If you're looking to experience rural, rustic and a little rowdy, you'll love up west. Tight-knit communities, lighthouses and windmills dot the coastline while oysters, potatoes and lobster are the main harvests of the land and sea.

Discover Canada’s Oyster Coast - home of the briny-sweet Malpeque Oyster, a giant 14-foot potato and Kraft Hockeyville 2017.

Shopping and great photo ops

Think local when shopping up west. Find authentic made-in-PEI products and curated collections for your home from a variety of local makers and shopkeepers.

• Hester House and MacAusland's Woolen Mill for world-famous wool blankets in Bloomfield
• Shop like the locals at Saunders Variety in Alberton. Current fashions and old-fashioned customer service since 1974.
• Fabrics 'N More & the Quilt Gallery in O'Leary.
• Oyster Art Studio & Gallery in Tyne Valley.

Looking for large and quirky roadside attractions? Find a large woven basket on the highway in Richmond and a giant potato at the Canadian Potato Museum. And if you're up for a jaunt, you won't find a more charming sight in winter than the black and white striped lighthouse at West Point. Snowshoes may be required.

Great winter experiences in North Cape

• The Acadian Museum follows the odyssey of Island Acadians from 1720 to the present with Acadian genealogy resources on site. Open weekdays.
• Beach Goats don't slow down in snow, they just put on winter coats. Book a visit to hike with goats or just plan to play.
• Meet 'Happy Griswald' and the entire gang at Green Gable Alpacas. Shop the on-site Fiber House Boutique (open Saturdays & Sundays) which specializes in unique alpaca products. Live and Let’s Dye is an Authentic PEI Experience offered every second Saturday. 
• Find adorable animals at Whispering Hope Farm too. Open Saturdays & Sundays.
• Go ice jigging for white perch while enjoying local fish stories. Booking for Saturdays & Sundays.

Where to find food & beverage

• In Tyne Valley, grab a bite to eat at the ever-so-Instagrammable Backwoods Burger.
• Pick up a peck of oysters at Cascumpec Bay Oyster Co. or Valley Pearl Oysters.
• Take a trip down a road less travelled, aka Mickie Allen Shore Rd, to Moth Lane Brewing for delicious craft beer with names that will make you giggle.
• Dine in style at Callaghan's Restaurant & Bar at the Mill River Resort.

Where to Stay

• Do winter right at Mill River Resort. Packages and day passes available.
• Book the Kildare Lodge for a large group of family or friends. Turn up the music, laugh out loud or enjoy quiet and the big starry night sky.
• Getaway to rustic comfort at Briarwood Coastal Cottages & Lodge.

There are several other accommodation operators also open in winter. Search WHERE TO STAY by month of interest.