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Victoria-by-the-Sea
Stroll through charming Victoria-by-the-Sea and shop, eat, stay and play. This Village is full of history and charm, local artisans, a small theater, restaurants, accommodations, kayaking, wedding venue, and so much more.
The village of Victoria, tucked neatly on the south shore of the Island, halfway between Charlottetown and Summerside, was founded in 1819 by James Bardin Palmer, an immigrant lawyer and agent for the Earl of Westmoreland. His son Donald, following a well-conceived plan, laid out the village on Palmer’s estate. The effect can still be seen today by the grid pattern of its streets.
Visitors can get a true sense of the history of the village by viewing the exhibit Keeper’s of the Light at the Victoria Seaport Museum, which is located in Palmer’s Range Light. You can also stroll the tree-lined streets that were laid out in the 1860’s, dine in a sea captain’s house or sample handmade chocolates in one of the former general stores, attend a play in the historic community hall (now home of the Victoria Playhouse Festival) or watch the lobster fishers land their catch on the wharf.
Guests who stay for several days will also meet many of the residents who carry on with traditional activities, inviting visitors to share their community. In the February 1982 “Atlantic Insight” Stephen Kimber commented on the village, “The Trans-Canada Highway bypassed Victoria. So did the shopping centres and tourist amusement parks. And that – along with its independent-minded citizens – is what makes Victoria the enchanting, picture postcard place it is today.”
Not much has changed in the intervening years. You are invited to come and see for yourself.