While pretty much all of PEI is potato country, it was the town of O'Leary where the
potato museum was planted. O'Leary is near the far western end of the Island, surrounded by, you guessed it, potato fields. As well as the world's largest collection of potato related farming implements, the museum, opened in 1967, displays interesting artefacts collected mostly from O'Leary and area, including a large collection of 19th century living room, bedroom, and kitchen artefacts. Last, but not least, the museum can be a great place to eat, as it also offers a gift shop and a restaurant that specializes in potato dishes, as well as some truly decadent desserts.
The Canadian Potato Museum first opened in O'Leary in 1993 and in 2014 had their best season ever,
inviting over 10,000 guests to tour their displays. As a result, the museum won the 2014 Premier's Award for Tourism in PEI. CBC News acknowledged their achievement with a short news item shortly after the award was made. Read it below.
Canadian Potato Museum
wins major tourism award
CBC News Posted: Mar 05, 2015 5:16 PM AT
2014 was best season in the history of the community-run O'Leary museum
The Canadian Potato Museum in O'Leary has been chosen winner of the 2014 Premier's Award for Tourism.
The prize was presented at the Tourism Industry Association of Prince Edward Island awards gala Wednesday night.
"In 2014 the Canadian Potato Museum in O’Leary had the best season in its history with over 10,000 visits to the facility," said Premier Wade MacLauchlan.
The community-run museum, founded in 1993, is designed to help Islanders and visitors learn about potatoes, how they're grown and harvested, how they're used, and about the people and communities at the centre of the potato industry in Canada.
The museum also offers a gift shop and a restaurant that specializes in potato dishes.
From CBC News