Edmonton is a city in the Canadian province of Alberta. The capital of Alberta is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is surrounded by the Canadian Rockies to the east and the Rocky Mountains to the west. It has an estimated population of 1.4 million people living in its metropolitan area, making it the largest city in northern Canada.
It is a diverse city with its most iconic feature being its river valley, which stretches from north to south on one side of town, and from east to west on another side of town.
Edmonton has a lot to offer: a rich history, great museums, beautiful parks and galleries, excellent architecture, and a booming local food scene. One of the things that makes Edmonton so unique is its diversity. With many different languages spoken in the city, the capital of Alberta is an international destination for visitors from all over the world.
Edmonton has many natural attractions that locals and tourists enjoy, like Stanley A. Milner Library, which was built in 1909 by the Edmonton Public Library Foundation, River Valley Garden, and Sherbrooke Street.
Francis Winspear Centre for Music
Established in 1997, this is the number one performing arts center, which was named after Dr. Francis G. Winspear who was one of the main contributors towards the building of the facility.
The exceptional acoustics in this music center are created by the use of curtains and velour banners, which are adjusted to control the reverberation during certain musical events. This ensures that the audience receives an unmatched experience each time they visit the Francis Winspear Centre for Music.
The Francis Winspear Centre for Music is Edmonton’s premier music venue and has welcomed some of the world’s most influential musicians. The venue is also home to the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra which has been led by many of the city’s greatest conductors, including Howard Snell and John McElhiney.
It is home to the National Jazz Orchestra of Canada and the newly formed Jazz Orchestra of Edmonton. The building provides a flexible design that allows for versatility in programming. With two performance halls, two rehearsal spaces, one dance studio, and an array of public spaces, there are many options for artists to rehearse or perform their work.
Fort Edmonton Park
This living history museum is the largest of its kind in Canada and it includes both rebuilt and original structures that showcase the rich history of this iconic city. The park has been divided into four sections, each of which represents an era in history. During the summer, each section is staffed by costumed history interpreters who reveal the attitudes and lifestyles of each era.
Fort Edmonton Park is a large park that contains many different attractions for people to experience. The park features tours, theatrical shows, and many hands-on activities for visitors of all ages. There are also various events that take place in the attraction throughout the year including historical reenactments.
It’s one of the largest living history museums in North America and features over 300 buildings and structures built between 1900 and 1950. Aside from the historic displays, there are many interactive attractions including an amusement park with rides, shows, food stands selling candy-coated cheese curds, local produce, as well as live entertainment.
Visitors can visit the Hudson Bay Trading Post, watch re-enactments from the 1810s, or browse through an art gallery. The park also has many interactive exhibits, especially for kids and adults who have an interest in architecture, indigenous culture, and military history.
West Edmonton Mall
This is the largest mall in North America and it was the largest mall in the world until 2004. It has over 800 stores and services while covering a gross area of approximately 5,300,000 sq ft. This gigantic mall boasts of having between 90,000 and 200,000 visitors per day, hence it is definitely the place to be if you would like to receive an unforgettable shopping experience.
The major attractions at the mall include Galaxy land, which is the world’s second-largest indoor amusement park, Mayfield Toyota Ice Palace, World Water Park and Professor WEM’s Adventure Golf among other world-class establishments.
The mall also has a popular ice rink, the largest indoor amusement park in North America, Canada’s largest water park, and Canada’s best-attended indoor theme park. The mall is also home to two of the world’s tallest freestanding structures at 175 meters (546 feet).
Royal Alberta Museum
The Royal Alberta Museum is a great place to visit in Edmonton. This museum contains collections of art, artifacts, and natural history. The museum has three floors with interactive exhibits. It also offers activities for people of all ages. It’s one of the oldest museums that houses treasures from around the world. It has a large collection of paintings, sculptures, and cultural artifacts. The Museum also offers tours to visitors of the facility.
The museum was founded in 1906 and has grown to encompass over 60 million artifacts on its 8.9 acres of space. It also includes a planetarium, an art gallery, and a specialized Library and Archives with over 400 collections of books, maps, periodicals, photographs, conservation objects, and artifacts.
The museum houses a number of permanent exhibitions that showcase the diversity of Alberta’s history and culture. It also holds rotating exhibitions, special events, and educational programs where children can learn about various topics such as science, art, and local history with fun activities for them to participate in.
Elk Island National Park & Beaver Hills
Elk Island National Park is an area of land in Alberta’s northwest that boasts an impressive diversity in wildlife, including elks, moose, black bears, and bison. It is also home to an abundance of berries and a myriad of trees and shrubs.
There are many different types of birds that can be found here including hawks, owls, falcons, ravens, and various songbirds. Beaver Hills offers trails for hiking and horseback riding throughout the park. The park is part of the large Elk Island Provincial Park which is part of 1.5 million acres in total.
The park features mountains, hills, hillsides, lakes, rivers, and open prairie land. These are all accessible by walking trails with various levels of difficulty. Beaver Hills is a habitat for beavers that was created in 1919 when dams were built to control flooding in the area. It is now a popular hiking spot for Edmontonians as well as visitors from around the world.
It’s home to a variety of animals and is more than just walking trails and adventure activities. Every year, the park hosts an animal show where visitors can get close up with some of the park’s animals. Beaver Hills is a unique attraction in Edmonton as it offers visitors hiking opportunities around Elk Island National Park.
Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village
Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village is a living museum filled with authentic Ukrainian traditions, dishes, and representations of Ukrainian culture. There are many different tours offered that show the visitors how traditional Ukrainian families live and what their daily life is like.
The Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village is housed in the Edmonton Valley Zoo which is conveniently located just outside of downtown. It is the first and only Ukrainian cultural heritage village outside of Ukraine. The village opens to visitors for six months during the spring and fall.
The history of this village goes back to the 1800s when Ukrainians were fleeing their homeland due to the Russian Revolution and genocide. Today, this village is a living museum and pays tribute to the traditions of Ukraine through art, music, dance, traditional dresses, and many others.
It is a display of homes and buildings that have shaped the culture and lifestyle of Ukrainians. Some of the displays include a church, a farm, a factory, and an entire area dedicated to celebrating traditional foods. The homes are detailed in themes such as peasant dwellings, villages from various regions, and shtetls from around the world.
Muttart Conservatory
The Muttart Conservatory is a greenhouse owned by the University of Alberta. It is slightly smaller than the Blatchford Field House and opened to the public in 1974. Its current size is 41000 square feet, which makes it larger than any other conservatory in Canada and one of the largest in North America. The plant collection includes over 5000 plants from around the world and many specimens are labeled with foreign languages.
It features a dome and a variety of plants, including orchids, bamboo, and tropical flowers. The conservatory is considered to be one of Edmonton’s most popular tourist attractions because it has been open since 1899. It is home to thousands of species of plants from around the world, including unusual trees and flowers from around the world. When searching for tours in Edmonton, make sure to check out the Muttart Conservatory.
It is home to many astounding local plants and flowers, including a large greenhouse with a more tropical feel. Inside of it is a diverse range of plants, which can be found in various environments suited for different plant types. There are also some impressive indoor plants that have been grown in the conservatory’s humidity-controlled environment.
Art Gallery of Alberta
Edmonton’s Art Gallery of Alberta is a local treasure and the perfect place to spend an afternoon overlooking the city of Edmonton. This world-class gallery is home to thousands of works of art in a stunning contemporary gallery that looks out over the river valley below.
The Art Gallery of Alberta is a collection of some of the most iconic objects in Alberta’s history. The gallery has hundreds of paintings, sculptures, and even prints from world-renowned artists. The artwork on display in the gallery is up to date with new collections every year.
The permanent collection of the gallery includes many works by renowned artists such as Emily Carr, Tom Thomson, and Norval Morrisseau. There are also rotating exhibits that explore different aspects of art and how it impacts society.
Edmonton Valley Zoo
The Edmonton Valley Zoo is the largest zoo in Alberta and one of the top ten zoos in Canada. It is located just outside the city center, on a 22-hectare site with over 1,000 animals representing over 200 species. Its collection includes more than 100 different types of mammals, birds, reptiles, and fish from around the world.
It is one of four zoos operated by the Edmonton Zoological Society and was opened in 1956. The zoo has over 500 animals from around the world, including many species from Alberta, Canada, and even some native to surrounding regions. The most popular animals are the river otters who can be seen playing daily as well as a great variety of reptiles and amphibians.
The Edmonton Valley Zoo is an ideal place for a family excursion. The zoo offers many different attractions that will keep the whole family entertained. For example, the zoo has a safari drive where visitors can observe animals as they are being driven along on their way to their enclosures.
Alberta Aviation Museum
The Alberta Aviation Museum tells the story of Edmonton’s aviation history. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of aviators like Amelia Earhart and former Prime Minister John Diefenbaker. All the exhibits are according to chronological order which makes it easy to follow the history.
It maintains a collection of aircraft, military equipment, and artifacts dating back to when Edmonton was chosen as the site for Canada’s first airport. The museum also features exhibits on aviation history and on a variety of community-based aviation programs.
The museum is home to hundreds of aircraft representing every decade of aviation history. There are also displays that highlight the work of pioneering people in the industry and their contributions to science. On display are gliders, vintage propeller-driven planes, and helicopters.
Final Thoughts
The Edmonton area has a lot of amazing locations for tourists to visit. They all have their own unique aspects that make each one worth the trip. Whether you are someone who wants to see some exciting sights, or if you are looking for something that is completely relaxing, there is an attraction in Edmonton, Alberta that will fit your needs.
All of these attractions are extremely easy to find, and since Edmonton is one of the fastest-growing cities in Canada, it’s not difficult to find transportation to get you to each of these locations.
