Avonlea Village is a seasonal attraction in Cavendish on Prince Edward Island's Green Gables Shore, created around the fictional community of Avonlea from Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables. The village combines restored heritage buildings with purpose-built replicas of houses and shops inspired by the world of Anne Shirley. Its setting includes gardens, red dirt roads, small shops, and places to eat. The village is located close to other sites associated with Montgomery and the novel, including Green Gables Heritage Place, making it part of the wider cultural landscape of Cavendish.
Avonlea's identity is closely tied to Lucy Maud Montgomery and the rural communities that inspired her writing. Montgomery gave Cavendish the fictional name Avonlea in Anne of Green Gables, drawing on landscapes and places she knew while growing up on Prince Edward Island. Several heritage structures at the village add a direct connection to Island history, including the original schoolhouse where Montgomery taught, the Minister's residence, and the historic Long River Church. These buildings sit alongside recreated structures designed to represent the community described in her novels.
The village provides a compact way to explore the Anne of Green Gables setting while also experiencing the landscape of Cavendish. Visitors can walk among heritage buildings, gardens, shops, and dining spaces, while nearby attractions include Green Gables Heritage Place and the beaches and dunes of Prince Edward Island National Park. The surrounding Green Gables Shore contains coastal farmland, wooded areas, red soil, and sandy beaches that reflect the landscapes Montgomery incorporated into her stories. Avonlea Village itself has no entrance fee and operates seasonally, with opening arrangements varying through the year.
Food is an important part of the village experience, with several restaurants and cafés offering Island-inspired and contemporary choices. Local options include lobster rolls, grilled cheese, pizza, burgers, coffee, and COWS ice cream, while PEI potatoes and other regional ingredients feature in the area's food culture. Shops include the Anne of Green Gables Store, artisan businesses, and Anne of Green Gables Chocolates. A distinctive detail is that Avonlea Village is not the fictional village itself, but a real-life recreation of Montgomery's imagined community, combining literary references with authentic heritage buildings from Prince Edward Island.