|  IT'S IMPOSSIBLE to fully experience Prince Edward Island without a trip "up west" as we say around here. On this end of the Island everything is ratcheted up a notch or two: the shores are a little more rugged, the winds are a little more intense and the people are friendlier than you ever thought possible.
At North Cape, the Island's northwestern tip, towering turbines turn the abundant wind into energy at one of Canada's leading wind test institutes. A visit to the
View Highway mapinterpretive centre will tell you all about the institute's cutting-edge research into renewable energy. This is also the spot where you'll get to see the unusual meeting of two bodies of water. At high tide, the Northumberland Strait on the Island's western side collides with the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the east. At low tide, keep your eyes peeled for sun-bathing seals.
The nearby town of Tignish hosts an annual Irish Moss Festival which celebrates the importance of this special seaweed to the local economy and culture. In Miminegash you can even eat seaweed pie, a delicious dessert despite its less-than-tempting name. Bustling fishing harbours are scattered throughout this part of the Island and because lobster fishing employs so many people here, it's not hard to find a place selling fresh crustaceans for your dinner table.
Down the road in O'Leary, you'll discover one of the Island's unique monuments. A giant potato looms proudly beside the Prince Edward Island Potato Museum where you can get a lesson in the ABCs of PEI's favourite tuber.
Summerside is the Island's second-largest city and has all the amenities you'd expect. Harbourfront Jubilee Theatre attracts world-class entertainers and is the home of Anne & Gilbert, the popular musical sequel to Anne of Green Gables. A lively boardwalk allows visitors to shop and dine beside the ocean and just down the way at the College of Piping, performers show off the Island's Celtic roots with energetic displays of dancing, piping and drumming.
In the Region Evangeline, it's Acadian culture that takes centre stage. Here you can be fed and entertained at a dinner theatre, explore the Acadian Museum, or tour the impressive churches that are still the heart of these small communities.
Overlooking beautiful Malpeque Bay is the community of Lennox Island. Stop by and discover the heritage and traditions of the Island's first inhabitants, the Mi'kmaq, and check out the gift shop with its wide selection of handcrafts made by local and international First Nation peoples.
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