A look at the world’s largest roadside attractions in Canada

In a country as large as Canada, the open road feels endless. Exits lure you to lunch or to a destination of another kind, like the promise of the world’s largest axe in Nackawic, New Brunswick.

“It’s intriguing, very different,” said Mark Hamelin from Brockville, Ont., who stopped on his way through. “We didn’t come all this way to see it, but we found it while we were driving through, so we needed to stop and see it. Take a picture.”

The Axe stands as advertised. It’s 15 metres tall and 10 metres wide. In 1993, it took the top spot in the Guinness World Records book.

“Pretty large, intimidating. Probably chop some big logs with that,” said Stephen Acheson, who was also passing through.

Built out of community pride in 1991 when Nackawic was named the forestry capital of Canada, it’s now a daily tourist draw. People wander off the Trans-Canada to see it after spotting its sign along the highway. Some bus tours purposely stop.

“It’s a huge deal. It brings a lot of tourists in and even the community is very proud of what we have here,” said Paul Sherman, Director of Recreation and Parks at the rural community of Nackawic-Millville, who points out the axe’s handle also holds a time capsule from 1991.

Canada has no shortage of roadside attractions, like the largest curling rock in Arborg, Man., or the world’s largest beaver in Beaverlodge, Alta., the giant goose in Wawa, Ont., or the Big Nickel in Sudbury, Ont. Sydney, N.S. is also home to the world’s largest fiddle.

There’s Mac the Moose in Moose Jaw, Sask., who once lost his tallest title to Norway but reclaimed it with taller antlers.

“The idea that these quirky, whimsical things were a good way of putting your small community on the map started in the middle of the last century. You know, in the 1950s when people were hitting the roads again. It started in the States, and it definitely crept up to Canada,” said travel journalist Loren Christie.

Christie personally loves the giant Fiddle in Sydney, Nova Scotia, but said the quirkiest stop he’s visited is in Vulcan, Alberta, where the community has a replica of the Starship Enterprise and a museum paying homage to all of the Star Trek memorabilia.

Not all roadside attractions are record-holders, but they hold our attention.

Like The Big Potato, a market just outside of Fredericton -- a large, smiling, cement potato.

Andrew MacLean, historian and author of backyardhistory.ca, explains how the Big Potato was built in 1969 by Winston Bronnum.

“He built it because his buddy who owned the place, they served in the Air Force together,” Maclean said.

Bronnum also built the world’s largest lobster in Shediac, New Brunswick.

This week, that lobster was getting a fresh coat of paint to prepare for its summerlong photo shoot.

“New Brunswick’s roadside attractions are a perfect mix of folk art, tourist traps and civic pride,” said MacLean, who highlighted how New Brunswick is also home to the world’s largest fiddleheads in Plaster Rock and the world’s largest salmon in Campbellton.