Places of Interest

Top 10 Unusual Canadian Attractions

Surprisingly, there is a plethora of unique, unusual and eye-catching landmarks and attractions that can be found in every province of Canada. In fact, these often entertaining sights are more likely found in smaller towns, where tourists are lured in to take a picture or buy a trinket of these one-of-a-kind discoveries. Every imaginable attraction from huge vegetables, enormous animals, over-sized lumberjacks and cowboys or unexplained structures such as the world's largest dog in Quebec or the unfeasibly large binoculars in Ontario will amaze and entice any tourist eager for a glimpse of something peculiar that they are sure to add to their photo collection.

• Vulcan Trek Station

  It's unlikely that any visitor who drives through Vulcan will miss spotting the Vulcan Tourism and Trek Station and the Starship Enterprise. Situated at the main entrance to the town, this 78.7 cm (31 in) long starship model was built and unveiled in 1995 and is based on the original USS enterprise from the Star Trek series. The Tourism and Trek Station was constructed in 1998 and looks just like a spaceship, so it can't and shouldn't be missed. “Trekkies," a term to describe Star Trek enthusiasts, will delight to find out that there is an annual VulCon community-wide three-day Star Trek convention in June, featuring Klingon karaoke, a Star Trek fashion show and an Intergalactic Fan Fiction Exhibition. A plaque welcomes space-eager visitors in English, Klingon and Vulcan so there is no confusion as to the intriguing discovery. Only a one hour drive from Calgary, Alberta, this attraction is one of the most unique attractions in Canada.

• World's Largest UFO Landing pad

  In an effort to boost tourism, St. Paul, Alberta decided to build a UFO landing pad, which is currently the world's largest. Located at the main entrance to the town's recreational grounds, the landing pad officially opened in 1967 and in 1993 a tourist booth was built to complement the area. In 1996, the centre built an adjoining UFO interpretive display, one of only two that exists in North America. The centre also started a UFO hotline number that is used regularly for UFO sightings, unexplained phenomena and other irregular happenings. The 130 ton landing pad has a map of Canada embossed in the backstop, built from stones from each province. The construction of the landing pad was spearheaded by this small prairie town's Centennial Committee and became one of a hundred Centennial project ideas that took off.

• World's largest dinosaur

  Visitors who want to explore East-Central Alberta but who aren't normally intrigued by unidentified foreign objects or fictional Star Trek characters, should stop off at Alberta's badlands for a view of the world's largest dinosaur. The Tyrannosaurus Rex (T-Rex) is a 26 m (86 ft) steel and fiberglass structure that can be viewed for free. The more energetic person will be pleased to pay a few dollars to climb the 106 steps lined with fossils and bones that lead into the dinosaur's mouth. Built in the fall of 2000, the T-Rex is a millennium project of the Drumheller Regional Chamber of Development and Tourism in Alberta. Visitors to this enormous beast will also likely enjoy taking a tour of the nearby the Royal Tyrrell Museum.

• World's largest Hockey stick and puck

  Where else would the curious traveller find a 62 m (205 ft) hockey stick but in Canada. Currently residing in Duncan, British Columbia on Vancouver Island, the puck and stick were built in Penticton from Douglas fir wood beams. The stick weighs in at a whopping 28 kg (61 lbs), 40 times the size of a regular hockey stick. Commissioned by the Government of Canada for Expo '86 in Vancouver, the puck and stick were later donated to the province of British Columbia. After a competition, the Cowichan Community Centre in Duncan was chosen from over 30 organizations to display the interesting artifact in front of the building. The citizens of the Cowichan community now also own the biggest hockey stick and puck in the world.

• The big easel

  What weighs 20,250 kg (45,000 lbs) and is an artist's dream? The Big Easel in Altona. The 25 m (80 ft) easel and hand-painted reproduction dwarfs the original seven Vincent Van Gogh sunflower paintings. The first big easel and painting was erected in Altona in 1998 and is part of the international Van Gogh project, which will eventually comprise seven hand-painted reproductions of Van Gogh's sunflowers in seven countries. Canadian artist Cameron Cross is responsible for the current painting in Altona, the sunflower capital of Canada. This fun but unusual attraction can be found on a grassy area on 10th Avenue in the northeast side of town, a one hour drive from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Ten layers of acrylic enamel and 24 sheets of plywood sheets were used in the creation of this enormous painting, which has become an internationally recognized symbol of art. Altona's big easel took two and a half years to complete.

• Ice Hotel Quebec

  More than an unusual sight, the Ice Hotel in Sainte-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier is an architectural winter marvel. Open to the public from January to the first week of April, this 2,700 sq m (30,000 sq ft) hotel is both a public attraction as well as a place to stay overnight, if the visitor doesn't mind being surrounded by tons of ice and snow. Four-inch thick walls encircle the 36 regular and themed-room suites bringing the internal temperature in the hotel to between -2°C to -5°C (28°F to 23°F). An ice cafe and bar and a sauna will help warm the body as will the cozy bedding that is placed on the hotel beds. Daily public tours are available to those who prefer not to get horizontal in this icy hotel paradise.

• The Bottle Houses

  Inspired by a picture of a glass castle on a postcard sent by the inventor's daughter, Édouard T. Arsenault collected and cleaned 25,000 recycled bottles to create this amazing architectural attraction. Since 1981, visitors have been drawn to the three glass buildings and the magnificent glass-themed gardens that Edóuard built at the age of 66, shortly after his retirement.
  Over the years, Prince Edward Island's inclement weather led to the rebuilding of the three structures between 1992 and 1998. Bricklayers carefully reconstructed the buildings by taking down the various shapes, sizes and colours of the glass piece by piece. Édouard's six-gabled house was the initial attraction to this site. Tourists were amazed by the intricacies of his work and encouraged Édouard to continue on with his desire to build glass structures, which started out as a hobby.

• Pysanka- World's largest egg

  One of the main attractions along the Trans Canada Yellowhead Highway is the Pysanka, a gigantic Ukrainian Easter egg, which was created to celebrate 100 years of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's (R.C.M.P.) dedication and service to the city's descendants and pioneers. The creation of the Pysanka, meaning Easter egg in Ukrainian, is a symbol of Ukrainian culture and brought about the first-ever computer modeling of an egg. The egg is made up of 524 star patterns, 2,208 equilateral triangles, 3,512 visible facets and almost 7,000 nuts and bolts.
  Computer scientist Professor Resch designed the egg, which stands 9.5 m (31 ft) high, 7.8 m (25.7 ft) long and 5.5 m (18 ft) wide. Weighing in at 2,268 kg (5,000 lbs), this aluminum egg is an incredible artistic achievement, made up of five distinct symbols. The gold and silver stars symbolize life and good fortune, trinity and eternity while the windmills represent a rich harvest. The silver wolf's tooth, the most prominent symbol, represents protection and security provided by the R.C.M.P. The showcase of the R.C.M.P.'s centennial celebrations in 1975, the Pysanka, can be found at the entrance to the Elks Kinsmen Community Park in Vegreville, Alberta.

• World's largest Pyrogy

  The town of Glendon is another small town in Alberta that showcases its Ukrainian culture in a big way. Known as one of the “giants of the prairies” this massive pyrogy (commonly spelt perogy) is a sight that may tempt the taste buds. Luckily there is a Pyrogy Park Cafe right next door so stop in and enjoy some fresh perogies, a semicircular dumpling made of unleavened dough served in many European and Asian cultures. There is also a gift shop beside the structure if bringing home a plastic replica of this huge roadside treat is desired. The 8 m (27 ft) tall and 3.6 m (12 ft) wide structure was unveiled in 1993. Find this huge pyrogy stuck on a giant fork structure in northern Alberta, located on Pyrogy Drive in Pyrogy Park.

• Canada's largest Coffee Pot

  Venture through central Saskatchewan to see a giant coffee pot and mug. This 7.3 m (24 ft) carafe was built to symbolize Davidson's friendliness and hospitality. Located halfway between Regina and Saskatoon, this sheet metal structure was built in 1996 and has the capacity to hold 150,000 8-ounce cups of coffee and features painted murals on each side. Hopefully there is a coffee shop nearby.

The Top 10 National Parks in Canada

• Pacific Rim National PARK Reserve

  Far out west, beyond the fine city of Vancouver and across the Georgia Strait, the Pacific Rim National Park stretches over 150 km (93 mi) of Vancouver Island's western shoreline, encompassing 511 sq km (197 sq mi) of land and water. Backed by mountains and facing the open Pacific Ocean, this park reserve is characterized by a rugged coast, thriving temperate rainforests and three geographically separate areas; the Long Beach unit is named for the longest of Vancouver Island's beaches and one of Canada's premier surf spots; the Broken Group Islands region features over 100 islets that dot the Barkley Sound; and the West Coast Trail area gets its name from the 75-km (47-mi) hiking trail that winds through the park's old-growth rain forest. The region's cool, wet climate produces an abundance of life but it also douses the place with over 3,000 mm (118 in) of precipitation per year. This makes the park especially popular from June to early September, when the rain lets up.

• Kootenay National Park

  Set along the western side of the Continental Divide in B.C.'s southern interior, Kootenay National Park represents the south-western region of the Canadian Rocky Mountains—a diverse landscape that includes everything from glacier-clad mountains and crashing waterfalls to semi-arid grasslands, limestone caves and canyons. The park rises 2,506 m (8,221 ft) from the south-west park entrance to the rocky peaks of Deltaform Mountain. It was established in 1920, and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984 when it joined with six other national and provincial parks to form the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site—one of the largest protected areas in the world.

• Banff National Park

  It all began here, at the heart of Alberta's Rocky Mountains, when Banff was designated the country's first National Park in 1885. It was the third of its kind in the world, planting the seed for continued conservation of natural places everywhere. Spanning 6,641 sq km (2,564 sq mi), the park reaches from jagged snow-capped mountains down to turquoise lakes, over fields made of ice and through dense coniferous forests. It's a remarkable alpine landscape, home to Banff Hot Springs and six world class ski resorts, the combination of which attracts more than 4 million visitors every year.

• Wood Buffalo National Park

  Originally established in 1922 to protect the habitat of a declining wood bison population, this massive park is now home to the largest free-roaming and self-regulated bison herd in the world, as well as the world's only natural nesting site of the whooping crane. It is Canada's largest park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a great example of successful wildlife preservation. The borders of the park reach from the extreme north of Alberta into the Northwest Territories, encompassing 44, 807 sq km (17,300 sq mi) of northern boreal interior plains. This great landscape has four distinct sections. At the south and western ends, the Caribou and Birch Uplands rise over the land, covered in spruce and lichen tundra. The largest section is known as the Alberta Plateau and features a vast, wild plain pocked by countless bogs, soft muskegs and huge sinkholes. The Peace-Athabasca Delta is located in the park's southeast corner, where the Peace, Athabasca and Slave Rivers all flow toward Great Slave Lake. It is one of the largest fresh-water deltas in the world, creating a wetland of over 4,800 sq km (1,853 sq mi) and a home for a myriad of waterfowl and fish.

• Grasslands National Park

  Saskatchewan is not a land of towering mountain peaks, extreme ocean storms or roaring whitewater rivers. It is a place of peaceful rolling hills, grassy fields and farmland. In the far southwestern corner of the province, the Grasslands National Park has become the first national park of Canada to preserve a portion of these mixed prairie grasslands. This relatively untouched portion of land contains a rich and complex ecosystem and sustains a variety of endangered species, including some of the country's only remaining black-tailed prairie dog colonies.

• Bruce Peninsula National Park

  Located in the heart of a World Biosphere Reserve, the Bruce dramatically juts out into the waters of Lake Huron, nearly cutting off the Georgian Bay completely. On its west side, the 363 sq km (104 sq mi) national park slips gently into bogs and beaches. On its east side, massive, rugged cliffs plunge into the crystal clear waters of the bay below. At its northern tip, the cliffs run underwater, surfacing as the Fathom Five Islands, a separate national marine park. Amongst the park's dramatically sculpted cliffs, shallow caves and views of the bay, stunted white cedar trees have clung to life for over 1,000 years and yet stand less than five feet tall.

• La Mauricie National Park

  Quebec City and Montreal aren't too far from one another. Only 270 km (168 mi) separate the two cities. Yet, within that small void, one of the country's 41 national parks occupies nearly 550 sq km (212 sq mi) of land. Established in 1970, La Mauricie National Park preserves a vast rolling plateau in the Laurentians, the mountains that flank the northern shore of the St. Lawrence River. It is a densely forested landscape, intersected by a number of lakes, rolling hills and narrow valleys. It's also a transition zone for many species heading north or south, and the point where large broad-leafed trees give way to needle-leaf evergreens—setting a scene akin to the boreal forest.

• Prince edward Island National Park

  At the end of Canada's eastern reaches, over the Great Lakes and beyond the rolling green hills of Quebec, Prince Edward Island stands guard at the mouth of the St. Lawrence. Here, cradled by the island's curving east coast, an inspiring array of sandy beaches, rust-red cliffs, and giant, shifting sand dunes are all contained within Prince Edward Island National Park. Hardly spanning more than 40 km (25 mi) down the shoreline, this may be one of Canada's smallest parks, but it surely is one of its busiest. People come from far and wide to be witness to the dunes piled 18 m (60 ft) high, slowly crawling across the landscape. They come to learn of native archaeological findings that date as far back as 1400 A.D. And perhaps most of all, they come to visit the landmark Green Gables House, the inspiration for the classic novel, Anne of Green Gables.

• Ivvavik National Park

  Canada's northern territories are perhaps the least understood and yet most awe inspiring of all. The further north one travels, the more alien the landscape becomes, as a journey to Ivvavik National Park demonstrates. Within the northernmost corner of the Yukon, where Arctic and sub-Arctic meet, this vast, 16,000 sq km (6,178 sq mi) park lies in a landscape untouched by the Pleistocene glacier. In Inuvialuktun, the language of the Inuvialuit, Ivvavik means 'a place for giving birth' or 'a nursery'. It's a fitting name for this park as it was designed to protect a great portion of the calving grounds for the Porcupine caribou herd.

• Auyuittuq National Park

  Well beyond Canada's boreal forest—the green scarf on the shoulders of North America—over the rim of Hudson's Bay and deep in the Canadian Shield, lies Auyuittuq. This is Canada's only national park north of the Arctic Circle. It's a frozen land of jagged mountain peaks, deep valleys and spectacular fjords where the sun shines through the night and darkness falls for days on end. Established in 1976, the park protects 19,089 sq km (7,370 sq mi) of terrain, mostly untouched by humans but alive with wildflowers, seals, polar bears and narwhals. This remote domain presents one of the most fantastic journeys in the world, for those willing to journey to the end of it.