.
  • • From Bathurst, Campbellton, Edmundston, Fredericton, Miramichi, and Saint John with transfers in Moncton, Amherst, and Borden
  • • From Antigonish, North Sydney, Sydney with transfers in Borden, Amherst, and Borden

Get around

• Courtesy Cab, 15 Spring St, +1 902 436-4232.
• Old Town Taxi, 89 Water St, +1 902 436-4947.

See

• A total solar eclipse on Monday 8 April 2024 starts at 4:37PM local time and lasts one minute. The chances of a clear sky are 30%. The track of totality is northeast from Mexico and Texas to Ohio, straddling the Canada–New England border, then across Maine, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland.
• Eptek Art and Culture Centre, 130 Heather Moyse Dr, 46.389478°, -63.786124°, +1 902 888-8373. Tu-F 10AM-4PM, Su noon-4PM; Jul-Aug: open until 5PM. Regional history and art gallery, including permanent collection of paintings by late Island artist Georgie Read Barton. 2019-11-21
• International Fox Museum, 33 Summer St, 46.392820°, -63.790703°. Jul-Aug: daily 10AM-4:45PM. Prince Edward Island fox farming history museum on the first level of the former Summerside Armoury (1911-1992) describes the growth, decline and legacy of the rare Silver Black Fox, once farmed commercially; Gallery 33 seasonal exhibit space upstairs. By donation 2019-11-21
• Wyatt Historic House Museum, 75 Spring St, 46.394164°, -63.789007°, +1 902 432-1296. Jul-Aug: open daily. 1867 heritage house with thousands of artefacts collected and used by the Wyatt family.
• Acadian Museum of Prince Edward Island (Le Musée acadien de l’Île-du-Prince-Édouard), 23 Main Drive East, Highway 2, Miscouche (8 km west of Summerside), 46.432490°, -63.865323°, +1 902 432-2880. Jul Aug: daily 9:30AM-5PM; Sep-Jun: M-F 9:30AM-5PM, Su 1PM-4PM. Photographs, storyboards and a 15-min film that explain the history of Acadians in PEI. Adult $4.50, student $3.50, family $12.50 2019-11-21
• The city has redeveloped several waterfront industrial sites, abandoned by the railway and marine terminal during the 1990s, into new parkland. A major reconstruction of the west end seawall has resulted in a new waterfront boardwalk for residents and visitors.
• The former post office on Summer Street was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1983. The former railway station, designed by architect Charles Benjamin Chappell and built in 1927, was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 2007.

Do

• The Summerside Raceway is a standardbred harness racing track which is believed to be the oldest operating racing track in Canada, having opened in 1886.
• Credit Union Place, the largest indoor sports facility in the province, has a large hockey arena seating 4000, a bowling alley, a 25-metre swimming pool and other fitness facilities.

Events

• Summerside Lobster Carnival. Parade and events, second week of July.

Buy

• Spinnakers' Landing, 150 Heather Moyse Dr at Harbour Dr. Daily 10AM-9PM. Summerside’s waterfront marketplace was designed on a fishing village theme. Its shops and artisanal studios feature souvenirs, clothing, antiques, jewellery, local art, and Celtic giftware. It has an ice cream shop, and restaurants featuring local seafood, pub fare, and barbecue. 2021-01-17
• Summerside Farmers Market, 250 Water St (Holman Building, lower level), +1 902-598-8082. Sa 9AM-1PM. Artisan and craft products, farm produce, bakery and prepared foods.

Eat

• Breakwater Bar & Grill, 110 Water St., +1 902-436-2153.
• FiveEleven West, 511 Notre Dame St (Credit Union Place), +1 902-436-5551. Full-service casual, catering, pub menu available for lunch & dinner. Bar with extensive wine, beer & custom cocktail menu.
• Michael's Pizzeria, 311 Market St, +1 902-436-2157.
• {{eat | name=OpenEats | alt= | url=http://www.OpenEats.ca (dead link: December 2020) | email= | address=221 Water St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 902-439-2698 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }}
• {{eat | name=PEI Lobster House | alt= | url=http://www.peilobsterhouse.ca (dead link: December 2020) | email= | address=370 Water St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 902-436-8439 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$12-20 | content= }}
• {{eat | name=Skip's Fish n Chips | alt= | url=http://www.skipsfishnchips.com (dead link: December 2020) | facebook=https://www.facebook.com/Skips-fish-n-chips-259468236925/ | email= | address=561 Notre Dame St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 902-436-5151 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= Tu-Sa 11:30AM–7PM, closed Su M | price= | content=Seafood restaurant, table service. }}

Dinner theatre

• Brothers 2 Restaurant, 618 Water St E. Dinner theatre.
• Feast Dinner Theatre, 618 Water St E, +1 902-436-7674.

Drink

• The Big Mug, 271 Water St, +1 902-724-5055. Open from noon; closes Su 8PM, M Tu midnight, W-Sa 2AM. Sports bar with pub food.

Sleep

• Causeway Bay Hotel, 311 Market St, +1 902-436-2157. $100
• Loyalist Country Inn and Conference Centre (Lakeview Summerside Resort), 195 Heather Moyse Drive. Crown & Anchor Tavern on-site, restaurant, indoor pool, sauna. 2019-05-02
• Summerside Inn, 98 Summer St, +1 902-620-4993. Historic B&B house; each room has A/C, ensuite bath, flatscreen IPTV, flat-rate long-distance phone. $120-140
• Summerside Motel & Cottages, 500 Read Dr, +1 902-436-3865. 24 rooms; housekeeping cottages and efficiency units available. Wi-fi in motel portion. CATV, A/C, phone, coffee makers and fridges in rooms; coin laundrette, pay phones, BBQs, trailer hook-ups and playground on-site. Bicycles available.
• Briarcliffe Inn, 274 Salutation Cove Rd, +1 902 887-2333. The Briarcliffe Inn is a bed and breakfast in Salutation Cove with a beautiful view overlooking the Confederation Bridge. $130-200 2017-07-24

Connect

Nearby

Miscouche

An Acadian village 10 km west of Summerside on Route 2 or 11.

• Acadian Museum of Prince Edward Island, Route 2, Miscouche, +1 902-432-2880. Sep-Jun: M-Sa 9:30AM-5PM, Su 1PM-4PM; Jul-Aug: daily 9:30AM-7PM. Historical museum with a genealogical research/documentation centre retracing Acadian history after 1720; art gallery adjacent. $5.25

O'Leary

About 60 km northwest on Route 2, in the westernmost part of the province.

• Canadian Potato Museum, 1 Heritage Lane, O’Leary, +1 902-859-2039. May 15-Oct 15: daily 09:30-17:30. Interactive Potato Hall of Fame and an array of farming tools and equipment on display; canteen menu includes potato maple-butter tarts, potato fudge and even a potato hot dog. $9.50 2017-12-18
• West Point Lighthouse Museum, 364 Cedar Dunes Park Rd, West Point, +1 902-859-3605. Seasonal (Victoria Day-Thanksgiving). A formerly-manned light house (built in 1875, automated in 1963) serves as an observation platform, restaurant and inn at Cedar Dunes Provincial Park.

Wellington

About 20 km west on Route 2.

• Our Lady of Mont-Carmel church, Route 11, Wellington, +1 902-854-2208. Acadian brick church (1896) overlooking Northumberland Strait just east of Cap-Egmont.

Cap-Egmont

• The Bottle Houses, 6891, Route 11, Cap-Egmont (31 km west of Summerside on PE-11), +1 902 854-2987. Daily 10AM-6PM. A project of Édouard Arsenault and his daughter, Réjeanne Arsenault, three buildings constructed of glass bottles are surrounded by beautiful gardens. Adult $8, student or senior 60+ $7.50, child 6 to 16 $3, under 6 years old free, family (max 2 adults) $20 2021-06-06

Go next

• Cavendish
• Charlottetown