Make your next day trip big! A great way to see Alberta within a day trip from Edmonton is to hit up all the amazing roadside attractions.
Central Alberta has many stops to see, and places to visit, all with their own World’s Largest Item. Some of these are even Guinness World Record Verified.
Throughout your travels, take a moment to appreciate each attraction as a thoughtful and creative work of art. There are many artists to thank for these biggest big things in Alberta. Each monument or structure is a symbol of history or culture in the area. These roadside stops usually have places to picnic or public washrooms. And while you’re in each town, take time to see the rest of it! Try out the local restaurants, cafés, diners, or pubs, or set out to explore the surrounding areas.
Additionally, you may be able to visit more than one of these attractions in a day.
Mundare: World’s Largest Ukrainian Sausage
The town of Mundare is a short drive north from the Trans Canada highway. The town’s fame centres around the Stawnichy Meat Company, which is famous around Alberta for its kielbasa sausage, beef jerky, and Ukrainian delights.
To add to the town’s pride around this successful local business is the World’s Largest Ukrainian Sausage. The massive sausage on main street is across from the Sausage House Restaurant and Deli. The meat market is just around the corner. So, how tall is the World’s Largest Ukrainian Sausage? 12.8m, with stairs leading up to the centre of the link.
- Nearby attractions: Ukraina Park Campground, local art decorating the town, and Elk Island National Park
- Local food (on 50th Street): Mundare Bakery & Lori’s Eats and Treats, Baba’s Bistro & Coffee House, Lotus Garden Family Restaurant, Quality Pizza And Subs
Location: 4916 53 Ave, Mundare (Directions)
Vilna: World’s Largest Mushrooms
Vilna is a small village northeast of Edmonton near Smoky Lake. A trip to Vilna, therefore, is convenient to combine with a trip to the Smoky Lake Pumpkins.
Vilna is famous for its World Largest Mushrooms, which stand at an amazing 6.1m. The imposing structures are made of steel and in a scenic little part of town. The area has mature trees, a park, a playground, and benches for relaxing under the shade of the mushroom caps. But why mushrooms, you may ask: mushrooms grow abundantly in this part of Alberta, which draws in tourists for mushroom hunting.
The town itself is a scenic place to explore with a well-preserved historic main street.
Nearby attractions: Garner Lake Provincial Park, Vilna Golf Course, Bellis Lake Natural Area, Hanmore Lake
Local food: Porky’s Side Street Café, Black Cat’s Cauldron Tea & Herb House
Location: 51 Ave. and 46 St., Vilna (Directions)
Smoky Lake: Pumpkin Park
The town of Smoky Lake, east of Edmonton, celebrate their number one nearby crop in a variety of ways. The most notable way is with the town’s Pumpkin Park and CN Rail Museum.
The park is decorated with large, bright orange pumpkins, which look as if they’re growing right out of the ground. The park is also a scenic picnic site, with seasonal access to the museum. The park is a popular starting point for quadders, dirt bikers, and snowmobilers who are travelling the Iron Horse Trail.
Smoky Lake will celebrate the pumpkins another way in the fall with their annual Great White North Pumpkin Festival. The 2023 Fair takes place over Thanksgiving weekend.
- Nearby attractions: Metis Crossing, Victoria Settlement, Garner Lake Provincial Park, Smoky Lake Corn Maze
- Local food: Betsy’s Burger Shack, Old Fashioned Bread Bakery, Red Chimney Restaurant, Cultural Gathering Centre Restaurant at Metis Crossing
Location: 155-181 W Railway Dr., Smoky Lake (Directions)
Donalda: World’s Largest Oil Lamp
The village of Donalda is about an hour and a half southeast of Edmonton in a scenic part of central Alberta.
The village is set atop what is called the Donalda coulee or valley to the east, with a large stretch of wetlands and farmlands to the west. Central to the village of Donalda is another unique piece which creates more beauty in the local landscape.
Donalda is home to the World’s Largest Oil Lamp (and possibly any type of lamp) and one of the only attractions on this list that you can enter. The Lamp is across the street from the local Museum, who operate the inside of the lamp as part of the museum. Also around the grounds are several picnic benches with valley views.
At night, the lamp is lit, making for an incredible view.
- Nearby attractions: Rochon Sands Provincial Park, Big Knife Provincial Park, Diplomat Mine Interpretive Site, Battle River Train Excursions, Stettler Town and Country Museum
- Local food: Donalda Tavern, Little Europe (Stettler), Hackers Restaurant (Stettler), Yaya’s Treats and Eats (Stettler)
Location: 510 Railway Ave., Donalda (Directions)
Vegreville: Pysanka
If there is one work of art on display in Alberta that most Albertans can recognize, it is the Vegreville Pysanka. The carefully decorated Ukrainian Easter egg was designed by Paul Maxym Sembaliuk.
The monument is made up of over 2000 individual tiles and facets placed on a steel frame. The blend of architecture, math, science, and artistic vision, all went into creating the World’s Largest Pysanka. From afar, the piece of art looks like one solid oval piece. And once in Vegreville’s Pysanka Park, you can recognize the thousands of pieces which go into the structure.
Make your road trip to Vegreville before the snowfall and you can use the towns borrow-a-bike program to more easily explore. The Visitor’s Centre also offer mini golf.
- Nearby attractions: Vegreville Regional Museum, Vegreville Corn Maze
- Local food: Perry’s Pizza & Pasta, Chins, Bamboo Chopsticks, Loco Burro Fresh Mexican Grill, Vegreville Pizza & Donair
Location: 4500 Pysanka Avenue, Vegreville (Directions)
The Sangudo Sundial
Sangudo’s Grain Elevator Sundial makes for a learning experience, a scenic place for a picnic, and a great starting point for exploring the Pembina River Valley.
Sangudo is on Highway 43 and the south banks of the Pembina River. The Sundial is strategically constructed in order to operate as a functional sundial, with the grain elevator acting as the shadow source. Plus, they’ve included a handy guide at the site which helps with correctly reading the sundial.
The picnic area and sundial are surrounded by mature trees, with views of the river valley. To explore the river, head south towards Pembina River Provincial Park and the day use area.
- Nearby attractions: Pembina River Provincial Park (30-minutes south of Sangudo), Thunder Lake Provincial Park (30-minutes north of Sangudo), George Pegg Botanic Garden
- Local food: Rochfort Bridge Trading Post (Highway 43), Crockett House Café (Mayerthorpe), Pizzanapoli (Mayerthorpe)
Location: 50th Street, Sangudo, Lac St. Anne County (Directions)
Andrew: World’s Largest Mallard Duck
There are a lot of big birds who roam Alberta at any given time of year. Central and northern Alberta are home to migrating swans and blue herons, various owl species, and other birds of prey, but, the largest of Alberta’s birds lives in Andrew, about an hour and a half northeast of Edmonton.
Andrew is home to the World’s Largest Mallard Duck, which has an impressive 7.5m wingspan.
- Nearby attractions: museum and train station, Centennial Park Flower Gardens, shop at the Saturday Farmer’s Market, Babas and Borsch Ukrainian Festival, Ukrainian Village
- Local food: Andrews Original Pizza & Pasta, Andrew Hotel’s Unwind Bar & Grill
Location: 50 St. and 50 Ave., Andrew (Directions)
Fort Assiniboine: World’s Largest Wagon Wheel & Pickaxe
The Athabasca River runs through the central part of Woodlands County and up north a bit to Fort Assiniboine. The river and the town are both rich in history involving the early 1900s fur trade and gold mining industries. So, while it might seem random at first to new visitors seeing The World’s Largest Wagon Wheel and Pickaxe, the monuments make more sense with the more you learn about Fort Assiniboine.
- Nearby attractions: Holmes Crossing Sandhills Ecological Reserve, Fort Assiniboine Sandhills Wildland, Geographic Centre of Alberta and Natural Area
- Local food: Little Ranch Café, Prairie Chef Restaurant (Barrhead), Reid’s Kitchen (Barrhead), Laura’s Steakhouse (Barrhead)
Location: Sec. Highway 661, Woodlands County (Directions)
Elk Point: Peter Fidler Statue
Elk Point in eastern Alberta is home to an enormous roadside attraction which is also an impressive work of art.
The 9.8m Peter Fidler Statue on the edge of town is a wood sculpture which was carved using chainsaws. The carving was completed by Herman Poulin with the help of designs from Billie Milholland and Bill Doty (all three are local to the area).
This statue commemorates the importance of the fur trade in the riverside town’s economic development. You can take as much time as you like to marvel at Mr. Fidler as the area has parking and picnic areas.
- Nearby attractions: Whitney Lakes Provincial Park, more local art around Elk Point, Iron Horse Trail
- Local food (all in Elk Point): Magic Pizza, Rollie’s Burger Bar, Taste Buds Restaurant, Empress Family Restaurant, Wally’s Pub & Restaurant
Location: Peace Park off of Highway AB-41 (Directions)
Lacombe: World’s Largest Fishing Lure
If you want to check out Lacombe’s claim to fame for roadside attractions this fall, plan your day trip around the town’s annual Culture & Harvest Festival. Additionally, Lacombe is surrounded by several large parks that are great for fall hiking. But if you want to see something big in Lacombe to add to your photo albums, stop by the World’s Largest Fishing Lure.
The roadside stop is hard to miss with the lure’s vibrant yellow and red colours. This is one of Alberta’s newest additions to the list of roadside attractions. Len Thompson, a local fishing shop, erected the lure in 2019 to beat out the current Guiness World Record Holders for the title.
Nearby attractions: Aspen Beach Provincial Park, Lacombe Blacksmith Shop Museum, Kuhnen Natural Area, JJ Collett Natural Area
Local food (all in Lacombe): ONA Cafe + Bakery, Leto’s Steakhouse & Bar, Lacombe Bar and Steakhouse, Cilantro and Chive, Brunch Glory
Location: Len Thompson Dr, Lacombe (Directions)