On my last day in Prince Edward Island, I was supposed to check out Fort Amherst, but before heading over there, I found out that the attraction was not open. I needed to find an alternative attraction in the south side of the island to kill some time before my flight back to Toronto later that evening. While feverishly looking through Google Maps, I found a car museum not too far from my location called the Car Life Museum, and it was on the way back to Charlottetown. It seemed interesting enough, and I like cars, so I thought I would check it out. The Car Life Museum is a family-owned museum featuring restored antique and classic cars by the family, as well as tractors and other farm equipment. The feature car is an old Cadillac DeVille once owned by Elvis Presley.
I walk in, pay my admission fee of $16 plus tax, and start my self-guided tour in this museum. I will say that many of these vehicles need a good wipe-down, as these vehicles were dusty due to being in a barn for so long. The tour starts with some old antique cars and farm equipment, and everything was so close together that it was quite difficult to take great pictures.
Continuing my walk, I see more classic American cars from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. One such vehicle was a 1969 Mercury Cougar convertible once owned by Anne Murray.
There were more classic American vehicles, including some Cadillacs and Plymouths. There was one random Morris Minor that made its way to P.E.I. from the United Kingdom. I am not sure how that happened.
I get to the section with all the classic tractors, and these were all interesting to see, even if I will never see myself riding one.
The next section were the old and family-restored antique cars from the 1920s and 1930s. All these vehicles were in fantastic condition and looked like they got a wipe-down recently. I could not say the same thing about the previous vehicles I saw in this museum. Many P.E.I. residents owned these vehicles and the family operating this museum would go out and purchase these vehicles for restoration.
All throughout my time at this museum, I had been hearing the faintness of Elvis Presley’s greatest hits. The next part of this museum was where the music was coming from. Here is the 1959 Cadillac DeVille once owned by Elvis Presley, and this was the highlight of this museum. There is no denying that this Cadillac looked cool, even if the car would probably drive terribly. There were also some newspaper clippings of this vehicle going on display in this museum.
There were some other interesting vehicles, including a 1993 Dodge Spirit which was the first passenger vehicle to cross the Confederation Bridge linking Prince Edward Island to New Brunswick in 1997.
The last thing I want to mention is that at the end of the tour are some old car manuals and parts catalogues that you can leaf through. Some of these books were over 100 years old, and these books are just there for you to read. It is like a time capsule to a completely different time. I was also looking at some old guestbooks, as some people were visiting this museum as old as 1970.
If you like cars, car history, and happen to be in Prince Edward Island, it might be worth checking out the Car Life Museum. This museum is not for everyone, and admittedly there could be a better job of maintaining these vehicles and cleaning them to look more presentable, but I appreciate seeing the history of this museum itself as a monument to cars in Prince Edward Island. I learned a bit about the family who would restore antique cars at this location, and I was glad to visit their collection.
More pictures below:
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