While sailing on Holland America’s 7-Day Canada and New England Discovery cruise last September, we visited Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
I took the 3.5-hour-long Taste of Charlottetown Culinary Walk, one of the shore excursions offered by Holland America Line.
The tour began with a walk along the waterfront where our cruise ship was docked.
Our local guide began our tour with a stop at a seafood shop that sells fresh lobsters, oysters and other P.E.I. seafood. We learned about these locally-harvested delicacies and sampled fresh oysters.
As we walked around downtown Charlottetown, we learned some of the history of Prince Edward Island, such as the role this Bonded Warehouse played in 1901 when P.E.I. was the first Canadian province to make it illegal to possess, consume or sell alcohol.
In between historical insights, we made stops to taste some of the islands specialty foods and olive oils.
Next, our group tasted locally-brewed handcrafted ales at The Gahan House, a brewery and pub.
Once we were informed on the local brews, we headed to another pub across the street, where we dined on steamed mussels from Prince Edward Island.
After a little longer walk back to the port area, we tried a lobster “taco” at Dave’s. It was as delicious as it looks.
A really fun part of the culinary tour was meeting some of the local personalities behind the food. This woman is known as the ‘Queen of Fries’ in Charlottetown. She explained her secrets for making the legendary fries at the Chip Shack.
After eating those hand-cut fries from the Chip Shack, most everyone in our group agreed with the owner’s title.
This Taste of Charlottetown Culinary Walk shore excursion was a tasty and fun way to learn about the history as well as the local food and drinks of Prince Edward Island. Be sure you are hungry when you take this tour.
To help you create your own taste of Charlottetown and Prince Edward Island:
Flavours of Prince Edward Island: A Culinary Journey
Potato Basics……a potpourri of recipes, how to and spud lore from Prince Edward Island
For more on cruising in Canada and New England:
- A Walk Around Halifax, Nova Scotia During Our Visit By Cruise Ship
- In Search of the Best Lobster Roll During Our Canada and New England Cruise
- A Do-It-Yourself Port Day in Quebec City, Canada
- Highlights From Our Visit to Prince Edward Island Via Cruise Ship
- A Walk Around Bar Harbor, Maine via a Cruise Ship Visit
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