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| Reviews and photos of Province of Alberta attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Province of Alberta sightseeing. Map |
 | Province of Alberta Things To Do | Tips 1 - 10 of 163 |  |
The world's largest mall. Home to over 800 stores and services, world's largest indoor wavepool at 5 acres in size, world's largest parking lot with 20,000 free parking spaces, 18 hole mini-golf course, real submarines to ride in, casino, spa, 3 movie theatres, hotel and the list goes on and on. The roller coaster is rated number 1 in the world for g-force. 48 city blocks is about the area the mall covers. This is Alberta's top tourist attraction. As the name states, it is located in Edmonton. Leave a Comment
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The Muttart Conservatory is the best horticultural centre in Edmonton. It has hundreds upon hundreds of various plant life from a variety of climates. The surrounding area is also a great place for enjoying a walk, picnic etc. Leave a Comment Address: 9626-96A streetDirections: Not far from Edmonton's downtown area. It is located on the south side of the river in the river valley.
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On our 2004 trip to Alberta, my one specific target on our long route down the eastern side of Alberta was the Hoodoos in the Red Deer River valley, very close to Drumheller.
These amazing spectacles, in a little park just off Highway 10 at East Coulee, were carved out of the rocks through 10,000 years of erosion by the wind and water. One minute you are driving across the prairies, and the next you descend into the Red Deer River valley to this landscape!
75 million years ago, this area was the bottom of a seabed, evidenced by the brown layers of shale at the bottom of these pinnacles. Above this, as the climate changed through the following millions of years, the grey layer was built up by deposits from the lakes, swamps and forests that formed as the sea receded. The final piece of the puzzle was a hard sandstone cap that has protected the softer minerals below as erosion continued to take place.
This is prime dinosaur fossil country, with the Tyrell Museum in Drumheller being one of the best in the world. If you are ever in Calgary, try to make the relatively short drive out here to enjoy both the Museum and the landscape of the Red Deer River valley in this area! Leave a Comment Directions: Very close to Drumheller, about 1 hour northeast of Calgary.
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The huge area of the Rocky Mountains in Canada's four adjoining National Parks of Banff/Jasper (in Alberta) and Yoho/Kootenay (British Columbia) has been designated as one of Canada's 13 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
We took a day-trip to Banff one sunny afternoon, the Park closest to Calgary. Even though I had been to the Rockies twice before, I was astounded at how beautiful the area looked. It was like an unreal scene out of a movie or a postcard - just too perfect to be real!
Whatever you do, take the time to visit somewhere in the Canadian Rockies - the combination of mountains, glaciers, forests and rivers in this protected area is one of the world's 'Must See' sights! There is only a small entrance fee of a few dollars - just do it!
This scene was taken very near the town of Banff, which nestles in the shadow of the 2950 m (9840 ft) Mount Rundle. The Bow River, in the foreground, was born in these peaks and has carved out a valley here in its long journey to the east, as it finally empties into Hudson Bay half a continent away. Leave a Comment Directions: Head west from Calgary on the TransCanada Highway - a little over an hour to the Park
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We did not make it to Jasper on our 2004 visit, but we did enjoy this great park on our 2001 trip to Alberta. The most northerly and largest of the Parks that make up the Canadian Rocky jewels, this one requires a bit more effort to reach than does Banff.
Its main claim to fame are its fields of glaciers, with the Columbia Glacier being visible from the Icefields Parkway as you drive straight through the middle of this region. Being as far north as it is, the road conditions here are a trifle more touchy, so you have to check the time of year to see if the road is even open. We drove through in late April and saw a few snow flurries and not much traffic!
Just like Banff, there are so many things to see and do - taking a mechanized ride on a glacier, hiking, camping or just enjoying the scenery. Beautiful. The 2nd photo shows what you will be travelling in while on the glacier - the Canadian-built Foremost Terra Bus is an all-wheel drive, three-axle, 56-passenger, off-road bus also used for polar explorations! Leave a Comment Directions: North of Banff National Park
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We spent four very enjoyable nights in Calgary on our latest trip. I found it to be a very friendly and pretty city, with lots of trees lining its streets. The traffic was not bad at all and its simple grid layout avoids the confusion common to many large cities.
There are lots of things to see and do in the city, from sporting events to a zoo, the arts or just enjoying a walk alongside the Bow River as it meanders its way through the downtown core. Oh, and let's not forget the shopping - my wife and daughter made sure that I sampled that too! Calgary also has a great location, with the snow-capped Rocky Mountains of Banff National Park visible to the west of the city or you can turn in the other direction and visit one of the world's best dinosaur collections in Drumheller!
A high rating on my 'list' of world cities! For a good view of it all, go up to the Observation Deck in the Tower (US$7.50 admission). Leave a Comment
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An excellent museum located just west of downtown Edmonton bordering the river valley. It has a variety of exhibits that include dinosaurs, stuffed local wildlife, live bugs, and a lot more to keep anyone occupied for a while. The hours are 9:00am to 5:00pm daily except December 24 and 25. Admission is $10 for an adult and less for other ages. To get a good general understanding of Alberta, it is worthwhile to check out this museum.
On the celebration of Alberta's centennial, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 2nd allowed "Royal" to be added to the Museum. It is now known as the Royal Alberta Museum. Leave a Comment
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Within an hour from Edmonton is Elk Island National Park. The park protects the endangered habitat of aspen parkland. This park is home to free roaming herds of wood bison, plains bison, elk, moose and deer. Just the last time I drove down highway 16 (which disects the park roughly in half) I saw bison, deer and moose so wildlife is abundant. It is also home to around 250 types of birds. There is plenty to do from hiking, camping, cross country skiing, animal watching and etc. There are 3 entrance gates in which there are automatic pass machines in which you may purchase day passes for a small fee. Elk Island offers a wonderful city break form Edmonton especially if you don't have much time to explore Alberta. Leave a Comment Directions: Roughly 20 minutes east of Edmonton on highway 16 ( Yellowhead).
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Cold Lake Provincial Park is located almost within the bounds of the town of Cold Lake, a bit north of Edmonton but much further east, nestled up against the border with Saskatchewan (about a 3 hour drive from Edmonton). Opened in July, 1983 this picturesque little park provides great camping and picnicing locations as well as beautiful sandy beaches along the shores of this pristine lake.
If you are into nature, you have a great choice of birds to view (flycatchers, warblers, ducks and various other waterfowl) as well as local wildlife such as coyote, lynx, bear and fishers.
The park has a well-maintained system of unpaved roads leading to its various areas. It is open for camping from May to October at a cost per site of US$13-15. Leave a Comment Address: 3 km due east of the town of Cold LakePhone: 780-639-3341Website: www.cd.gov.ab.ca
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After driving for hours across the gently rolling hills of south-central Alberta, the Red Deer River Valley suddenly opens up on you just south of Drumheller. The effect that it has had on the landscape as its has cut its way down through layers of rock deposited over millions of years is quite dramatic.
The 724-km Rocky Mountains-born Red Deer is a major tributary of the South Saskatchewan River. On my most recent December, 2007 driving trip from Regina, Saskatchewan to the Red Deer area, I passed just north of Drumheller. The second and third photos show winter views of the river valley as I descended into it on Highway 27, just a few miles northwest of Drumheller. It was quite an impressive sight after so many hundreds of kilometers of driving across rolling prairie lands!
The 'hoodoos' that we came across were not very far from here, just beside Highway 10. The river exposed many examples of dinosaur bones, leading to detailed excavations in this area of Alberta. As a result, the nearby Royal Tyrell Museum in Drumheller has one of the best collections of dinosaur bones in the world. Leave a Comment Directions: Only a few minutes drive south of Drumheller
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on June 12, 2004
on January 5, 2008
