Canada's Abandoned Roadside Attraction In New Brunswick Is Now A Campground With Haunting Beauty

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

While you might expect to find a moose in the Canadian wilderness, you might not expect it to be made of concrete and share its domain with a giant lobster. Nevertheless, these are two of the cast members scattered among the campground of Animaland Park in rural New Brunswick. Though the spot serves campers these days, it began as the artistic personal project of a single sculptor named Winston Bronnum. A New Brunswick native, Bronnum embraced the medium of concrete after his early wooden sculptures went up in flames, as the Telegraph-Journal reports. The site where he crafted his concrete beasts and propped them up among the woods in the 1960s and '70s was Animaland.

Animaland grew into a cross between an eccentric artist's studio, a roadside attraction, and a playground. Old postcards on eBay from the original Animaland describe it as a "sculptured zoo" and depict children climbing and playing on the various animal creations. Fronting the concrete zoo was a caricatured, emaciated-looking racehorse sculpture named "Blow Hard," per Taddle Creek Magazine. While this sculpture leaned into the surreal, others were highly realistic, to the point that one visitor reportedly got scared by a skunk statue. 

After Bronnum died in 1991, Animaland was left abandoned to the elements for a couple of decades. It was reopened in 2016 and converted into a campground, with the animal sculptures lending it a fantastical, if slightly unsettling, atmosphere.

At the entrance to Animaland Park, Blow Hard the racehorse greets eager campers, as its imposing profile is visible to drivers from Route 114. You might want to pitch a tent here for the night if you're making a road trip along the Fundy Trail Parkway, a gorgeous East Coast drive with scenic lookouts and waterfalls about 40 minutes from Animaland. There's also a trailhead by the campground that connects to two ATV trails.

Within the campground itself, offbeat traveler @obscurist_tourist on Instagram reported around 60 of Bronnum's sculptures dotting the site. Since the sculptures (aside from Blow Hard) are within the campground itself, you won't be able to readily see them if you don't have a reservation, though some reviewers have shared that you can still ask the owners to check out the sculptures or stop by during the off-season when the camp is closed. Otherwise, Animaland Camping accommodates tents or RVs with electricity and water hookups.A Google reviewer described the campground as "family friendly," and it has four stars overall from Google Reviews. The campground has a Facebook page, and you can try calling +1 506-808-2181 to reserve a site. 

Animaland Park is about a 10-minute drive from Sussex, where there are some restaurants and coffee shops — Piccadilly Coffee Roasters is one with strong reviews. Just next to the campground is the Timberland Motel and Restaurant, which has 4.2 stars from Google Reviews. If you're flying in, you can land at the Saint John Airport, about a 45-minute drive away in Canada's oldest incorporated city with a charming downtown. Basing yourself in Saint John also puts you in proximity with some other outdoorsy New Brunswick destinations like Quispamsis, a riverfront city with parks and trails, under 20 minutes away by car.