6 Quirkiest Alberta Towns You Didn't Know Existed

Famous as Canada’s top oil and beef-producing province, Alberta also has much to offer intrepid travelers on the hunt for somewhere quirky to visit. Sure, you’ll find many fascinating attractions in larger cities like Calgary and Edmonton (both are well worth visiting), but for a truly authentic dose of the unusual, you’ll want to visit some of the province’s smaller towns. Dotted around the province like sprinkles on a Tim Hortons’ donut, these small communities each channel a little eccentricity into their one‑of‑a‑kind museums and off‑beat festivals. From a Star Trek‑themed prairie town to villages that have built their tourism industries around native rodents, these destinations prove that taking the occasional detour can pay off.

Vulcan

Sci-fi fans approaching the town of Vulcan on Highway 23 are greeted by a large fiberglass replica of the starship USS Enterprise. Located at the front of the Vulcan Tourism & Trek Station, this unique visitor center doubles as a Star Trek mini‑museum complete with costumes to try‑on, touchscreen episode guides, and even souvenir starship boarding passes to take home with you. For the ultimate souvenir, check the gift shop for a can or two of Vulcan Ale, a tasty red IPA licensed by the Star Trek franchise.

Established in 1913 and named after the Roman god of fire long before Captain Kirk and his sidekick, Spock, entered the scene, references to the TV show are everywhere. From streetlamps that resemble phasers, a post office that sells commemorative United Federation of Planets’ stamps, and annual Spock Days events in June that offers cosplay parades and other Star Trek-themed shenanigans, diehard fans and casual observers alike are guaranteed to enjoy a visit to Spock. Beam me up, Scotty!

Torrington

Located just an hour south of the city of Red Deer, the hamlet of Torrington gained attention in 1996 with the opening of one of Canada’s most unusual attractions: the World‑Famous Gopher Hole Museum. Consisting of 47 hand‑crafted dioramas starring stuffed Richardson’s ground squirrels dressed up and mimicking human activities such as curling, hairdressing, and motorbiking, it’s a truly one-of-a-kind attraction.

And while no living (or dead, for that matter) gophers are included in this quirky museum, you can grab great selfies standing next to the 3.6‑meter (12 ft) statue of Clem T. GoFur and the many decorated fire‑hydrants across town that are painted as rodents. While you’re in Torrington, be sure to pop into Pizza 'N' More Eh! For what could well be the best prairie pizza you’ll ever have. And if an overnight stay is on the cards, the Torrington Hotel offers budget rooms and food and beverage options (it’s especially fun on karaoke nights).

Mundare

Mundare is situated less than an hour east of Edmonton and makes for a fun day trip from Alberta’s capital city. This small town’s skyline is dominated by a nearly 13‑meter (42 ft) Ukrainian sausage statue (yes, you heard right!). Said to be the world’s largest sausage, this giant kielbasa was erected in 2001 in honor of Stawnichy’s Meat Processing, a family‑run business that still smokes more than 25,000 links daily. You’ll want to pose for a selfie, then cross the street to Stawnichy’s deli for a kielbasa‑and‑borsch lunch plate.

You can learn more about this quirky community and its Ukrainian roots at the Basilian Fathers Museum, home to a collection of 16th‑century religious books and artefacts including intricate embroidery brought by early settlers from Ukraine. A great time to visit is during the Mundare Agri‑Days celebration in mid-August. Highlights include a Friday‑night sausage‑sizzle (naturally!), traditional Ukrainian dances, and plenty of opportunities to mingle with locals.

Smoky Lake

The small town of Smoky Lake brands itself as the Pumpkin Capital of Alberta, a title that’s hard to dispute. Situated northeast of Edmonton, about midway to the border with Saskatchewan, it’s here that the Great White North Pumpkin Fair & Weigh‑off takes place each October. This quirky event sees pumpkin growers truck in Atlantic Giants weighing up to a whopping 1,700 pounds and vying for the title of largest (and heaviest) pumpkins. In addition to seeing these monsters up close, the event features kids’ gourd carving fun at Pumpkin Park, as well as fairground attractions and games.

Pumpkin Park also sits on the 300‑kilometer (186-mile) Iron Horse Trail, an all‑season rail‑trail route popular with ATVers, snowmobilers, hikers, and cyclists. For a unique overnight stay, consider the Smoky Lake Inn, parts of which date to 1922 and feature a Ukrainian‑Canadian restaurant known for its hand‑rolled cabbage rolls.

Nanton

You’ll know you’ve arrived in Nanton when you spy a pair of sky‑high wooden grain elevators. Built in the 1920s and the last of their kind in Alberta, take a tour of these historic structures at the Canadian Grain Elevator Discovery Centre and learn more about the region’s importance as a grain producer. Across town, the Bomber Command Museum of Canada proudly displays a rare Lancaster bomber from WW2 along with fascinating displays about the impact of bombing raids over Europe during the conflict.

The town has made a name for itself among collectors and shoppers, with the four‑block Nanton Antique District being a big draw. The district is also home to the iconic century‑old Candy Store with its wall of retro sweets and classic old toys. Many visitors are surprised to learn that Alberta has a strong cowboy culture, and Nanton does its part in preserving this old way of life at the Nanton Pro Rodeo. Held in August, this must-see event brings professional Canadian cowboys to the Ag Grounds for barrel racing and other sill-testing activities.

Beaverlodge

Situated very close to the provincial border with British Columbia and the Canadian Rockies, Beaverlodge takes its quirky name from the country’s national animal. This fact is celebrated by its oversized mascot, the 4.5‑meter (15 ft) tall, three-ton Giant Beaver. Sculpted in 2004 using a mix of foam blocks, polyurethane, and plenty of paint, the town’s #1 roadside attraction marks the location of the Beaverlodge Art & Culture Centre, a great place to check out the work of local artists and craft-makers.

If you do visit Beaverlodge, shoot for the first Saturday of September. It’s then that the town puts on its Alberta Culture Days, a program of fun community happenings including a “paint‑by‑numbers” mural on Main Street that visitors can contribute to. Prefer a little outdoor adventure? Just 11 kilometers (seven miles) west of town is Saskatoon Island Provincial Park, a prime spot for spring trumpeter‑swan viewing and winter ice fishing.

The Final Word

Alberta’s smallest towns make much of their quirky side, taking advantage of their unusual names and sometimes strange local lore to create unique experiences travelers will never find in big‑city destinations. From Torrington’s fixation on squirrels and gophers to Smoky Lake’s massive pumpkins, crowd‑weary road‑trippers would do well to “seize the daytrip” and include these quirky-yet-perfect small towns in their Alberta travel plans.