Search for B.C.'s best roadside attraction: Round 1, the north
Municipalities in British Columbia are evaluating the future of aging roadside attractions like giant statues and mascots. Experts suggest these landmarks remain valuable for tourism if integrated into a broader regional strategy.
Why it matters
It highlights the tension between preserving local cultural history and the practical costs of maintaining aging infrastructure in the modern tourism economy.
Get past Williams Lake, and you’ll reach the city of Quesnel, which for years has debated the location and future of its iconic gold pan that has long been its largest roadside attraction.
Keep going north and you’ll reach Prince George, where the city’s iconic eight-metre tall mascot known as “ Mr. PG ” sits at the intersection of its two main highways. There too, council has debated whether to bring Mr. PG closer to the centre of the city , and the pros and cons of spending more money on maintenance and marketing.
As roadside attractions built during the highway boom in the decades after the Second World War age, municipalities are increasingly discussing the best way to make them fit in with the modern tourism landscape.
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