You won’t find any signs directing you to the location.
In fact you won’t even find any signs to confirm that you’ve arrived. We had to trust the GPS that we had ‘found’ it … somewhere behind the wall of trees.
“It” is the home and multi-acre property of artist Peter Camani in Burk’s Falls – about a 3 hour drive north of Toronto. Camani has transformed his property into a gallery of his art work – massive concrete sculptures rising out of the landscape.
The public is allowed to walk around the property – without charge – to explore the massive structures. A donation box is located by the entrance/exit if you should wish to express your appreciation.
We visited on a cool but sunny day to discover a frisbee-golf tournament in play. We were equally fascinated by the disc play as we were by the sculptures themselves.
The tournament organizers were given permission to use the Screaming Heads property for an annual tournament and this year was their 10th anniversary at this location.
I was told it’s a very popular venue and the tournament sells out each year.
Gilles accompanied me on this trip and we picked our way carefully around the fields trying to stay out of the way of the competitors – mindful of the occasional shouts of “FORE!”.
Since this place seems to be known only by word-of-mouth, you might be wondering how I learned about the Screaming Heads.
A few weeks ago BlogTO had an article describing the venue and I was intrigued enough to make the 3 hour drive to see it for myself.
It was totally worth it.
The highlight of the day though involved neither screaming head or disc golf. As we rounded a bend on the small country road, we encountered a moose, with a full set of antlers, trotting down the road at a brisk clip.
As I fumbled for my camera hoping to capture it, he turned onto another smaller road. Although we were, at most, only a couple of car lengths behind him, he had disappeared.
I failed as a paparazzi. Again.
Great! Just a venue I’d travel for three hours to visit too.
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Of course you would!! We’d be great on an outing together 🙂
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Yeahhh!
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Great photos of the sculptures! I have seen quite a few moose in my life. My early childhood home was built on one of the paths that the local moose liked to take down to the river, and we would watch them from the window as they foraged for cabbages and such in our snow covered vegetable garden. But the most memorable sighting was more recent. I was on the telephone doing an interview with a representative from an academic search firm when a cow moose with three calves trotted down the road right in front of my house. It was a moment of contrast.
Jude
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Wow!! You had National Geographic right outside your window!!
There are certain animals – like deer and rabbits – that no matter how many times I may see one, it’s a thrill each time. I would put moose in that category too even though I haven’t seen many in my life.
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Fascinating sculptures. I like the roughness of the texture of the stone. I definitely favor seeing sculptures outdoors. The play of the artwork against the colors and changing landscape is so much more interesting than if the same sculptures were indoors!
Peta
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Agreed! Although it’s said that the most beautiful time to visit is in the fall with all the colours, I’d love to revisit in the winter. I imagine that the sculptures in the backdrop of a stark snowy landscape would be quite striking. Too bad it’s so far away. I’m not a huge fan of long distance winter driving.
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[…] …. or the unusual outdoor gallery of statutes at Screaming Heads. […]
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What a great place! My husband plays frisbee golf and would love to play here 🙂
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I can’t believe how many people know about frisbee-golf. I had no idea it was a serious ‘thing’. I can see why this would be a popular venue, although I suspect it’s a challenging course.
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It looks amazing!
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I can imagine these sculptures grow on you – and they look like part of the landscape, may be since some of them are so big.Very clever business wise to add a sporty thing:) Great and unusual experience, Joanne!
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“Unusual” sums it up perfectly! 🙂
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Just curious – did the size of these huge sculptures have the effect of staying at a safe distance, or the opposite (that you wanted to come close enough to touch it?)
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Interesting question. Both actually. It was nice to be able to shoot them from both a distance and close up.
… and yes, we did touch them a lot.
What are you thinking?
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I wondered if the hugeness of it would make me feel like it would fall on top of me, or the opposite, that I wanted to come really close, and see if I would have a different experience.
I know, artists think a lot:)
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What an amazing place!
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Yes, it was! It was a long drive but thankfully worth the effort 🙂
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Now that is one seriously cool discovery! So many things to put on our list for an extended road trip east one day.
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It’s a nice problem to have – an abundance of opportunity 🙂
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What a bizarre place. I love eccentric things like this. If you are ever driving through Vermont there is a place for for the Bread and Puppet theater troupe you can visit for free too.
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Thanks Jeff. I too am always on the lookout for something a bit different and even unexpected 🙂
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so those moose must be fast!
and nice place – thanks for sharing – glad you made the drive to experience it and then share it
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As gangling as they look, moose are in fact really fast – and are rather unpredictable.
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🙂
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You have some very interesting places in your part of the world!
Disc golf is very popular in Arizona, so when we are there in the winter we watch for tournaments near us. What I love most about it, is the extreme variety of people who take part in the tournaments. Tall, short, thin, not so thin, young and not so young. The best player can be the person who looks least likely to be an athlete. Yet it takes a lot of effort and stamina!
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If the tournament we witnessed is any indication, I can see where the effort comes in – traipsing over all kinds of terrain and searching for the disc that isn’t where you thought it was going to be … and not a golf cart in sight 😉
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Wow, Joanne! What a cool post. Thanks so much for taking us with you! It seems like such a magical place with all those ingenious sculptures. My imagination would run riot! Huge hugs.
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Ohhh – I’m pretty sure that someone like you with your imagination would have a field day there!!
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What a cool place and so nice that it’s open to the public. The dinosaur in the background of one of your pictures of the disc player cracked me up. What a sight! Not something you see every day. I’m glad you made the trip out there, though too bad about the moose!
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I guess with Thunder Boy, you are always very aware of any dinosaur sightings 🙂
It was a cool place to visit and worth the long drive. I may not have captured the moose with my camera, but the sighting still counts!!
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Yes, it does still count!
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I had no idea that frisbee golf was so organized and exacting. The sculptures are amazing and the fact that it is open to the public is even more amazing. I’m so excited that you saw a moose! I don’t think I’ve ever seen one in the wild. I forgive you for not having your camera ready (I’m sad, but I forgive you). Great picture of you framed by the scream.
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I had no idea either!! This is serious stuff. I did a quick calculation to estimate that each golfer’s bag contains a few hundred dollars in gear. That’s territory that rivals regular golf.
My moose sightings have been very few – and I grew up in the north!! Each time I’ve been ridiculously excited and especially this one because I had never seen one with its antlers.
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Amazing looking place. I love outdoor sculpture!! Never heard of frisbee golf though 🤔
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You feature so many wonderful outdoor sculptures that I’ve developed a great appreciation for them.
I had heard of frisbee golf, but I thought it was a bit of a lark. I had no idea it was a serious, organized sport.
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That looks like such a cool place to visit! I love outdoor sculptures. We have frisbee golf locations around here, but it hasn’t made it to my list of things to try.
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I know better than to try. I’m hopelessly useless with a frisbee!!
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You have a lot of respect for someone who devotes his life to the love of art. Three hours north of Toronto – brrr.
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There’s no question that the temperature has dropped a LOT. Brrrr, indeed!!
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It looks like a wonderful place to wander. I’m glad people are allowed free access, and how nice to make it available for the tournament. It sounds like a good day, all around. It’s hard to imagine how an animal as big as a moose can be nimble, but I guess that’s their special gift.
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hahaha! Yes, moose aren’t the most graceful looking animals in the world, but they can move!!
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What an awesome spot! We’ll have to add this to our to-do/must see list!
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I suspect the best time to go is when the colours are near maximum. The drive itself would be beautiful in the autumn colours.
I checked the ‘forecast’ and they are predicting it will be around Thanksgiving for the reds and another week for the yellows in the Huntsville area. I of course preferred not to wait 🙂
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A place you probably wouldn’t want to wander into at night! probably end up wit screaming nightmares! As for Frisbee golf – never even heard of it! But it looks like it could be a lot of fun if you have good hand – eye coordination 🙂
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I was thinking it would be a great place for a Hallowe’en scavenger hunt … although you would never catch me at one 😉
As for frisbee-golf, I’m pretty sure I would be worse that horrible at it. I’m hopelessly useless at trying to throw a frisbee.
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Wow, what a wonderful sculpture garden! Those off the grid spots are often the best finds. We were disappointed that we never saw a moose on any of our Canadian trips. We did see a bear on the Trans Canadian Hwy. it just crossed the street in front of us. Of course the camera was in the back seat. (sigh)
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As a blogger whose posts revolve around photos, it never ceases to surprise me how dysfunctional I am about having my camera close at hand!!
The truth is that although I grew up in the North and still make trips back there, I’ve only seen a moose a handful of times … and each time it thrills me!
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Fabulous! It kind of reminds me of the giant rock skeleton behind the Indianapolis Museum of Art.
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Ooooo – that sounds interesting too!!
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Very cool place! Great find, Joanne!
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Thanks 🙂 I’m always looking for something a little different.
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Very interesting sculpture. Those heads are a bit scary, though 😬
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I noticed that a handful of them seemed to have lights on them which implies it could be walked in the dark … not that I would ever consider doing it!!
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Even more creepy! 😱
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Great post Joanne. This is a place I heard of recently and am hoping to put on my list to visit next year. But as you say, it is a fair distance from Toronto. Regarding the disc golf, I saw some people playing it on Toronto Island last year and it looked like a lot of fun.
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I admit that a 3 hour drive is a little much for a day trip, but we made the most of it 🙂
There is a disc-golf course set out in Sunnybrook Park but I don’t know how much it gets used.
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Hi, Joanne – I wish that I had followed your blog when I lived in the Toronto area. You cover many cool places in your local area that I would love to wonder through. I have added “Screaming Heads” to my list of places to visit when I am out that way again!
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Admittedly, a 3 hour drive is a little far for a day trip but it was a beautiful day and we hadn’t had much of an opportunity to spend time together for the past several months.
I can only imagine the stuff I could find to do in your area!!
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Now, those are some interesting sculptures. And, you at least saw a moose up close and personal – that counts in my book. 🙂 We have a small park not far from us that has frisbee golf, and the place is packed especially on the weekends. When my daughter was little, I could hardly pass a frisbee to her let alone be able to play golf with one. 🙂
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I too am useless with a frisbee. I’m sure it’s a lot of fun if you master the art of it, but I’ve resigned myself to the sidelines 😉
As for the moose … what an unexpected delight!! I’m not a stranger to the north, but I’ve seen a moose only a handful of times in my life.
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Very impressive concrete sculptures! I am surprised to read that they are known only to ‘insiders’. No advertising whatever in the media, I suppose. Best wishes! Peter
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I suspect all the ‘locals’ and people in nearby communities know about the place but I can only imagine the hoards from Toronto that would descend upon the place if it was actually advertised!
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I can see your point, Joanne! Advertising would not be a good idea and would spoil the spoil the artistic atmosphere of this wonderful place.
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That’s a 4.5 hour drive from Ottawa. Hmm. Might have to be a post-retirement drive but you’re right – it looks fascinating. You were definitely in moose-country! The only place I’ve ever seen moose is in Algonquin Park in the spring and they are impressive critters. A nice way for you to cap your trip to see the sculptures – man made and natural wonders together.
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Algonquin is on my list of places I’d like to go and spend some time hiking and kayaking. I love the idea of seeing moose in the morning over my cup of coffee. However with my luck, it would most likely be a bear 😳
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We have several disc golf courses in town. My son is a competitor. He would love this course!
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I knew the sport existed but I had no idea it was so organized. There is even a Disc Golf Association … I don’t know why I was surprised to learn that 🙂
Never having seen another tournament in play, I have no idea how difficult the courses can be, but I suspect this one might be considered ‘challenging’.
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Looks like a wonderful place!
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It was certainly very interesting, but the disc golf added another dimension to our visit. Had we been virtually alone, I’m sure it would have been a very different experience.
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Cool venue . . . especially under those blue blue skies. Sounds like you and Giles has a great date!
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It was a perfect kind of day – especially since I got to share it with my guy 🙂
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That’s a neat looking place! Love the photo of you.
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Thanks 😁
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There’s a Frisbee Golf course just down the road from us but I’ve never tried it. Always wanted to just never got around to it. Probably because we don’t own the required equipment. I should put it back on the list.
Do you think the artist has Issues?
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Ha, I was thinking the same thing! But I think they’re great to look at.
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I haven’t been able to find any reference to other styles of work. It would be interesting to see what other themes he may have explored.
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Wow, looks like you had a magical unicorn day. So much uniqueness in that one spot. And a moose to top everything off. I love to visit off-the-wall, out-of-the-way places like that. And I really like the screaming heads.
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That’s a great way of putting it, Tippy. It WAS a GREAT unicorn day!
I try to keep my expectations in check whenever I visit something billed as “unusual” and “must-see”. I was particularly nervous about this one because I was dragging my husband along who doesn’t normally come with me on these excursions and we were investing in a 3 hour drive – one way – to get there.
Thankfully it was everything I could ask for and more!
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What an interesting place, I think I would have enjoyed the extra curricular activity as well. I have seen frisbee as sport but not as competition. Too bad you missed capturing the moose.
When Rick and I were traveling Route 66, we planned a visit to Cadillac Ranch…where a bunch of half buried vintage Cadillac’s were on a rancher’s property in the middle of nowhere…visitors were encouraged to bring can’s of spray paint, which we did! Great photo op and fun to tag something and not get in trouble for it.
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I’ve heard about this Cadillac Ranch and seen photos of it. It looks like a fun place to visit!
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How cool is this place? And to encounter a frisbee tournament and a moose. A blogging trifecta!
Deb
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It was a jackpot kind of day!
We even stopped for a late lunch and had the most amazing pizza. I told Gilles I was counting it as a date 😁
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You and I would starve if we were paparazzi! Very unusual place.
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HAHAHAHAHA!! True! Glad I take photos just for fun 😆
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I can see why it would be so popular for Frisbee golf. Such an odd place. Sorry about the missed photo op with Bullwinkle.
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If you’re going to play an outdoor sport, what better place than one with interesting obstacles! 🙂
I haven’t seen a moose in the wild in a VERY long time. It made my day 🙂
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What an astonishing place, and how generous spirited too, to allow people free wandering.
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I agree, Tish … and I might be wrong, but my understanding is that the donations collected are funnelled back to local charities.
There are signs saying that access is at your own risk, there are no facilities, and please pick up all your litter including cigarette butts (I’ve never understood people who walk out in nature and leave their butts behind!!)
I hope that his good-spirited generosity isn’t someday taken advantage of and he feels the need to close access.
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