Manitoba roadside attractions: Winnipeg to Riding Mountain
To people who say driving through the Prairies is boring, we say it’s time to get off the Trans-Canada Highway. In among the beautiful simplicity of Manitoba’s flat landscapes and roads that go to the horizon, there are friendly small towns and villages waiting to be discovered. And within those, you’ll find plenty of fascinating Manitoba roadside attractions.
From the World’s Largest Coca-Cola Can to entire buildings made of glass bottles and everything in between, Manitoba is packed with roadside attractions designed to get you out of your car and exploring local communities. Here, we’ve detailed a driving route that includes 18 roadside attractions in Manitoba, from Winnipeg to Riding Mountain National Park.
We extend our thanks to the Manitoba Historical Society, whose thorough archives allowed us to add greater historical context to this article. Have questions about planning your road trip to see Manitoba roadside attractions? Join our Facebook community!
Presented in partnership with Travel Manitoba
Manitoba roadside attractions: What to know before you go
Most travellers driving from Winnipeg to Riding Mountain National Park use the Trans-Canada Highway (Manitoba Highway 1) and Manitoba Highway 10. But if you’d like to get off the main route and explore Manitoba in more detail, check out these alternatives.
We’re presenting this loop as two separate routes. The first approaches Riding Mountain National Park from the east and loops around to its north gate, with stops at multiple roadside attractions along the way. The second route mainly follows Manitoba Highway 2, a section of the 1,300-kilometre Red Coat Trail that runs roughly parallel to the Trans-Canada Highway across the Prairies. We’ll focus on the Manitoba section here, from Souris directly south of Riding Mountain National Park to Winnipeg.
If you’re starting and ending in Winnipeg and going to Riding Mountain National Park, combining these routes into a loop is a great way to explore smaller towns and villages away from the Trans-Canada. If you’re passing through Manitoba on a cross-country trip, consider one or both of these routes — especially the Red Coat Trail — as an alternative to Highway 1 as you make your way across the province.
Plan your visit with these things to do in Riding Mountain National Park >
Take the scenic route from Winnipeg to Riding Mountain National Park
When you’re heading from Winnipeg to Riding Mountain National Park, you’ll see much more of Manitoba if you take this longer route that loops around the park’s east side and approach it from the north. Here’s a look at what you’ll encounter along the way.
Start in Winnipeg, Manitoba’s historic meeting place
Where the Assiniboine River and the Red River meet, people have been gathering for thousands of years. Winnipeg remains a meeting place on the Prairies today, and the point where these two rivers converge is still an important centrepiece today for Manitoba’s largest city.
Before you set out from Winnipeg, take some time to explore The Forks, part of which is a national historic site in recognition of this long history. Reflect at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, see Arctic wildlife at the Assiniboine Park Zoo’s Journey to Churchill exhibit, gaze at Canada’s tallest indoor waterfall at The Leaf, and dive into Winnipeg’s food scene. And those ideas are only a start!
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Explore Island Park and roadside attractions in Portage la Prairie
For the first hour on the road after you depart Winnipeg, the Trans-Canada Highway is the most direct and logical route until you reach Portage la Prairie. Here, you’ll find four roadside attractions to check out, as well as a beautiful city park to explore.
📌 World’s Largest Coca-Cola Can (Portage la Prairie, MB)
The World’s Largest Coca-Cola Can is located on Highway 1A, the main route through Portage la Prairie, behind the Canad Inn. This 26-metre (85-foot) giant can was originally a water tower built by Manitoba Iron Works Limited in Winnipeg in 1905. The structure was moved to its current site more than 30 years ago and painted with its current Coca-Cola motif. Reportedly, The Coca-Cola Company had nothing to do with it: this was an entirely local initiative that resulted in one of Manitoba’s most prominent roadside attractions.
📌 Portage la Prairie Windmill (Portage la Prairie, MB)
This Dutch-style windmill is a roadside attraction on the eastern side of Island Park, a beautiful and expansive park in the centre of Crescent Lake in Portage la Prairie. The project was commissioned in the 1950s by the city’s large population of post-World War II Dutch immigrants as a show of appreciation for their new home. The wings could spin when the windmill was first built, but they’ve since been made static to preserve the structure.
Island Park is fully contained within Crescent Lake. This interesting body of water is called an oxbow lake. It used to be a section of the Assiniboine River, but it was cut off from the river over time and is a standalone lake today.
At Island Park, you’ll also find a Royal Canadian Air Force CT-133 Silver Star placed here to honour CFB Portage la Prairie, plus a water park, a 9-hole disc golf course, extensive gardens, a bandshell, tennis courts, picnic areas, and a large playground. If you’re looking for somewhere to let your kids stretch their legs as you road trip across Manitoba, Island Park is a great place to stop.
📌 Canada’s Largest Great Grey Owl (Portage la Prairie, MB)
Originally commissioned as an art piece honouring Manitoba’s provincial bird, Canada’s Largest Great Grey Owl measures almost 4 metres (13 feet) in height. It’s constructed from nearly 6,000 pieces of welded steel, and it weighs 970 kilograms (2,140 pounds)! Find it on the lawn at 27 Pine Crescent at the southwest end of Crescent Lake.
📌 Long Plain First Nation’s Golden Eagle (Portage la Prairie, MB)
We spotted this sculpture from the road but weren’t sure we were welcome to stop in, so we passed it by. We’ve since learned Long Plain First Nation openly invites visitors to view its beautiful 3.5-metre (12-foot) golden eagle perched atop a 26-metre (85-foot) tree. It stands outside a former residential school for Indigenous children, which is a museum today preserving this dark aspect of Canada’s past. The Golden Eagle was erected as a tribute to survivors of Canada’s Indigenous residential school system. It looks to the east to symbolize welcoming each new day.
Northbound toward Riding Mountain National Park
Briefly rejoin the Trans-Canada Highway westbound until its junction with Highway 16, also known as the Yellowhead Highway. This secondary section of the Trans-Canada branches to the north and eventually reaches Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Edmonton, Alberta, Jasper National Park, Prince Rupert, British Columbia, and the islands of Haida Gwaii.
You’ll find two roadside attractions along Highway 16 before you turn north to skirt around Riding Mountain National Park.
📌 Happy Rock (Gladstone, MB)
As you approach the community of Gladstone, you’ll spot Happy Rock. He’s 11 metres (36 feet) tall, and his fibreglass construction weighs roughly 1,400 kilograms (3,000 pounds). Happy Rock made his official debut on July 1, 1993, and his play-on-words name is also a nickname for Gladstone itself. You can’t miss his top hat and friendly wave as you’re driving along Highway 16.
📌 World’s Largest Crocus (Arden, MB)
At the second major intersection west of Gladstone, Manitoba Provincial Road 352, turn northbound and continue for roughly 6 kilometres to reach the village of Arden. The World’s Largest Crocus is not a crocus from the iris family as you may have in your garden at home. Instead, this statue depicts a prairie crocus, also known as a pasqueflower. It’s the official flower of Manitoba, and Arden is known for being blanketed with its tiny purple blooms early each spring. This 3-metre (10-foot) crocus sculpture was dedicated by the village in 2001.
If you’re following this unconventional route to Riding Mountain National Park, you’ll return to Highway 16 and then turn north onto Manitoba Highway 5 in Neepawa. If you’re passing through Manitoba and continuing on along the Yellowhead Highway to the west, you’ll come across another roadside attraction in Minnedosa, the Canvasback Duck. You can read more about that in the next section below.
Lunch idea: The Farmer’s Daughter in Kelwood
If you left from Winnipeg in the morning, right about here is likely when you’ll be ready to stop for lunch. If so, check out The Barn in Kelwood. It’s right next to Highway 5 and easy to spot if you know what you’re looking for, but it’s not well-signed. Look for it at the corner of Stewart Avenue, the main road into the Kelwood community.
The Barn has a gas station and a convenience store. A café at the back of the barn called The Farmer’s Daughter serves up burgers, chicken tenders, pizza, salads, and more. It’s good, honest food made by great people!
📌 Riding Mountain National Park East Gate (Norgate, MB)
This isn’t a roadside attraction in the traditional sense, but it’s one of the main reasons people choose to drive up this way, so we think it counts!
As you continue northbound on Highway 5, turn to the west at the junction with Manitoba Highway 19. Follow this for 5 kilometres to reach Riding Mountain National Park’s East Gate (or, more formally, Riding Mountain Park East Gate Registration Complex National Historic Site). This structure is the only 1930s-era national park gate still standing anywhere in Canada! The Rustic Tudor style it reflects was very common in national parks during that time period.
From here, you can connect to the park’s extensive network of trails along the Manitoba Escarpment, or you can continue westbound along Highway 19 to reach the park townsite of Wasagaming. Note that Highway 19 is unpaved and has some steep sections with somewhat tight turns, so it’s not recommended for underpowered vehicles or long trailers. Don’t miss the East Escarpment Lookout, located roughly 4 kilometres west of East Gate on the north side of Highway 19.
📌 Alpine Archie (McCreary, MB)
If you choose to continue around the park instead of heading into it here, return to Highway 5 and turn left. The next major settlement is McCreary, home of Alpine Archie. Mount Agassiz Ski Resort, which used to be nearby in Riding Mountain National Park but is now defunct, hosted the alpine events for the Canada Winter Games in 1979. Archie was created in 1978 to welcome its participants.
While Alpine Archie still welcomes visitors to McCreary today, by the time you see him from the highway you’ve already passed the quickest way to get to him. To avoid driving all the way through town, watch for Burrows Road and make a right turn, then immediately turn left onto Mountainview Drive. You’ll spot him at the corner of Beverley Avenue.
Dauphin and the Riding Mountain National Park North Gate
From McCreary, Highway 5 continues northbound and then curves to the west approximately halfway. It’s roughly an 80-kilometre drive to the city of Dauphin.
Dauphin is a great place to stop for gas or supplies. We’ve also heard good things about Obsolete Brewing Company, Dauphin’s only craft brewery with 20 taps showcasing their latest creations, though we haven’t stopped in.
South of Dauphin, Manitoba Highway 10 heads south through Riding Mountain National Park. Before you reach the park gate, there are a couple of spots worth exploring.
Selo Ukraina Ukrainian Heritage Village
Tens of thousands of Ukrainians immigrated to Canada in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Many of them settled across the Prairies, including Manitoba. The Ukrainian Heritage Village, also known as Selo Ukraina, preserves the history of this community’s century-plus presence in the province. It also hosts Canada’s annual National Ukrainian Festival each August.
A group of historic structures with link to Ukrainian Canadians has been relocated here and preserved as a village for visitors to walk through. It includes a church, a general store, a schoolhouse, a shoemaker’s shop, a blacksmith, several heritage homes, historically accurate farming equipment, and a former dance hall that now serves as the Ukrainian Musicians’ Hall of Fame.
Northgate Trails
Just north of the Riding Mountain National Park boundary on Highway 10, you’ll find the Northgate Trails multi-use trail system. Here, 26 kilometres of trails can be used by mountain bikers, hikers, and trail runners. There’s also an approachable family trail. Visitors can arrange to rent bikes in advance by contacting the Dauphin Derailleurs Cycle Club. We haven’t hit these trails yet, but we’ll update this section once we do!
Continue southbound on Highway 10 to enter Riding Mountain National Park through the north gate. The drive through the park to the townsite of Wasagaming is just over 50 kilometres. Watch closely: it’s very common to spot wildlife along this stretch of Highway 10! If you stop to view wildlife, please remember to pull over safely, stay in your vehicle, and remain at a distance.
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Driving the Red Coat Trail from Riding Mountain National Park to Winnipeg
The Red Coat Trail is a 1,300-kilometre route from Winnipeg through Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. It roughly follows the path taken by the North-West Mounted Police during their initial march west in 1874. Today, it’s a quieter way to pass through Prairie towns and villages, and the Manitoba section is a hotspot for roadside attractions. It makes a great alternative to the Trans-Canada Highway.
If you’re starting from Winnipeg, begin at the bottom of this section and work your way up. If you’re entering Manitoba on the Trans-Canada Highway from the west and want to join this route, we recommend turning south at Manitoba Highway 21 and then east onto Manitoba Highway 2 just west of Souris, where you can start following the route below. If you’re following our loop through Riding Mountain National Park, read on to get all the details.
Southbound from Riding Mountain National Park
As you leave Riding Mountain National Park southbound along Highway 10, you’ll encounter several more roadside attractions as you approach the Trans-Canada Highway.
📌 Onanole Elk (Onanole, MB)
Onanole is the first community you’ll come across after you exit Riding Mountain National Park through its south gate. Standing proudly on the west side of Highway 10, the Onanole Elk is roughly 4.5 metres (15 feet) tall and is posed as though he’s in the middle of a bugle, the call bull elks make while rutting.
While you’re in Onanole, stop in at Poor Michael’s Emporium. This fascinating shop is packed with second-hand books, records, eclectic clothing, and a fantastic café with a patio.
📌 Erickson Viking Ship (Erickson, MB)
When you reach Erickson, turn onto Main Street from Highway 10 and follow it to the end to reach the Viking Ship. At roughly 5 metres (16 feet) in length, it’s large enough for a group to climb into for photos! Just behind the ship, a section of the Trans-Canada Trail passes through the community.
While the Viking Ship is a fun play on Erickson’s name, there’s no evidence of any Norwegian connection. The original village was named after its first postmaster, E. Albert Erickson.
📌 Canvasback Duck (Minnedosa, MB)
Minnedosa’s Canvasback Duck is located next to a rest stop at the northwest corner of Highways 10 and 16, which both bypass the town to the west. Perched nearly 5 metres (16 feet) in the air, this duck reminds us that canvasbacks and other waterfowl frequent this area’s many potholes, small water-filled depressions left behind by glaciers after the ice age.
Highway 10 continues south through Brandon. If you’re following this route, we recommend taking Highway 10 to Manitoba Highway 2. Make a turn westbound and head toward the community of Souris. (Fun fact: You’ll cross the 100th meridian shortly after you turn onto Highway 2. This is a great time to blast At the Hundredth Meridian by the Tragically Hip if you’re so inclined. We certainly did!)
Souris puts the “friendly” in Friendly Manitoba
The small community of Souris, located on the Manitoba section of the Red Coat Trail, has far more to explore than its size suggests!
The Souris Swinging Bridge is a perennial attraction. The original version was built in 1904 and rebuilt in 1976 after flooding on the Souris River. Those versions, we’re told by locals, were quite rickety and required visitors to work up a bit of nerve to get across. The latest iteration, which was completed in 2013, has a much more solid construction. It was extended to be 184 metres long, allowing it to reclaim the title of Canada’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge.
At the south end of the community, Victoria Park stands as one of the oldest parks in Canada. Within its 50 acres you’ll find hiking trails that lead to a lookout tower and a pair of oak trees believed to be more than 400 years old! Victoria Park Campground with its pool and slide were bustling during our visit. You may even see a peacock wandering around the park!
We stopped for lunch at the Antlers and Oak Diner, which serves classic sandwiches, burgers, salads and homemade pie to enjoy on the sunny patio. The Woodfire Deli is another popular lunch spot among locals.
You’ll find a pair of museums to explore in town, the Souris Railway Museum and the Hillcrest Museum. And there are two more roadside attractions to check out in Souris before you hit the road.
📌 Souris Peacock (Souris, MB)
Peacocks roam free in the Manitoba community of Souris, and this beautiful sculpture pays homage to them at the eastern entrance to Victoria Park on First Street. This 4-metre (13.5-foot) stainless steel peacock is a relatively new addition, revealed to the public in 2022. Take a close look where the statue meets the ground: the peacock’s colourful tail is made of flowers!
📌 Souris Moose (Souris, MB)
Between the Souris Railway Museum and The Plum, the community’s oldest public building, a bull moose stands ready to charge. The placard next to it says the name of this artwork is “Home Away from Home.”
Eastbound on the Red Coat Trail
As you leave Souris bound for Winnipeg, you’ll follow Manitoba Highway 2 until it meets Highway 10. Here, both highways run together for about 4 kilometres until Highway 2 breaks off again and continues east. Make that turn to follow the Red Coat Trail through a string of southern Manitoba communities, many of which have roadside attractions of their own.
📌 Sara the Camel (Glenboro, MB)
Sara the Camel has greeted visitors to Glenboro since 1978. She’s more than 5 metres (roughly 17 feet) tall and weighs more than 900 kilograms (2,000 pounds)! Sara stands here to represent the Spirit Sands, a desert area in nearby Spruce Woods Provincial Park.
📌 Holland Windmill (Holland, MB)
The small community of Holland got its name from its founders, Arthur and Elizabeth Holland, whose homestead site is commemorated with a plaque off Highway 2. But the town riffs on its name with this huge windmill roadside attraction, standing nearly 13 metres (42 feet) high. Come for the windmill, stay for the Puttin’ on the Prairies Mini-Golf!
📌 Glass Bottle Houses (Treherne, MB)
This roadside attraction is unconventional, yet it’s quaint and fascinating. Back in the 1980s, a local couple named Bob and Dora Cain constructed a series of buildings out of thousands of glass bottles, many of which were donated by their neighbours.
The structures remained at their farm for many years. When the Cains passed away, their family members donated them to the community. Today, the glass house, church, wishing well — and yes, even a glass bottle shed with a functional restroom — can be found at the northwest corner of Alexander Street and Railway Avenue.
We missed the Second Chance Car Museum when we went through Treherne, but it gets excellent reviews. (That’s a huge oversight on our part, but it gives us a great excuse to go back!)
If you’re looking for a bite to eat before you leave town, check out L&J’s Drive Inn. This classic snack bar counter is a favourite among Manitobans on road trips along Highway 2. It has burgers, fries, ice cream, and much more, and the staff can even accommodate dietary restrictions. We took advantage of gluten-free fries, a gluten-free ice cream cone, and dairy-free ice cream during our visit. What a treat!
📌 Canada’s Largest Smoking Pipe (Saint-Claude, MB)
The community of Saint-Claude, Manitoba, gets its name from Saint-Claude, France, where making smoking pipes was the primary industry when early French immigrants arrived here in 1892. There’s some debate over whether the 5.8-metre (19-foot) smoking pipe in Saint-Claude is the world’s largest. A similar monument in Minnesota called the World’s Largest Peace Pipe is 9 metres (30 feet) long. But there’s no disputing that Saint-Claude’s homage to this area’s French settlers is Canada’s Largest Smoking Pipe!
📌 Canada’s Largest Fire Hydrant (Elm Creek, MB)
The final roadside attraction on Highway 2 as you approach Winnipeg is Canada’s Largest Fire Hydrant in Elm Creek, Manitoba. Standing just shy of 9 metres (30 feet) tall, this behemoth was built over seven months by volunteer firefighters. It’s the second-largest fire hydrant in the world after the nearly 12-metre tall hydrant in Columbia, South Carolina. The best part about Elm Creek’s gigantic fire hydrant is the standard version right beside it, which looks tiny in comparison.
Did we miss any of your favourite roadside attractions in southern Manitoba? Let us know where to find them in the comments!
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