Manitoba’s amazing roadside attractions 2

Images by Travel Manitoba (Arborg Curling Rock), Wikimedia Commons (Sara), James Tetrenko (Fire Hydrant), &Town of Melita (Sunny & Breezy). CC BY-SA

Can’t get enough of our weird and wonderful roadside landmarks? (See this if you missed Manitoba’s amazing roadside attractions 1)

Here are more of these attractions you definitely shouldn’t miss:

1. World’s largest curling rock

   This 4 by 2-metre monument is a testament to Manitoba being the “Curling capital of the World.” Did you know that there are more curling clubs in here than Ontario and Quebec combined? Arborg memorialized this title with this roadside attraction at the Arborg-Bifrost Community Centre.

2. Sunny the Banana and Breezy the Blue Jay

   What could bring more cheer than a happy yellow banana and an equally happy blue jay? Sunny the Banana is a 33-foot tall monument with a smiling bird called Breezy on its hand. Check them out in the Town of Melita, Manitoba’s “Banana Belt.”

3. Sara the Camel

   This 17-feet tall roadside attraction represents Manitoba’s only desert, the Spirit Sands located in Spruce Woods Provincial Park. You can see Sara at Glenboro at the junction of Cochrane Street and Highway #2.

4. Crocuses Monument

   Arden is the Crocus Capital of Manitoba. It’s only fitting that they erected a nine-foot tall monument of these beautiful flowers. In case you didn’t know, the Prairie Crocus is Manitoba’s official flower. The best time to see these magnificent crocuses, both the steel and the real version, is in April. Arden is located in in the Municipality of Glenella-Lansdowne.

5. Second Tallest Fire Hydrant in the World

   Taking the cake for the weirdest monument (in my opinion) is Elm Creek’s 29.5-foot (8.99 meters) fire hydrant monument. Volunteer firefighters built this statue for over seven months and unveiled it on Canada Day 2001. Elm Creek is in the Rural Municipality of Grey, 50 km west of Winnipeg and about 35 km southeast of Portage la Prairie.

6. Canada Goose

   Lundar, Manitoba has the province’s largest Canada Goose at 18 by 20 feet! This imposing roadside attraction even rotates. It’s mounted on a stand that allows the bird to face the direction of the wind. Lundar is in the Rural Municipality of Coldwell, in Manitoba’s Interlake Region, 99 km north of Winnipeg on Hwy 6. It is home to a Canada Goose refuge.

And we’re not done! There’s so much more of these gigantic landmarks around the province. There’s the Biggest sturgeon in Dominion City; the iconic Gimli Viking statue overlooking Lake Winnipeg; Bruce, the World’s largest Mosasaur statue, and the 4.5 metre-long Ancient Achelon Turtle in Morden; a 42-foot tall windmill in the town of Holland (a rural district in the Rural Municipality of Victoria, MB); and many more! Not only are these roadside attractions awe-inspiring, they also teach us about the rich history, aspirations, and main industries of these towns and cities in Manitoba.

So the next time you plan for a road trip, keep these magnificent landmarks in mind!
 
Sources: Roadside attractions for a road trip in Manitoba, To Do Canada; Manitoba Historical Society; Giant statues of Manitoba, We’ve Gone on a Holiday by Mistake.com. Accessed August 31, 2023.