Kitty

My boyfriend and I will be driving around British Columbia and Alberta in late August. We have alot of info on Banff and Vancouver and Glacier National Park, but we don't have alot of info on things to do in Calgary and Edmonton. Any suggestions? Thank you in advance for any replies.
Kitty

Sam Thiara

Hi Kitty, Sam here. I have visited both of these places. I find that the major attraction in Edmonton is the mall. It is huge. There are many things to do there. it boasts an indoor skating rink, a huge wave pool, a tall ship, submarine rides, a theme park with rides like a roller coaster. It has tons of eating places, including an evening area like New Orleans. Eating places galore. They also have stores inside. yeah, it is huge.
As for Calgary, I highly recommend Drumheller. it is about 45 mins south east of Calgary and has a fantastic Dinosaur Museum. One of the best of its kind. you can walk around the bad lands and maybe even find some fossils. Calgary is nicer than Edmonton when you compare Downtown.

Hope that helps
Sam

amber

I am a Calgarian, but have spent a lot of time in Edmonton. In Edmonton, I would recommend spending a day along Whyte Avenue. This is a long road that has a lot of great stores and cafes/restaurants. Everytime I go there, I like spending a day downtown just walking around. Edmonton's downtown is not a busy as Calgary's and has a totally different feel to it. I would recommend the same sort of thing for Calgary. Spend a day around downtown - visit Eau Claire Market, Princess Island Park (right beside Eau Claire), head over to the Zoo and maybe hit the shops along 17th Avenue (specify "17th Avenue SOUTHWEST"). The Tyrrell Museum at Drumheller is a very interesting day trip, if you have the time. Please e-mail me directly if you need more info! (p.s. I have to add that in my experience and according to a lot of friends, Edmonton has a far greater selection of restaurants than Calgary, and the prices in Edmonton (as far as shopping goes) seem better - I have no idea why there is such a difference . . . ))

Bob Brown

I have visited both places and found things of interest in both. The earlier communications posted on this subject say what I would have said, so no need to duplicate them.

My main recall is the friendliness of the people in the communities. The level of education is very high so that almost everyone speaks an excellent brand of the English language that is a pleasure to hear and converse in.

Close to Edmonton there is a Ukranian demonstration village that shows the Ukranian heritage of Alberta. I recall it being east of town near Androssen, and easy to reach by car. We spent several hours there on a Sunday when food and music were in abundance. As part of the re-enactment, men were cutting hay in the fields, driving wagons pulled by horses, re-creating the hardware store environment and operating the blacksmith shop. Fascinating experience!!

Fortunately we were in Edmonton when street theatre and performances were in full swing. I remember mimes and string quartets and food.

The Royal Tyrrell Musuem of Paleontology in Drumheller is terrific -- a World Heritage Site.
If you have time, treat yourself and go there. It is an education in itself.

Pat

Hi! I live in Calgary , and agree with most of the other ideas posted. I'm not sure if anyone mentioned Heritage Park. It is very enjoyable and worth seeing. Arrive early and they will even feed you breakfast with your admission. You can take in the 1988 Olympic sites. There are some things there to do in summer and a museum. There are really nice trendy type shops in the Kensington area (Approx Memorial Drive and 10 Street NW area) - don't miss Galleria if you are looking for hand made gifts. You can get an overview of the city from the top of the Calgary Tower. The Tyrell Museum in Drumheller is an excellent suggestion too. Have fun!

Pat

Hi! It's me again. Just a note to correct a previous message on the Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller. It is approx 90 miles from Calgary, about a 2 hour drive. (45 min. didn't sound right so I checked it out)
Also if you can get a hold of an Entertainment book for Calgary, you will probably save a few bucks there, as there are some of the attractions included. eg Heritage Park, Calgary Zoo to name a couple. Also lots of restaurants etc. ($40 Cdn.)

mary

my advice is stay in Canmore a nice little town about a 15 minute drive from Banff. If you don't like crowds you won't like Banff. There is plenty of accommodation in Canmore. I found Calgary a nice city with modern buildings but it was absolutely dead after 5 p.m. The zoo was a nice attraction.

Michael Dub

I live in Edmonton. I'm sure West Edmonton Mall is very impressive for tourists, but the most impressive and most beautiful aspect of Edmonton is easily the river valley. I recommend you spend a whole day biking or just walking through as much as possible. The park cut through the middle of the city, making for great views. It's also the largest urban park in the continent.

Heather

I live in Edmonton and take exception to the previous reply which implied that West Edmonton Mall is all there is in the capital city. There are endless things to do. To name bit a few : Fort Edmonton Park, Space Sciences Center (with Imax Theatre), River Valley and attached parks for all manner of outdoor recreation, The Museum, StoryLand Valley Zoo. Also Edmonton is Festival city depending upon when you are in Edmonton the Fringe may be on thats one in august or the Folk Festival.

In my opintion WEM is just another mall.

If you are driving from Calgary to Edmonton or vice versa try using the ice fields highway through Banff and Jasper rather than highway #2 which is really quite boring. It may take a day or two longer but is extremely scenic, gives the oportunity to see furrie woodland creatures besides your are on vacation live a little!

Heather

Ian

A warning about Calgary.
Crime and traffic volume are on the rise in Calgary. Avoid Deerfoot Trail
(Rte. 2) at all costs! Calgarians are normally courteous drivers but they become maniacs on this overused freeway. I am from Los Angeles and I couldn't believe the traffic!!!

Tim

Being from Calgary myself, I'm not sure I agree entirely with Ian's comment concerning crime. Calgary certainly has as much crime as any other major Canadian city, but I'm actually surprised that the level of crime is as low as it is for a city of this size.

Ian is, however, right on the nose when it comes to the drivers in this city. I find most Calgarians to be quite friendly & courteous people, but get them behind the wheel and they are truly reckless. I live here, and I avoid Deerfoot Trail at all costs. The city is growing very fast, and traffic volume is growing as well - perhaps the reckless driving is simply a reflection of people's impatience with increased traffic.

Calgary and Edmonton, though, are both beautiful (yet different) cities, with plenty to offer. Well worth a visit!

Bob Brown

I would like to augment my earlier post.

If you are into rock and mineral collecting, Edmonton has some good rock shops. We found, in the unfinished state, some exquisite amonite shells.

We brought some back for a local studio to make up into jewelry for my wife.

And if you are going around those hills, don't forget Yoho NP. It is a hiker's paradise. Consult the Yoho web site for details, and plan on taking the shuttle bus to Lake O'hara for the some of the greatest scenery in the Canadian Rockies. Use of the area is limited so you don't get the Lake Louise hoards of people.

And get a copy of Patton and Robinson's trail guide to the Canadian Rockies. Look for the hidden treasures. There are at least two spectacular waterfalls that are close to the road, easy to reach, and very, very few people even know they are there.

And again, the Tyrrell museum at Drumheller is a great and wonderful place. There is an excellent book that I suggest to everyone, it is entitled the Land Before Us. It is geologic in nature, but it enables one to understand the formation of the countryside over which he or she is driving.