Canada may not have Roman ruins or a huge store of centuries-old buildings, but not everything in the country is shiny and new. These buildings, natural wonders, Indigenous artefacts and other attractions have some years on them, telling important stories about Canada’s complex and fascinating history.
Read on to discover Canada's most beautiful historic places...
The 'old' district of Quebec City is so distinctive that it’s been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This part of the city was settled by French explorer Samuel de Champlain in the early 1600s and is known as the only fortified city north of Mexico. Today the area is renowned for its charming European-style architecture, unique shopping experiences and close proximity to the historic Plains of Abraham battle site.
Arguably the most beloved character in Canadian literature, L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables is Prince Edward Island’s most popular fictional resident. The centre of Anne tourism is Green Gables Heritage Place, the house that inspired Montgomery’s 1908 novel. The 1930s farmhouse was originally owned by cousins of Montgomery, who she would visit as a child, dreaming up the stories that would fill her books.
This National Historic Site on Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Island was settled as a fishing village by the French in the early 1700s, but it soon became a fortress named after King Louis XIV. The fortress saw a fair bit of military action, changing hands between the British and the French as they fought over Canadian territory. The current fortress (which has been rebuilt over the years) also features an interpretive centre that honours Cape Breton’s Mi'kmaq community.
Situated in the southern part of Alberta, near the American border, Writing-on-Stone boasts ancient otherworldly hoodoo formations and artefacts from the ancestors of the Blackfoot people that date back more than 4,000 years. The park gets its name from the art etched on the rocks, left by communities that camped in the area while hunting for bison or gathering berries. More than 80 archaeological sites have been found in the park, including tipi rings and buried camps.
Now operating as a living museum, the Fort Langley site (which is in a friendly town also called Fort Langley) features the reconstructed remnants of a Hudson’s Bay trading post that was first built in the early 1800s. Surrounded by rustic palisades, a series of buildings illustrate stories of the fur trade between British settlers and the Sto:lo First Nation, whose people originally inhabited the lands around the lush Fraser River valley.
One of Canada's most recognisable landmarks, Parliament Hill is a striking example of Gothic Revival architecture. In 1858, Ottawa was chosen as the national capital by Queen Victoria because of its position far from the American border and also its direct proximity to Quebec, which is just across the Ottawa River. Construction on the buildings themselves started in 1859 and they are currently undergoing a major refurbishment that will stretch until at least 2028.
A star-shaped fortress that sits on a hill overlooking downtown, the Halifax Citadel dates back to 1749 when the city that is now Halifax saw its first European settlers. Fort George, the fort that currently sits on the site, was built in 1856. The distinctive star shape is actually fairly typical for British-built forts of the era, as it gave the cannons and muskets stationed at the walls and ditches more angles to fire from.
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This famous Metis settlement on the South Saskatchewan River was established in 1872 by Xavier Letendre, whose nickname was 'Batoche'. Now a National Historic Site, the land is best known as the location of the Battle of Batoche, a four-day conflict that was part of the Metis’ failed North West Resistance led by Louis Riel. As a National Historic Site, Batoche serves to teach visitors about Metis history with buildings like a farmhouse and the community church still standing.
The last remaining covered bridge in Ontario, this charming structure in the town of West Montrose (near Waterloo) was built over the Grand River in 1881. It’s nicknamed 'the kissing bridge,' because those travelling by horse and buggy could enjoy a private kiss while trotting down its 198-foot (60m) span. It’s still used by pedestrians and light vehicles, including the occasional horse and buggy.
Also known by the English name Ninstints, SG̱ang Gwaay Llnagaay is the site of a former Haida village on a small island off BC’s West Coast. The UNESCO World Heritage Site includes the remains of cedar log houses, which were occupied by the Haida people up until the early 19th century, as well as a series of awe-inspiring carved memorial or mortuary poles. The village is regarded as one of the greatest artefacts of precolonial Haida life and culture.
Fort Henry’s location is both dramatic and strategic: it sits on Point Henry on the east side of Kingston, where it looked over what was a major shipping route between Montreal and Ottawa in the 1800s. The current fort was completed in 1837 and was actively used in one way or another until the end of the First World War, after which it fell into disrepair. It was reconstructed in the 1930s and is now used as a military museum and the home of the marching Fort Henry Guard.
The entire town of Dawson City is a historic attraction. As the centre of the Klondike Gold Rush, Dawson City is full of old-time charm, known for its wood facade buildings, many of which have been preserved by Parks Canada. While the town’s gold-rush history stretches back to 1896, the area is also home to the Tr’ondek Hwech’in First Nation, which continues to have a significant cultural presence in Yukon.
Before downtown Winnipeg existed, Upper Fort Garry stood at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers as a Hudson’s Bay trading post. The fort was first built in 1822 and was destroyed and rebuilt multiple times before finally being torn down in the 1880s to make room for the city of Winnipeg. Today the only part of the fort that remains is the Governor’s Gate, which sits in a heritage park on the original fort’s footprint.
St. Paul’s has the distinction of not only being the oldest standing building in Halifax, but also the oldest Anglican church in Canada. Built in 1750, the white wooden church was designed by James Gibb, who based his plans on St. Peter’s Church in London. It sits on the south end of Halifax’s Grand Parade and even managed to survive the 1917 Halifax Explosion, which lodged a window frame from a nearby building into the church’s wall.
The city of Hamilton is known for its steel factories, but it is also home to this fancy, 40-room, Italianate-style villa that was constructed in the 1830s. Dundurn Castle was originally built as a private home for lawyer, politician and business tycoon Sir Allan Napier MacNab, the third-great grandfather of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. The house is now maintained as a National Historic Site and museum.
The Val-Jalbert Ghost Town offers a peek into life in an early 1900s Quebecois 'company town' that housed workers employed by a nearby pulp mill. While the town was founded around the turn of the century, it was particularly roaring in the 1920s, when it had the benefit of running water and electricity well before the rest of rural Quebec. The mill closed in the late Twenties, leaving the town deserted. Today about 40 of the original buildings still stand as a living museum.
Province House has housed PEI’s legislative assembly since 1847. Perhaps more importantly, the building was widely credited as the birthplace of the Canadian Confederation after it hosted the 1864 Charlottetown Conference. While it still operates as a government building, Province House is also a National Historic Site, one of only three legislative buildings in the country to hold that distinction.
This pristine stone mill in rural Ontario offers a glimpse of the 1800s milling industry. Built in 1810, it’s the oldest surviving gristmill in Ontario. The beautifully constructed stone building has an adjacent dam, making for one of the most idyllic-looking sites in the province. In 1963 the mill’s owner passed it on to a society that has since maintained the structure and now operates it as a museum. It's still used to grind flour, which is sold in the gift shop.
The Rocky Mountains of Banff National Park are somewhere around 80 million years old and First Nations peoples have been using the lands in the Bow Valley for over 10,000 years – but the park itself is also 'old' by Canadian standards. The first in Canada’s beloved national park system, Banff was established in 1885 and is full of historical sites and buildings. Even the regal Banff Springs Hotel has been in operation since 1888.
There is some debate as to what city can claim to be the oldest in North America, but the capital of Newfoundland and Labrador has a decent argument going for it. Explorers sailed to what is now St. John's in the early 1500s at the latest and it became a popular landing spot due to its eastern location. The city is an attraction unto itself thanks to the colourful buildings, beautiful waterfront, history as a port and famous Newfoundland hospitality.
Eastern BC’s Columbia Valley is full of ancient hot springs, some of which are commercialised and many of which remain in their natural state. The people of the Ktunaxa and Shuswap First Nations were the first to swim in these naturally warm waters, but the earliest recorded settler to visit came in 1841. The concrete commercial hot pool in Radium first opened in 1914 and the current structure has been there since 1951.
Originally built in 1793, Fort York is the foundation of modern-day Toronto. The fort was built on Toronto Harbour as a means of warding off American forces. It was the site of some fairly bloody battles and was burnt down by the American army in 1813, only to be rebuilt the next year. Fort York operated as a military facility until after the Second World War and is now an expansive museum site operated by the City of Toronto.
It wasn’t too long ago that wooden grain elevators stood tall over farming communities throughout the prairies, but these days most of the iconic wooden elevators have been replaced by more modern grain storage structures. A rare grouping of gleaming white wooden elevators that date back to 1922 still stand in the small town of Inglis and are accessible to visitors who wish to take a self-guided walking tour.
Sitting on the most eastern point in all of North America, the Cape Spear Lighthouse started guiding ships towards a safe landing in Newfoundland in 1836. Generations of the Cantwell family operated the lighthouse for 150 years, adding to the structure's romantic lore. The lighthouse is now surrounded by hiking trails which visitors often use in the hopes of glimpsing a pod of whales from the shore.
Still a major shopping destination for many Torontonians, St. Lawrence Market has operated as a public market for over 200 years. The main part of the market boasts 120 different vendors, selling everything from fresh produce and meat to jewellery and clothing. There are two additional buildings: the North Market, which hosts a Saturday farmers’ market and a Sunday antique market, and an office building and events space called St. Lawrence Hall.
Even buildings and bridges that are hundreds of years old don’t hold a candle to the ancient trees of Vancouver Island's old-growth forests. The forest known as Cathedral Grove is home to lush and mossy Douglas Fir trees that are up to 800 years old and as much as 250 feet (75m) in height. The area also features red cedar trees that have been modified by generations of various First Nations groups living on the coast.
Few sites in Canada are as steeped in history as Signal Hill. A high point on the east coast of Newfoundland, the hill has been used to observe incoming ship traffic and send signals since the early 18th century (and it was used for defence prior to that). It’s home to the iconic Cabot Tower and is, perhaps most famously, the recipient of Guglielmo Marconi’s inaugural transatlantic transmission in 1901. It’s also a popular hiking spot for visitors looking for an unbeatable view of St. John’s.
One of the oldest buildings in Montreal, this impressive seminary was built by the Society of Priests of Saint-Sulpice in the 1680s. It remains an active facility and serves as a residence for the Sulpician priests, as well as an administrative office for the priesthood. The seminary’s most well-known feature is its French-made clock face, which was installed in 1701.
The English name of this sacred Blackfoot land says it all. Beginning at least 6,000 years ago, Blackfoot communities would hunt buffalo by driving the herds off this sandstone cliff in the Alberta foothills. The site is now used as an interpretive centre, where visitors can learn about the history of the plains buffalo, their importance in Blackfoot culture and the animals’ near eradication by European settlers.
This extraordinary site at the northernmost tip of Newfoundland offers sound archaeological evidence that Norse explorers (and possibly Leif Erickson himself) visited North America well before Christopher Columbus. The present-day site paints a picture of what the Viking encampment would have looked like 1,000 years ago, with remains of old Norse buildings and original artefacts, as well as reconstructions of the Vikings’ sod houses.
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