TELUS Spark Science Centre in Calgary is world class! The first purpose-built science centre in Canada in 25 years, the new location opened in 2011 and is a massive upgrade from the building I grew up visiting.
I’m going to come right out and say it: Canadian Energy is a controversial topic. And I LOVE that the Canadian Energy Museum owns that fact. There is a newer film to watch – I strongly recommend doing it as the first thing after paying for admission – that covers a lot of the information in the museum and gets you ready for what you’ll be seeing. I found it very helpful to guide conversations with the kids about the exhibits before I’d had a chance to do any reading.
Often shortened to just Reynolds Museum, the Reynolds-Alberta Museum is the perfect destination for fans of vintage cars and aviation. Centrally located in Wetaskiwin, Alberta this museum is dedicated to preserving the transportation history of the province. (And remember, “Cars cost less in Wetaskiwin!”.)
We visited on a Sunday in June and spent about three hours to explore the three main galleries, take in a show in the theatre, and visit the playground, mining exhibit, and airplane hangar. I didn’t get to read all the signs, but machines and their history aren’t really my thing (and I read a lot of similar info at Remington Carriage Museum last summer). If Hubs had been with us there would have been a lot more reading happening, and the visit taken longer!
The giant drive across eastern Alberta started as a curiosity about the many small towns dotted across Alberta that are the home to many of the “worlds largest” structures. Many of these are great stops for when you’re on a road trip but I started to think about creating a day trip with the kids to see as many in a day as we could.
Why would you spend 12 hours on the road to see the world’s biggest perogy, mallard duck or mushrooms? Mostly, because we needed to get out of the house during the last few weeks of the summer! The kids were heading back to school and I thought “one more hurrah” before we got back into a routine, after school activities, and my work schedule got busy.
Updated: August 15, 2023
Is it time to get out of the city? You don’t always have to leave for days to have fun! Day trips can really help when the vacation budget is strained, you have no camping gear or desire to sleep in the forest, you’ve already used up your holiday time at work and also for kids who sleep best in their own beds at the end of the night!
We’ve pulled together a list of day trips that take 2 hours or less of driving to arrive at your destination (and may have thrown in a couple extra special spots that take a bit longer). All times indicated are based on departing from downtown Edmonton, so adjust according to where you live!
Updated: July 3, 2023
The 3rd Saturday of July is Parks Day across Canada! That’s July 15 in 2023. First recognized in 1990, Parks Day exists to encourage everyone to discover the treasures and natural beauty around us. This is something that we can definitely get behind! There is nothing more soul reviving than connecting with nature, exploring the great outdoors and celebrating the amazing and pristine outdoor spaces that we are so lucky to have in Canada.
Updated: June 11, 2023
30 minutes west of Edmonton you’ll find 480 acre Chickakoo Lake Recreation Area. We went out for a hike (okay, so maybe it was more of a walk) and discovered so much more! From the little playground, to the interpretive signs, docks (anyone else’s kids obsessed with running out onto every. single. dock they encounter?), and more, it was a spirit-renewing outing in the woods.