Canada is famous for mountains, lakes, forests and very polite people. But travel a little farther off the usual tourist trail and things start getting wonderfully strange.

A recent discussion on Reddit's r/AskACanadian started when an English teacher in France asked Canadians to recommend unusual places that could show students a different side of the country. The request wasn't necessarily for Canada's biggest attractions. Instead, they wanted places that were mysterious, funny, extraordinary or connected to an interesting piece of Canadian history.

Canadians delivered.

From a museum full of taxidermied gophers to a town famous for polar bears wandering its streets, here are some of the most memorable suggestions from the thread.

1. Torrington Gopher Hole Museum, Alberta

We should probably start with the suggestion that received one of the biggest reactions in the entire thread: the Torrington Gopher Hole Museum.

The concept is exactly as unusual as the name suggests. The small Alberta museum is known for displays featuring taxidermied gophers arranged in miniature human scenes. Commenters described it as tiny, hilarious and an experience that is difficult to forget.

One commenter explained that the displays can include gophers dressed as characters such as golfers and maids and placed into elaborate dioramas.

It might not be the Canada visitors picture when they imagine Alberta, but that's exactly why it belongs on this list.

2. Frank Slide, Alberta

The recommendations quickly went from funny to haunting.

Several commenters nominated Frank Slide, describing it as one of the eeriest and most sombre places they had visited. People who had driven through the area talked about the enormous boulders and how quiet the experience becomes once you understand what happened there.

The site offers something many of the recommendations in the thread share: an impressive landscape that becomes far more powerful once you know the story behind it.

For one commenter who grew up in southern Alberta, Frank Slide was an annual school field trip, and somehow, they said, it never became boring.

3. Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, Alberta

Few places were recommended as consistently as Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump.

Redditors repeatedly highlighted it not just because of its unusual name, but because of the Indigenous history connected to the site. One commenter called it a place with "important history," while others emphasized both its beauty and its value as a place to learn about how Indigenous peoples hunted bison on the western plains.

Later in the thread, commenters paired it with Writing-on-Stone as two particularly important Alberta sites and noted their UNESCO World Heritage status.

It's a good reminder that a peculiar name can sometimes lead to a much deeper story.

4. Churchill, Manitoba

Imagine living somewhere where encountering a polar bear on your way through town is a genuine possibility.

That's why Churchill, Manitoba generated so much discussion.

One commenter highlighted the community's relationship with the large number of polar bears that gather in the area while waiting for Hudson Bay to freeze. They also described the extraordinary precautions taken around Halloween, when residents and emergency personnel work to keep trick-or-treaters safe while watching for bears.
Another commenter simply summed Churchill up as the "polar bear capital of the world."

For visitors accustomed to Canadian wildlife appearing mainly on postcards, Churchill offers a very different perspective.

5. Narcisse Snake Dens, Manitoba

Polar bears aren't Manitoba's only unusual wildlife attraction.

Multiple people independently recommended the Narcisse Snake Dens. Commenters described tens of thousands, and in some estimates far more, garter snakes gathering there at certain times of year.

It appeared again and again throughout the thread, including one particularly concise recommendation:
"The Narcisse Snake Dens!! Literally hundreds of thousands of garter snakes..."

For anyone who loves snakes, this sounds extraordinary. For anyone who doesn't, it may sound like the beginning of a nightmare.

Either way, "boring" probably isn't the right word.

6. Drumheller and the Alberta Badlands

If Canada makes you picture endless forests and snow-covered mountains, Drumheller is a useful reminder of just how varied the country actually is.

Redditors repeatedly recommended the area for its badlands landscape, fossils and dinosaur history. One commenter described Dinosaur Provincial Park as having one of the largest and richest dinosaur fossil reserves, while also noting how enthusiastically Drumheller embraces its dinosaur identity.

Another commenter pointed out that the region can almost resemble Arizona rather than stereotypical images of Canada.

Dinosaurs, hoodoos, fossils and an almost otherworldly landscape make this one of the easier places on the list to imagine becoming instantly obsessed with as a kid. Or, realistically, as an adult.

7. The Screaming Heads of Midlothian, Ontario

In rural Ontario, more than 100 enormous concrete faces appear to be screaming out of the landscape.

Welcome to the Screaming Heads of Midlothian.

One Redditor described the installation near Burk's Falls as a massive outdoor artwork created by retired art teacher Peter Camani. According to the commenter, some of the concrete sculptures rise several metres high, while the surrounding property also includes the artist's unusual residence, known as Midlothian Castle.

The commenter explained that the figures were intended to symbolize the Earth crying out against environmental destruction.

It's creepy, artistic and completely unexpected, which is a pretty good combination for a peculiar Canadian road trip stop.

8. Magnetic Hill and the Tidal Bore, New Brunswick

There are places that look unusual.

Then there are places that seem to break the laws of physics.

A number of Redditors recommended Magnetic Hill in Moncton, where the landscape creates the impression that vehicles are moving uphill against gravity. Commenters quickly pointed out that Moncton offers another unusual phenomenon nearby: the tidal bore.

Elsewhere in the thread, New Brunswick's tides received plenty of attention, including the Bay of Fundy, Reversing Falls and Hopewell Rocks.

If you're looking for the side of Canada where the landscape seems to have its own set of rules, New Brunswick deserves a spot on the list.

9. Dawson City, Yukon

Dawson City appeared repeatedly in the discussion, usually connected to the Klondike Gold Rush and the strange stories that followed it.

One commenter described it as the heart of the gold rush, complete with boardwalk sidewalks and buildings now facing new challenges as the permafrost underneath them changes.

Then there's the detail that pushed Dawson City firmly into "peculiar Canada" territory: the Sourtoe Cocktail.

According to commenters, the famous Dawson City tradition involves a drink served with a preserved human toe, with participants expected to let the toe touch their lips to join the club.

Gold rush history? Check.
Remote northern town? Check.
Human toe in your drink?
Apparently also check.

10. St-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!, Quebec

Sometimes you don't need an unusual museum, geological formation or mystery.

Sometimes the town's name does all the work.

Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! was one of the most popular funny-name suggestions in the thread. One commenter said they had driven past it on the Trans-Canada Highway and had to do a double take when they saw the name.

And it was far from Canada's only unusual place name.

The thread eventually turned into an impressive collection that included Dildo, Newfoundland and Labrador; Climax, Saskatchewan; Punkeydoodles Corners, Ontario; Eyebrow, Saskatchewan; Forget, Saskatchewan; and Pain Court, Ontario.

Canada's geography lesson can apparently double as a comedy routine.

11. Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, Alberta

Among the more meaningful recommendations was Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park.

A commenter described the park as an area of natural hoodoo formations along Alberta's Milk River, but emphasized that its significance goes much deeper than its landscape.

The area is sacred to Indigenous peoples, and the commenter highlighted centuries-old rock carvings found there.

It's exactly the kind of place the original Reddit question was searching for: visually extraordinary, historically significant and capable of opening a much bigger conversation about Canada than a typical sightseeing stop.

12. The Giant Roadside Attractions of the Prairies

Finally, no list of peculiar Canadian places would be complete without the enormous objects scattered across prairie towns.

One Redditor suggested taking an entire virtual road trip through Alberta and Saskatchewan dedicated to Canada's "World's Biggest" roadside attractions.

Their examples included a UFO landing pad in St. Paul, a giant pysanka in Vegreville, a giant pyrogy in Glendon, a giant mushroom in Vilna, a giant turtle in Turtleford and, naturally, a giant moose in Moose Jaw.

Another commenter called these giant statues a "uniquely strange Canadian Prairie thing."

Why are they there?
Perhaps the better question is: why wouldn't you build a massive pyrogy beside a highway?

Canada Gets Stranger the Closer You Look

What makes the Reddit thread so interesting isn't just the number of unusual places people suggested. It's how quickly a conversation about strange attractions became a conversation about Canada's geography, Indigenous history, wildlife, immigration, language, disasters, legends and local traditions.

The original poster had already collected more than 30 unusual Canadian places before asking Reddit because they wanted recommendations directly from Canadians.

Hundreds of suggestions later, one thing was pretty clear:
There is a lot more to explore between Canada's famous landmarks.

Sometimes it's a sacred landscape.
Sometimes it's a northern town where polar bears wander nearby.
And sometimes it's a room full of taxidermied gophers wearing tiny clothes.

Canada contains multitudes.

FAQ

What are some unique places to visit in Canada?

Canada has unusual destinations ranging from Drumheller's dinosaur-filled Badlands and Churchill's polar bear country to the Screaming Heads of Midlothian and the Torrington Gopher Hole Museum.

What are some weird attractions in Canada?

Canada has plenty of quirky attractions, including giant prairie roadside statues, the Gopher Hole Museum, Magnetic Hill and Dawson City's famous Sourtoe Cocktail tradition.

What are some hidden gems in Canada?

Places such as Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, the Narcisse Snake Dens and smaller historic communities offer experiences well beyond Canada's most famous tourist attractions.

Where can you find unusual roadside attractions in Canada?

Alberta and Saskatchewan are particularly well known for oversized roadside attractions, including giant pysankas, perogies, mushrooms, turtles and moose. The Reddit thread specifically highlighted this prairie tradition.