Yes, There Actually Is An Abandoned Floating McDonald's In Canada

McDonald's is the largest chain of fast-food restaurants in the world, so it's no surprise that we can easily recognize its franchisee shops by the golden arches and red and white design. However, while most of its locations are pretty easy to spot, some aren't.

In 1980, McDonald's decided to do more than flip great burgers alongside its iconic fries; it decided to build a floating version of its famed restaurant. This McDonald's was built in St. Louis, and apart from the fact that it floated, it was just like any other McDonald's. You could get the same tasty burgers and fries and enjoy similar décor inside. Later, it built a second floating McDonald's in Vancouver called the McBarge.

Unfortunately for the company, the second floating restaurant was a major flop, and today, the McBarge sits empty. Here's what to know about this floating McDonald's, how it got started, and how this fast-food restaurant became abandoned.

The Canadian McBarge, located off the coast of Vancouver, was initially built for the city's 1986 World Expo. However, after that, its success as a restaurant was short-lived, and it quickly shut down and became abandoned.

For some reason, only the St. Louis floating restaurant was slightly more successful.

Much like the Canadian McBarge, the St. Louis location wouldn't take voyages. Still, it did sit moored just to the south of the Gateway Arch, making it a fun tourist attraction until 2000, when it was shut down. 

On the other hand, the Vancouver McBarge didn't even make it more than a year before it was closed down. Once the World Expo was over, this floating McDonald's was abandoned. It now lives year-round in Burrard Inlet on Canada's west coast. It's close enough to shore that you can get to it by boat, making it a popular spot for "urban explorers," says The Weather Channel.

Although the floating McDonald's wasn't exactly a smash hit, it certainly isn't the only oddly placed McDonald's out of there. In fact, there are a lot of unique McDonald's locations around the world.

One of these locations is in Taupo, New Zealand, inside an old decommissioned DC-3 plane. The plane has been repainted so that it snazzily reads "McDonald's" on the side, but otherwise, it still includes most of the original aircraft features. There are just 10 tables here though, so you'll want to arrive early unless you're okay with eating in the central area of the restaurant.

Another unique McDonald's can be found closer to home in New York. According to ABC7NY, this McDonald's location is built in an 18th-century farmhouse turned 19th-century Georgian mansion. McDonald's bought the property with the intention to demolish it but wound up renovating its restaurant inside this historic site.

These are just a couple of some of the more unique McDonald's locations worldwide. So, while you may not be able to enjoy eating at a floating McDonald's, you can still enjoy grabbing a Big Mac at some pretty cool places.