Trifter

Canada is one of the more beautiful places on the planet to visit and why wouldn’t it be with all the history and unique sites to see.

I was lucky enough to get a chance at age 16 to cross Canada with a friend which was really amazing at the time. I was too young to appreciate it but soon after decided I would take the same trip only this time stop at famous landmarks in each province since I love Canadian history.

So I came up with this list of the oldest and some of the best known Canadian landmarks across Canada which I am planning to see on my next trip. There’s one landmark for each of the 10 provinces. Enjoy…

Empress Hotel, British Columbia

This is the beautiful Empress Hotel which was built and opened to the public in 1908 and has been a Canadian landmark for over 100 years. The amazing hotel was designed by Francis Rattenbury when he was only 25 years old. The hotel has 477 rooms most that overlooking the inner harbor, a rear courtyard gardens which itself is famous for its beauty, indoor swimming pool and not to mention the also famous crystal ballroom.

In recent years the hotel had been restored back to its original condition in which it was when royalty and celebrities used to stay there back in the day. This amazing landmark is also known as one of Canada’s grandest hotels and after you visit it, you will see why.

West Edmonton Mall, Edmonton Alberta

At the time of construction and opening the West Edmonton Mall was the world’s largest mall until 2004. It officially opened September 15, 1981 and since then has been expanded 3 times constantly adding more attractions. Some of the malls attractions are World Water Park, Sea Life Caverns, Ice Palace, Movie Theatres, Petting Zoo and even a mini roller coaster. The mall even contains dance clubs and casinos as well as a shooting range. It literally had everything a person could think of at one time. In 1998, the mall had owned more submarines then the Canadian Navy and the gross area of the mall is bigger then that of the Vatican City. This is one of the more famous Canadian landmarks.

Casino Regina, Regina Saskatchewan

I like a little bit of risk in my life so its only natural I would be somewhat of a gambler and this is the casino I would like to play at.

This casino first started out as “Union Station” back in 1911. It stayed as a train station for many years and was eventually left unoccupied and abandoned. Regina had already in previous years marked the old train station as a historical site since it played such a big part in Regina’s growth over the decades. The buildings state grew worst over the years until in 1996 when Casino Regina opened the train station again only this time as a casino ensuring it remains a part of Canadian history for years to come. This casino offers regular scheduled tours of the historic site for all to see.

Eternal Youth Statue, Winnipeg Manitoba

This is the “Eternal Youth” statue that sits on top of a dome located on the Manitoba Legislative Building. The statue is probably best known as “Golden Boy” to the residents of Manitoba. The statue has an amazing story that caught my attention while researching another article and with this became a site I wanted to see in person.

The statue was bought back in 1918 from France and was placed in a cargo hold of a ship for transport back to Canada. During the statues trip back to Canada, the ship carrying the statue was called to duty and spent all of World War 1 traveling back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean.

The Statue finally reached the roof top of the Legislative Building on November 1, 1919 where it sat for 89 years before being taken down in August 2004 when the statue was re-gilded with 24.75 carat gold leaf. It was then placed back in its spot on September 5, 2002 where it stands to this day.

For those who are wondering the statue was modeled after a 16 th century Roman god of trade, profit and commerce.

CN Tower, Toronto Ontario

No introduction needed here because almost everyone on the entire planet known’s or heard about the CN Tower one of Canada’s most popular tourist attractions and landmarks.

This impressive structures construction started in 1973 and was paid for by Canadian National Railway Company to help boost Toronto’s status and tourism. The tower was finished and opened to the general public on April 2, 1975 and became known as the world’s tallest free standing structure for 31 years until Sept 12, 2007 when another tower in Taiwan beat the record but the CN Tower is still the tallest free standing building in the Americas.

In 1995, the tower was declared as one of the modern “Seven Wonders of the World” by the America Society of Civil Engineers and still attracts millions of curious visitors from all over the world.

The tower stands 181 stories or 1,112 feet and once at the top the floors are see through glass showing you how far down it go’s. Great attraction and highly recommended if ever visiting Canada.

Chateau Frontenac, Quebec City

I am not a huge fan of Quebec mainly because I don’t understand the language but I love historic buildings and the Chateau Frontenac is absolutely one building I would love to see and explore.

Like many of the grand historic hotels in Canada, this one was built by the Canadian Pacific Railway and opened to the public 1893. The hotel was built mainly to host royalty that was visiting Canada and the rich.

Also like many other remaining grand hotels in Canada, this one was restored to its form glory years back. This hotel is the most prominent feature of Quebec City’s skyline and is considered a symbol of the city.

The Chateau Frontenac was sold to “Legacy Hotels” on October 31, 2000 for the sum of $185 million. Tours can be taken of this exceptional building and is still operating as a hotel to this day.

Magnetic Hill, Moncton New Brunswick

Although Magnetic Hill is not a building or appealing to the eye but never the less it’s still a Canadian historical landmark which hundreds of people come from all over to experience.

The big attraction with the hill is, if you park your car on the slope of the hill and put the vehicle in neutral it will appear to slowly roll up the hill on its own. Scientist in the 50’s conducted experiments and came to the conclusion even though it appears and feeling your rolling up hill, its actual an illusion and your rolling down a hill. Strange!

Old Town Clock, Halifax Nova Scotia

This old clock maybe one of Canada’s oldest running clocks. It was commissioned by Prince Edward in 1803 and was placed in spot on October 20, 1803 where it stands today.

The old clock tower has had poems written about it and is considered to be one of Halifax’s most recognized landmarks. The clock has kept time since the day it was started and has served the residents of Halifax for 208 years.

Cabot Tower, St. Johns Newfoundland

This is Cabot Tower in Newfoundland which was built in 1897 to commemorate the 400 th anniversary of John Cabot’s discovery of Newfoundland.

The tower has had a few rolls in Canadian history with also being the spot in which the first wireless transatlantic transmissions of human voice were made in 1920. It’s also associated with Nobel Prize winner Guglielmo Marconi.

The building has since been classified as a Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations. This is also one of two towers that were built in the name of John Cabot.

The tower can be seen today and is currently now the centre of Signal Hill National Historic Park.

Confederation Bridge, Prince Edward Island

Although this bridge is not as old as other landmarks I have written about it is still one of Canada’s best known landmarks and if you ask me an engineering marvel.

The famous bridge that connects Prince Edward Island to the main land of New Brunswick was officially opened to the public on May 31, 1997. The total cost of the construction of the bridge was estimated to be around $1 billion. It’s an amazing site and a great Canadian landmark.

So this is the 10 historical sites from West Coast right to the East Coast of Canada which any visitor to the country should check out.