In honour of Canada Day, I have uncovered one unique attraction from each of Canada’s 10 provinces. Rather than rehash the Great White North’s greatest hits, this list focuses on obscure, but highly engaging experiences that are worth the detour. From west to east, here are Canada’s hidden gems:
British Columbia: Explore a Canadian desert
In a province famous for rainforests, rivers and lakes, finding a desert in B.C. feels like you’ve stumbled through a portal to another world. While the Osoyoos Desert is technically a semi-arid shrub-steppe and not a true desert, the cactus, rattlesnakes and intense dry heat you’ll experience there will convince you otherwise.
It’s also home to the Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre, where you can learn about the ecology and traditions of the Osoyoos Indian Band that have called this unique ecosystem home since time immemorial.
Take a walk along the interpretive trails, sip some award-winning wine at nearby vineyards while discovering a side of B.C. that many visitors don’t even know exists.
Alberta: Boldly go to the quirky town of Vulcan
The small prairie town of Vulcan, located midway between Lethbridge and Calgary, has embraced its coincidental Star Trek name with open arms and a healthy dose of humour. If you’re a Star Trek fan like me, you will be delighted to find a replica of the Starship Enterprise, a Vulcan Tourism & Trek Station with plenty of merch and an annual VulCON festival that celebrates all things sci-fi. But even if you’re not a Trekkie, Vulcan’s community spirit and offbeat attractions make it a delightful pit stop.
Saskatchewan: Go underground in the Tunnels of Moose Jaw
Is there any place name more Canadian than Moose Jaw? Spending some time exploring this small city is worthwhile, but one of its most intriguing historical attractions is the network of tunnels beneath the streets of its compact downtown.
Legend has it that the tunnels were used by Chinese immigrants in the early parts of the 20th century seeking refuge from discriminatory laws. They were also rumoured to be a Prohibition-era hideout for Al Capone’s bootlegging operations. Both are good stories, but there’s not much evidence for the Chinese hideouts and while the tunnels likely were used for rum running and prostitution, the RCMP says Capone never set foot in Canada.
Don’t let facts get in the way of a good story! The Tunnels of Moose Jaw offers guided theatrical tours that are part museum, part immersive drama, and are touristy, but in the best way.
Manitoba: See the world’s largest concentration of snakes at Narcisse
Every spring, as the temperatures rise, tens of thousands of red-sided garter snakes emerge from their winter hibernation in the limestone caves near Armstrong in the Narcisse Snake Dens. For a few weeks every May, the snake dens become a writhing carpet of awakening serpents in what is said to be the world’s largest gathering of snakes. Depending on your personal ick factor with snakes, it’s either a mesmerizing natural spectacle or intensely unsettling.
These harmless snakes are non-venomous and park guides encourage visitors to observe them up close as males compete frantically for females in what can only be described as a serpentine orgy. This isn’t your typical roadside attraction, but if you’re fascinated by Mother Nature, then it’s a unique spectacle that shouldn’t be missed.
Ontario: Relive the Cold War in the Diefenbunker
Buried in the sleepy town of Carp, just west of Ottawa, is one of Canada’s most fascinating Cold War relics: the Diefenbunker. Built in secret during the 1960s as a fallout shelter for government officials (including Prime Minister John Diefenbaker, hence the nickname), it’s now a national historic site and one of the quirkiest museums in the country.
Constructed four storeys underground, this concrete labyrinth is a perfectly preserved time capsule of mid-century paranoia, complete with war rooms, blast doors and rotary phones waiting for the atomic attack that never came. Walking through it feels like you’re on the set of a Cold War thriller, except it’s all real.
An especially fun way to experience the museum is through a thrilling escape room game organized by Escape Manor that transforms the bunker into a giant playground.
Quebec: Explore the tragedy of the Empress of Ireland, Canada’s Titanic
Before the Titanic dominated maritime lore, there was the Empress of Ireland, a Canadian ocean liner that sank near Rimouski in 1914, claiming over a thousand lives. Despite the fact that it is the worst naval disaster in Canadian history, it’s barely remembered, but a museum near Rimouski is keeping the memory of that terrible event alive.
The Empress of Ireland Museum at Pointe-au-Père tells the story of this devastating tragedy with haunting detail, including personal effects pulled from the wreck, survivor stories and multimedia exhibits that walk you through the fog-shrouded night the ship went down.
Adjacent to the museum, you’ll find the Onondaga, a decommissioned submarine you can board for a fascinating look at naval life in a different era. Pointe-au-Père is also home to one of Canada’s prettiest lighthouses which is also the second tallest in the country. Visitors are encouraged to huff and puff their way up the winding staircase to the top for a stunning view of the mighty Saint Lawrence River, which is so wide here that it almost looks like the ocean.
New Brunswick: Take a walk on the seafloor, but with a twist, at Ministers Island
Yes, you’ve heard about walking on the sea floor at the Hopewell Rocks, but what about driving across the ocean floor to visit a vanished tycoon’s summer estate?
At low tide, a gravel bar appears off the coast of St. Andrews on the Bay of Fundy, linking the mainland to Ministers Island, once the lavish retreat of Sir William Van Horne, the driving force behind the Canadian Pacific Railway during the race to build a transcontinental link across this vast country. His mansion is still there for visitors to explore. It’s full of quirky artefacts and unexpected luxury, from hand-painted ceilings to a vintage wind-powered bathhouse. There’s even a round-roofed barn built like a giant barrel.
It’s part Downton Abbey, part Scooby-Doo episode, especially if you lose track of time and the tide starts creeping back in, stranding you on the island until the water retreats.
Prince Edward Island: Explore Canada’s forgotten fortress at Fort Amherst
While every Canadian schoolchild learns about the Plains of Abraham, few know about Skmaqn–Port-la-Joye–Fort Amherst, the site where European settlement of PEI began in the 18th century. Located just across the harbour from Charlottetown, this national historic site preserves the earthworks of what was once Port-la-Joye, a crucial French fortification that served as the administrative centre for Île Saint-Jean, as PEI was then known.
When the British took over, they renamed it Fort Amherst and used it to oversee the deportation of the French-speaking Acadian population, a dark chapter in Canada’s history that doesn’t make it into many tourism brochures.
What makes this site compelling isn’t just the history, but the location. The fort sits on a bluff with commanding views across Charlottetown Harbour, and on a clear day you can see right into the heart of the island. The earthworks are still clearly visible and interpretive trails help you understand how this strategic position controlled maritime traffic for over a century.
Nova Scotia: Descend into the underworld at Springhill’s coal mine
Most people speed past Springhill on their way to somewhere else, but this unassuming Cumberland County town sits atop one of the most compelling industrial heritage sites in the country. The Springhill Miners’ Museum doesn’t just tell you about coal mining, it drops you 37 metres underground into the actual mine shafts where generations of miners carved their living from the earth.
Your guide will likely be a former miner who worked these very tunnels before the mine closed for good in 1970. They’ll show you how miners used to lie on their sides to extract coal from seams barely three feet high, working in conditions that would horrify modern safety inspectors. The mine stays a constant 7°C year-round, which feels refreshing in summer when you would likely visit, but not so much in winter.
What makes Springhill particularly haunting is its history of disasters. The town was shaped by three major mining tragedies, including the 1958 “bump” that trapped 174 miners underground for over a week. The rescue efforts made international headlines, and the stories of survival and loss still echo through these tunnels.
If mining disasters aren’t your thing, Springhill is also the hometown of singer Anne Murray where there is a museum, the Anne Murray Centre, dedicated to showcasing her incredible life.
Newfoundland and Labrador: Time travel to a Viking port at Norstead
Everyone knows L’Anse aux Meadows as the only authenticated Norse site in North America and it really shouldn’t be missed, but just down the road, Norstead Viking Village brings that history vividly to life. This recreated Viking port of trade lets you experience the daily life of the Norse people who arrived here over a thousand years ago, long before Columbus was even born.
Costumed interpreters demonstrate blacksmithing, boat building, weaving, and cooking, and you can even step aboard a full-scale replica of the Snorri, a Viking knarr that sailed from Greenland to Newfoundland in 1998. It’s hands-on, educational, and just plain fun, especially for families or anyone who’s ever been fascinated by Viking lore. It pairs perfectly with a visit to the Parks Canada historic site, but I recommend visiting Norstead afterwards because if you’re travelling with kids, they won’t want to leave!
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