If you've ever wanted to visit a truly different attraction on your holidays, The Bottle Houses of Prince Edward Island certainly fit the bill.
So many tourist attractions offer the same old, run-of-the-mill experiences. If you’re tired of the traditional round of museums and historic sites, a visit to Prince Edward Island’s Bottle Houses is the remedy. Located in Cap-Egmont on Route 11 of the North Cape Coastal Drive, the houses are a grand recycling project in which three full-sized buildings were constructed from 25,000 multi-colored glass bottles. What could be more out-of-the-ordinary than that?
History of the Bottle House Project
The Bottle Houses were the brainchild of the late Édouard Arsenault, a veteran of the Second World War, who constructed the buildings between 1980 and 1984. The idea was born from a postcard of a glass castle sent to him from a relative in British Columbia. Arsenault was so taken with the structure, he began to collect and clean bottles for his own glass building. Friends, neighbors and local businesses donated bottles to the project, and what began as a hobby for the 66 year old veteran soon blossomed into a most unique tourist attraction. The first of the Bottle Houses was opened to the public in 1981.
Atmosphere and Setting
Upon entering the houses, the visitor is immediately engulfed in a kaleidoscope of color and beset by a surreal sense of peace and relaxation. The sunlight, filtered and diffused through the many different colors of glass, gives each structure a timeless feel, as if one has stepped into an alternate realm of multi-colored magic.
Immaculately groomed gardens and walkways make for a serene environment every bit as colourful as the main attractions themselves and provide a perfect, fantasy-like setting for the houses. Visitors will find the various gardens, with their dry-stacked stone walls, and the pond, with its wooden bridge and fountain, a tranquil retreat.
The Bottle Houses
The three houses include The Six Gabled House, The Tavern and The Chapel. The Six Gabled House is the first and largest of these and is remarkable not only for its size—20x14 feet—but for its complex architectural structure and for the appealing wall patterns achieved by the careful choice of colors and sizes of the bottles used.
The Tavern is a unique hexagon shape, and it is here that visitors can examine a huge collection of odd bottles preserved by the architect for their unusual qualities, while in The Chapel, visitors can have a seat in the built-in pews, constructed entirely from bottles, of course. The building is designed to allow the sunlight to stream down upon the glass altar, the stained-glass effect giving the chapel a true sense of the sublime.
Rates and Hours
As of this writing, The Bottle Houses are in operation from May to October and are open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. in July and August, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in June and September and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in May and October. Admission is $5.00 for adults, $4.50 for students and seniors and $2.00 for children aged 6 to 12. Preschoolers are admitted free of charge. Family and group rates are also available.
More Prince Edward Island Attractions
Once you’ve gotten your fill of relaxation and beauty at the Bottle Houses, follow up your visit with an excursion to the Cavendish area to experience the world of Avonlea and Anne of Green Gables, or motor to beautiful Burlington and discover the amazing Woodleigh Replicas. Both are exciting and unique attractions worthy of a visit.
