20 Quirky Roadside Attractions Across Canada

They may not be destinations in and of themselves, but these quirky roadside attractions certainly make the journey across Canada more interesting!

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Roadside attractions across Canada - Signpost Forest
Photo: Darren Roberts/Travel Yukon

20 Roadside Attractions From Coast to Coast

The Signpost Forest

Where you’ll find it: Mile 635, Alaska Highway, Watson Lake, Yukon Territory

If you’re cruising along the Alaska Highway, it’s worth making a pit stop at one of the quirkiest roadside attractions in the Yukon. Back in 1942, a homesick GI from Danville, Illinois, put up the first sign at Watson Lake to show just how far he was from home (2,835 miles, to be exact). Today, his sign is joined by more than 80,000 others in what’s become known as the “Signpost Forest.”

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Sourtoe cocktail, Dawson City, Yukon
Photo: Yukon Hotels

The Sourtoe Cocktail

Where you’ll find it: Corner of Second and Queen, Dawson City, Yukon Territory

The Sourdough Saloon in Dawson City has a rather unusual item on its drinks menu: a cocktail containing a mummified human toe. Yes, really. The toe is said to have belonged to a turn-of-the-century rum runner who lost his digit to frostbite while evading the local law enforcement. If your passengers can manage to down a Sourtoe Cocktail (and “kiss” the toe which bobs around in your glass) they’ll walk away with a little extra swagger—and a certificate to commemorate the achievement.

Discover more hidden gems across Canada.

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Roadside attractions across Canada - Moss Lady
Photo: Tourism Victoria

The Moss Lady

Where you’ll find it: Beacon Hill Park, Victoria

If you’ve got kids in the car and they’ve seen the Disney flick Moana (that’s pretty much a given), they’ll be doubly enchanted with Victoria’s “moss lady.” Artist Dale Doebert’s 35-foot-long sculpture of a dozing figure looks as though it could rise from the earth at any moment, just like Te Fiti in the film.

Check out the 10 places in Canada every Canadian needs to visit.

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Roadside attractions across Canada - The Glass House
Photo: The Glass House

The Glass House

Where you’ll find it: 11341 Highway 3A Boswell, Kootenay Lake, British Columbia

When David H. Brown retired from the funeral business he found a curious use for all the empty embalming fluid bottles he’d collected over the years: he built a house with them. The Glass House of Kootenay Lake, B.C., was built from some 500,000 thousand bottles and spans 1,200 square feet.

Discover the most famous house in every province.

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Roadside attractions across Canada - The Enchanted Forest
Photo: The Enchanted Forest

The Enchanted Forest

Where you’ll find it: 7060 Trans-Canada Highway, Revelstoke, British Columbia

Step out of the minivan and into a fairy tale. In the Enchanted Forest at Revelstoke, British Columbia, you can frolic through the woods on a nature walk (where you’ll find 350 folk art figurines amongst the foliage), climb the province’s tallest and grandest tree house and even go ziplining.

Explore more hidden gems in B.C.

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Roadside attractions across Canada - Vegreville Egg
Photo: Travel Alberta

The World’s Largest Easter Egg

Where you’ll find it: 45th Street, Vegreville, Alberta

The Vegreville Pysanka was built in 1975 as a tribute to the early Ukrainian settlements east of Edmonton. With a claim to fame as “the world’s largest Easter egg,” this marvel of design is certainly one of the prettiest roadside attractions in Canada, its patterns containing 3,512 facets, 2,206 equilateral triangles and 524 star shapes. Puzzle fiends young and old will find it fascinating—and an irresistible Instagram opp.

Speaking of Instagram opps, here’s the best place to watch the sunset in every province.

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Roadside attractions across Canada - Gopher Hole Museum
Photo: Travel Alberta

Torrington Gopher Hole Museum

Where you’ll find it: 208 1st Street South, Torrington, Alberta

Making the trek from Calgary to Edmonton? About halfway along the route, you’ll find the hamlet of Torrington, and one of the most unusual roadside attractions in the country. The Torrington Gopher Hole Museum boasts no fewer than 70 taxidermized gophers, which star—fully costumed—in a series of dioramas. Watch the gopher townspeople wait for the train, do a little gardening and even shoot a game of pool. It’s a portrait of rural life—gopherized.

Discover more unusual museums across Canada.

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Giant dinosaur in Drumheller, Alberta
Photo: Vincent JIANG / Shutterstock.com

The World’s Largest Dinosaur

Where you’ll find it: #60 1st Avenue West, Drumheller, Alberta

Jurassic Park fans will need a selfie with this massive T-Rex that stalks Canada’s Badlands. She (yes, she’s recognized as a lady dino), stands over 46 metres high—that’s 4.5 times bigger than the real deal, and enough to earn her the title of “World’s Largest Dinosaur.”

Check out 10 more day trips from Calgary on one tank of gas.

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Roadside attractions across Canada - UFO Landing Pad
Photo: Town of St. Paul

The UFO Landing Pad

Where you’ll find it: Corner of 50th Avenue and 53rd Street, St. Paul, Alberta

This extraterrestrial parking spot was built in 1967 to celebrate Canada’s centennial and has been attracting earthbound visitors ever since. Snap selfies with little green men and check out the UFO exhibit in the tourist information centre. As roadside attractions go, this pit stop is out of this world.

Think that’s crazy? Check out these mind-boggling facts about Canada.

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Mac the Moose - Moose Jaw
Creative bee Maja / Shutterstock.com

Mac the Moose

Where you’ll find it: 450 Diefenbaker Drive, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan

Sadly, Mac was recently stripped of his title as “World’s Tallest Moose” when a town in Norway dared to build their own moose—and give it an extra 30 centimetres in height. The Scandinavian municipality has since agreed to let Moose Jaw’s most-photographed roadside attraction reclaim his title—once he’s installed with an even larger rack, that is. Until that time, you can still admire mighty Mac with his original antlers.

If these roadside attractions are putting a smile on your face, you’ll love this roundup of 50 funny town names across Canada.

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Ghostown Blues B&B
Photo: Ghostown Blues B&B

Ghostown Blues B&B

Where you’ll find it: Maple Creek, Saskatchewan

If you’ve ever imagined yourself starring in a western, you’ll be tempted to turn this pit stop in Maple Creek, Saskatchewan, into an overnight stay. At the Ghostown Blues B&B, you’ll get the full cowboy experience, from eating your dinner out of the back of a covered wagon, to sleeping under the stars. Can I get a yeehaw?

Can’t bear the thought of roughing it? Discover 10 great places to go glamping in Canada.

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Spruce Woods Spirit Sands
Photo: George Fischer Photography/Travel Manitoba

Spirit Sands

Where you’ll find it: PTH 5 south of Highway 1, Spruce Woods, Manitoba

It may not technically qualify as a desert, but the sprawling sand dunes in Spruce Woods Provincial Park sure come close. Located smack in the middle of the Prairies, this arid landscape is home to Manitoba’s only lizard, two types of cacti and other rare and exotic species of plants and animals. Take a horse drawn wagon ride or hike at your own pace on the self-guided trails.

Check out the 10 national parks every Canadian needs to visit.

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Roadside attractions across Canada - Sawyer the lumberjack
Photo: Stanhope Heritage Discovery Museum

The World’s Largest Lumberjack

Where you’ll find it: 1123 North Shore Road, Algonquin Highlands, Ontario

When it comes to photo opps in Ontario’s Algonquin Highlands, Sawyer the lumberjack stands head and shoulders above the competition. Have your shooter stand back (WAY back—the golden giant stands 14 feet high, after all!), then grab your end of the crosscut saw to help him slice through that massive log. You’ll find this charming roadside attraction outside the Stanhope Heritage Discovery Museum, where it pays homage to the region’s rich logging history.

Discover more hidden gems in Ontario.

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Roadside attractions across Canada - Giant toonie
Photo: Trent Hills Tourism

The Big Toonie

Where you’ll find it: Old Mill Park, Campbellford, Ontario

What better way to pay tribute to the artist who designed the Toonie than to erect a 27-foot tall version of it in his hometown? Brent Townsend’s polar bear artwork for our two-dollar coin can be admired larger-than-life at this roadside attraction on the banks of the Trent River in Campbellford, Ontario. Photo tip: If you stand with your arms in the air in just the right spot, the pic will make it look as though you’re holding the colossal coin in your own two hands. You’re welcome.

Bet you didn’t know these 12 things were made in Canada!

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Roadside attractions across Canada - Diefenbunker
Photo: Diefenbunker

The Diefenbunker

Where you’ll find it: 3929 Carp Road, Carp, Ontario

Back in 1959, Prime Minister John Diefenbaker commissioned a 100,000 square-foot bunker to house key members of the military and government in the event of a nuclear attack. The site has since been decommissioned and now operates as Canada’s Cold War museum. Between its fascinating history and decidedly 21st-century attractions (including an impressive escape room experience), the Diefenbunker is an essential day trip from Ottawa.

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Roadside attractions across Canada - Grand Gathering
Photo: Centre d’Art Marcel Gagnon

The Grand Gathering

Where you’ll find it: 564 Route de la Mer, Sainte-Flavie, Quebec

If you’re taking a road trip along the southern shore of the St. Lawrence River, keep your eyes peeled for this roadside attraction near the town of Sainte-Flavie, Quebec. Emerging from the river and onto its banks are 100 life-sized concrete and wood figures designed by artist Marcel Gagnon. It’s an unexpected and somewhat eerie vignette that changes throughout the day: the figures start to submerge when the tide comes in!

Discover more hidden gems of Quebec.

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Unusual Museums - Canadian Potato Museum
Photo: Canadian Potato Museum

The World’s Largest Potato Sculpture

Where you’ll find it: 1 Dewar Lane, O’Leary, Prince Edward Island

Is it really a road trip through Prince Edward Island if you don’t stop at this 14-foot statue of a Russet Burbank spud? While you’re there be sure to grab an order of fries from a nearby chip truck and check out the charming Canadian Potato Museum.

Check out more super-sized attractions across Canada.

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Roadside attractions across Canada - giant squid Glovers Harbour
Photo: Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism

The Giant Squid

Where you’ll find it: Main Street, Glovers Harbour, Newfoundland

Back in 1878, the fishermen of Glovers Harbour, Newfoundland, snagged a 55-foot long giant squid. Their legendary catch still holds the Guinness Record as the world’s largest squid. What better way to commemorate the historical haul than a to-scale model of the monstrous mollusc—right on Main Street!

Adding the Rock to your itinerary? Here are some common Newfoundland sayings, decoded.

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Roadside attractions Canada - Giant Lobster in Shediac New Brunswick
Photo: Shutterstock

The Giant Lobster

Where you’ll find it: 229 Main St., Shediac, New Brunswick

Not to be outdone, New Brunswick boasts its own super-sized sea monster in the town of Shediac, known as the “Lobster Capital of the World.” On your way to a delectable lobster dinner at one of the local restos, you’ll find this monument of a life-size fisherman accompanied by a larger-than-life lobster.

Is that giant lobster enough to make your mouth water? Here are 10 must-try Canadian dishes—and the best places in the country to find them.

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Magnetic Hill - Moncton NB
meunierd / Shutterstock.com

Magnetic Hill

Where you’ll find it: Mountain Road, Moncton, New Brunswick

Drive to the bottom of this world-famous hill, shift into neutral and then brace yourself as your car starts rolling uphill. It’s a gravitational mystery you’ll have to see—and feel—to believe.

Now that you know the roadside attractions to watch for, check out 10 essential experiences on the east coast of Canada.

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