Canada is full of amazing things to see and do, but sometimes you just want to experience something a little different. When that’s the case, it’s fun to seek out more unusual sites, tours and attractions when you travel. For anyone looking for something to do that sits on the quirkier end of the spectrum, look no further than our picks for some of the most unusual things to see and do across Canada.
Raft and snorkel with salmon, Vancouver Island, British Columbia
When you think of snorkelling you likely think about spotting colourful fish underneath turquoise blue water, but there’s another reason to put on a mask and fins – and it’s quite different than what you might be used to. On Vancouver Island the Campbell River is where thousands of salmon return each year, and this fascinating tour with Destiny River Adventures lets you see them up close and personal. Three hour tours run from July through the end of September and you can either spot salmon from a raft, or don a wetsuit and snorkel in the river pools teeming with thousands of salmon.
Urban Quest, various cities across Canada
Put away your guidebook and bypass the beaten track. Urban Quest tours, which are available in 16 cities across Canada, offer a fun, quirky way to get to know your own city, or another city in Canada that you happen to be visiting. Think of Urban Quest as a mystery to solve. You download a PDF of clues that will guide you to various attractions where you’ll have to solve puzzles about what you see. If you can solve the mystery you’re led to a mystery restaurant where you’re reserved for either lunch or dinner.
Sins of the City: Vice, Dice and Opium Pipes, Vancouver, British Columbia
Tours often aim to show off the best a city or town has to offer, or a speciality it’s known for, like certain foods. But what about a tour that takes a totally different approach? The Vancouver Police Museum offers the unusual, yet interesting Sins of the City tour, which allow guests to experience the world of a Vancouver cop in the 1920s. The 90-minute walking tour takes you through the streets and alleys of Chinatown on the lookout for what would have once been brothels, bootlegging joints, gambling houses and opium dens.
Sleep in a jail, Ottawa, Ontario
You don’t need to have committed a crime to spend the night in jail. Ottawa is home to one of the quirkiest places to stay – a 150 year old former Carleton County jail complete with jail cells for rooms. And not only is the popular hostel housed in a jail, the jail is said to be one of the most haunted buildings in Canada. If you don’t want to spend the night, you can opt for a tour instead. Each day at 11 a.m. there’s a free 30 minute tour that provides background on the history of the building, and gives some insight into why it’s supposedly haunted.
When Pigs Fry, Toronto, Ontario
If you like bacon, you’re going to want to come on the When Pigs Fry tour offered through Urban Adventures. When Pigs Fry is a three hour tour with a focus on everyone’s favourite pork products in a city historically known as “Hogtown”. Bring your appetite and get ready to sample bacon, pork and sausage, visit three pork-loving restaurants in the city, and find out about ethical pig farming at a local butcher.
Visit a UFO landing pad, St. Paul, Alberta
St. Paul, Alberta is where you’ll find one of the quirkier attractions in Canada: the world’s first ever UFO landing pad. Built in 1967, the 130-tonne concrete landmark is large, flat and ready to welcome a space ship should any make their way to this small Alberta town. It also contains a time capsule to be opened on the 100th anniversary of the landing pad’s opening. In 1990 a visitor’s centre was opened where you’ll find a museum of UFO memorabilia, photographs of alleged landing sites, and reports of UFO sightings and encounters of all kinds.
See the world’s largest concentration of snakes, Narcisse, Manitoba
If you have ophidiophobia (fear of snakes), you might want to bypass this quirky Canadian attraction. But if you like snakes or are at least curious about them, the Narcisse Snake Dens are the place for you. This is where you can see more snakes at a glance than anywhere else in the world. During two brief periods in the spring and the fall you can witness tens of thousands of red sided garter snakes from viewing platforms at each den (if you dare).
Tour or sleep in a submarine, Pointe-au-Père, Quebec
The Onondaga is Canada’s only submarine open to the public, which you can tour it, or to really feel what it would have been like for those who had to live aboard it, spend the night in. The 90-metre submarine was used for active service between 1967 and 2000 and housed roughly 60 men at a time in cramped quarters. If you do choose to spend the night you’ll play the role of an apprentice submariner.
Mountain bike in a kilt, St. Andrews-by-the-Sea, New Brunswick
Passamaquoddy Bay in St. Andrews by-the-Sea, New Brunswick and the surrounding area are a scenic place to take a tour, but this isn’t just any tour. This is a mountain bike tour – with a twist. You’ll be exploring by mountain bike while wearing a kilt. Choose from a two hour, six hour or an overnight tour that highlight some of the best the area has to offer. The cost of this fun, informative and quirky tour includes a bike, your helmet, water and a loaner kilt.
Featured photo: Nicolas Raymond
