10 Charming Canadian Towns You Need to Visit

They say good things come in small packages—and that certainly applies to these charming Canadian towns! You’ll want to add these 10 off-the-beaten-path towns to your Canadian travel bucket list in 2018.

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Cedar Dunes Provincial Park in O'Leary, P.E.I.
Photo: Shutterstock

Charming Canadian Towns: O’Leary, P.E.I.

When in Prince Edward Island, enjoy the seafood! O’Leary has plenty of lobsters, mussels and clams to go around, and it’s also home to the annual Potato Blossom Festival! This Canadian treasure is also home to Cedar Dunes Provincial Park. For city folks who are dying to dip their toes in water and smell the ocean air, O’Leary is one of the must-visit charming Canadian towns.

Read about the town here.

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Okanagan Lake in Kelowna, British Columbia
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Charming Canadian Towns: Okanagan Landing, B.C.

Home to Okanagan Lake, Okanagan Landing provides many opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. There are parks for family picnics on the beach, boat launches and playgrounds to keep the young ones occupied. And of course, you can’t talk about Okanagan Lake without mentioning the lake’s monster, Ogopogo.

Read about the town here.

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Fort Smith in the Northwest Territories
Photo: Janet Bell

Charming Canadian Towns: Fort Smith, N.W.T.

Hours away from the nearest Tim Hortons, Fort Smith in the Northwest Territories is an outdoorsman’s dream destination. You can go fishing in the rapids of Slave River, take a short ride out of town to spot some bison, ride your bike long-distance or see the leaves change colours during the fall. Don’t forget to bring your camera!
Read more about the town here.
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Snow Lake Mining Museum
Courtesy: Marc Jackson

Charming Canadian Towns: Snow Lake, Man.

While mining draws most to Snow Lake, the area’s beauty and outdoor recreation are what keep folks there. This small community is home to the Snow Lake Mining Museum, which showcases the town’s rich history and past built upon the successes of its mineral industry. If you want to learn about how Manitoba came to be, visit Snow Lake!

Read about the town here.

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Murals in the town of Legal in Alberta
Photo: Nataliya Bukhanova

Charming Canadian Towns: Legal, Alta.

Murals are everywhere in Legal: on office buildings, grocery stores, restaurants, even near the church. To see them all, visitors need to walk the main street twice and then turn into the side streets to discover more. Newcomers soon realize that the murals are not just decoration; they reveal the history of the town and area.

Read about the town here.

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Scene mountain walk in Port Coquitlam
Photo: Shutterstock

Charming Canadian Towns: Port Coquitlam, B.C.

With the Fraser River to the south, the Pitt River to the east and the Coquitlam River to the west, Port Coquitlam sits prettily in the middle, just over 30 km east of Vancouver, making it the geographical centre of the Lower Mainland. It’s also the home of national hero Terry Fox, making it a popular place for outdoor activities.

Read about the town here.

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Watson Mills in Manotick, Ontario
Photo: Shutterstock

Charming Canadian Towns: Manotick, Ont.

Locals call downtown Manotick “The Village,” which consists of an intricate web of winding lanes. Situated along the Rideau Canal waterway, Manotick is a boater’s haven. This small town in Southern Ontario has many shops, beautiful scenery, and historical sites to discover!

Read about the town here.

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Fraser River in Ladner, British Columbia
Photo: Shutterstock

Charming Canadian Towns: Ladner, B.C.

Tucked off the Fraser River, Ladner has been around since 1873, when a wharf was built so farmers could ship produce to urban markets. The waterfront stayed the centrepiece as the village grew, and this hesitation to move forward makes Ladner such a surprising place to visit—it feels like a charming secret!

Read about the town here.

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Fairgrounds in Williamstown, Ontario.
Photo: Williamstown Fair

Charming Canadian Towns: Williamstown, Ont.

Williamstown is a storybook village of historic heritage, century homes, log barns, and old churches nestled on the Raisin River. It’s home to Canada’s oldest annual country fair, which attracts thousands of people every year. Immigrants from Scotland settled here, filling it with Scottish pride that lives on to this day!

Read about the town here.

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New Westminster in British Columbia
Photo: Shutterstock

Charming Canadian Towns: New Westminster, B.C.

New Westminster, once the capital of British Columbia, was named by Queen Victoria and is affectionately known as “The Royal City.” As a result, it’s a place full of history: New Westminster became home to B.C.’s first public library, and it’s also home to one of the oldest lacrosse teams in Canada, the New Westminster Salmonbellies.

Read about the town here.

Originally Published in Our Canada

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