This North American country has many unusual places to visit, including a forest straight from a fairyland, sleeping in a magical sphere, and an Elizabethan maze.
When heading to Canada on vacation, the country is more than maple syrup and gorgeous scenery. Besides the great cities all over Canada, there are off-the-beaten-track locations to make visitors marvel. Among these locations is a forest straight out of a fairytale, spending a night in a sphere in the forest and getting lost in an Elizabethan maze.
1. The Enchanted Forest, Malakwa, British Columbia
For those who love fairies and fairytales, the Enchanted Forest is the place to be. Here, hidden among the 800-year-old cedar trees, is a fairyland with more than 350 fairy folk figurines. This is the work of artist Doris Needham and her husband, Ernest.
The couple needed a place for Doris’s hand-sculptured cement figurines, so they purchased a forest. It was during the 1950s that they bought the forest and started clearing trails and building rock walls, using only simple hand tools, Ernest then built a home for them that resembles a gingerbread house, with a fancy gravity water system, which still works today.
They began to populate the forest with Doris’ fairytale figures, all based on popular nursery rhymes and fairytales. Initially, this was all for themselves, but when Rogers Pass opened, with traffic diverted through their property, they opened the Enchanted Forest to the public.
To this day, people can explore the Enchanted Forest and spot the dragons, dwarves, and fairies that live there. When conserving the Enchanted Forest became too much for Doris and Ernest, they sold the property to Rocky and Juliet Ehlers and their children, Aza, Silas, and Naomi, who are continuing the heartwarming trend. Besides the figurines and a pirate ship, the forest on its own is remarkable, with its beaver ponds, cedars, and moose and caribou sightings.
2. Free Spirit Spheres, Qualicum Beach, British Columbia
Staying with forests, we now head to Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island where visitors have the chance to stay in a magical place. Accommodation consists of large wooden spheres suspended from the branches of the trees.
Each Free Spirit Sphere has a spiral staircase and suspension bridge to access them. The exterior resembles giant seeds or nuts and fits in well into the scenery. Staying in one of the orbs gives the chance to view nature from a different perspective.
Said to be the “ultimate tree-house experience,” each sphere is made from wood and fiberglass. The interior walls are curved with portholes for windows. Due to the tiny space, the furniture consists of fold-out tables and benches, and curved loft beds and even the appliances are tiny to fit the small space.
3. VanDusen Garden’s Elizabethan Hedge Maze, Vancouver, British Columbia
Turning to something a little more manicured, we now visit one of only six Elizabethan hedge mazes in North America. VanDusen Garden’s Elizabethan Hedge Maze is the perfect place for anyone who wants to get lost for a while. The maze consists of 3,000 pyramidal cedars, planted in 1981 and slowly grown and crafted into the form of the maze.
The gardens are run by the Vancouver Parks Board and the maze was named for lumber magnate Whitford Julian VanDusen. The attraction is open every day of the year except Christmas.
Besides getting lost in the maze, there are some 55 acres of gardens to explore, full of beautiful plants from all over the world. Anyone who doesn’t fancy their luck in the maze can also view it from an observation platform and laugh at the people running around, trying to find their way.
Explore the whimsical side of Canada at these and other wonderful locations in this North American country.
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