Anne of Green Gables actress, Megan Follows, surprised us on Prince Edward Island!
SURPRISE! This has certainly been the hardest secret I’ve ever had to keep. When planning The Enchanted Book Club’s literary tours, I start by making a list of “the most enchanting things that could happen.” Usually, the first item on my list is a dream that’s a little too lofty, so I keep going down the list until I land on something that I might be able to make possible for our guests. When planning our most recent Anne of Green Gables tour of Prince Edward Island, the first item on my “most enchanting things that could happen” list was having Megan Follows surprise our guests. So, I reached out to see if Megan would be interested in joining us…and upon her accepting our invitation, I learned that she is in the midst of producing a documentary about the Anne of Green Gables fandom. She asked if The Enchanted Book Club would be interested in being in her documentary. And of course, I said YES!
This surprise has been several months in the making. There were Zoom calls, requests to film at the L.M. Montgomery tourism sites, and lots of logistics to coordinate. The much awaited day finally arrived (I barely slept a wink the night before), and Megan gave our tour guests the surprise of a lifetime. After three glorious days on PEI which included touring Green Gables, wandering down Lover’s Lane and The Haunted Wood, and seeing Anne & Gilbert: The Musical, our guests sat down for breakfast on their last day of tour. I stood at the front of the room and reflected on how enchanting our trip had been…I described how magical it was to step into one of our favorite books as Anne of Green Gables came to life before our eyes on this beautiful island. Then, I mentioned that there were many moments during our tour where I felt like Anne Shirley could appear at any given time…and that maybe she could be here right now. I could see the expressions on their faces change…they began to cheer…then Megan walked in!
If you’re a fan of Anne of Green Gables and love the 1985 miniseries, you can imagine how exciting this surprise was! However, that wasn’t the best part…not even close. I continued on to tell our guests that Megan would be joining us at the Lake of Shining Waters AND going to dinner with us at Dalvay by the Sea (The White Sands Hotel!). We excitedly left the inn and were on our way to the Anne of Green Gables Museum where we took our carriage ride around the Lake of Shining Waters with Megan herself. One of the guests turned to me and said, “I’m on a carriage at the Lake of Shining Waters with Megan Follows. How is this real?”
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After our carriage rides, we visited the Anne of Green Gables Museum. The owner, Pam (a Montgomery descendant), gave us an unbelievable tour. She even let us up in the attic which isn’t typically open to visitors! We were in absolute awe.
That evening, we had a delightful dinner which included an two hour Q&A with Megan. She answered every question we had, signed our copies of Anne of Green Gables, and took a picture with each guest. In case it isn’t obvious already, Megan is incredibly gracious.
Every year, The Enchanted Book Club makes a donation to a literary landmark and I’m especially proud of our 2025 donation. We planted 20 trees to create the White Way of Delight at the site of L.M. Montgomery’s Cavendish home. This iconic Anne of Green Gables location is one of the only fictional settings in the book. I was honored that Megan wanted to include the story about this donation in her documentary. The following day, we met at the White Way of Delight and chatted about its significance. Then, we headed to the Green Gables Post Office where we interviewed each other. Megan asked me questions about The Enchanted Book Club and I asked her about Montgomery’s influence in her life and work. It was a fascinating conversation and above all, FUN!
After the post office, we went straight to dinner to surprise our second tour group who had just arrived. And of course, when Megan walked in, there was clapping, cheering, and many tears shed. I’ve been incredibly excited to share the story of our big Anne of Green Gables surprise with you and I’m relieved to finally be able to share the news!
On behalf of The Enchanted Book Club, we send the biggest heartfelt thank you to Megan Follows and her wonderful daughter, Lyla, for making this dream a reality for our community. Megan is making phenomenal contributions to L.M. Montgomery’s legacy not only as the face of Anne Shirley, but through the Montgomery-related projects she is producing. In addition to creating a documentary, she is also producing a series based on The Gift of Wings (a truly triumphant Montgomery biography), in which Megan will play the role of Montgomery herself.
Creating unforgettable moments for our Enchanted Book Club literary tours is one of my greatest joys. I pour my heart into every itinerary, and do everything I can to give our guests access to rare, magical experiences. We would absolutely love to meet you on a future literary trip! If you’re interested to learn more about our tours, visit: enchantedbookclub.com/literary-travel.
Oh it was wonderful for her to agree to be present.
I’m Soo sad… that she chose not to be🕴️ as lovely dressed as everyone else in the pictures👗👚.. (not even being close to like how dearly desiring Anne Shirley was to receive Matthew’s dress with puffed sleeves!!) I’m thankful she was there, but sadly disappointed that her appearance did not show graciousness to me, the day dreaming viewer. Hay
ley you are lovely to look at and a sweet example of what we would like to look like, read, and be. 🩷