Chances are your summer road trip will feature many roadside attractions begging to steal your time (and tourist dollars). There will be go-karts, fruit stands, water slides and small town theme parks along your route, but save yourself the money and skip 'em. The kids will whine as you pass them, but there's something better along the way.
There's the largest fly fishing rod in the world in Houston, BC. There's the largest purple spoon in the world in East Glacier, Montana. There's the world's largest Easter egg in Vegreville, Alberta. There's the world's largest fire hydrant in Elm Creek, Manitoba. There's the world's largest muskoka chair in Gravenhurst, Ontario. You get the idea, here's the rest of the Canadian list.
These roadside attractions are kitschy and cheesy to be sure - but guess what? They're free, they only eat up a few minutes of your itinerary, they're a photo op and they'll do exactly what your family needs to do in the midst of a long 6-hour driving day - take a break, laugh and loosen up.
Our roadside attraction was the biggest truck in the world in Sparwood, BC - the perfect 10-minute diversion for two boys under 4, and enough of a pause to have them sit still for the next 3 hours of the ride home after a long weekend in the mountains.
Can your afternoon riding go-karts do that?
"
Printer-friendly version