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.
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!
Updated Juky 2, 2023
Going to Banff is a fun experience for the whole family but sometimes it can be hard occupying the kids all of the time. This is especially true if you’re not familiar with what there is to see and do. We’ve got 10 kid-approved ideas on how to keep busy with the kids while visiting Banff!
Kid-approved activities to do with kids when visiting Banff
This mix of cheap and free things to do in Banff should give you a wide range of activities in the National Park that your kids will love and talk about for years to come!
If you’ve ever driven on the Yellowhead Highway around Wildwood and Entwistle, you’ve no doubt noticed a massive lake along the north side of Highway 16. During a recent road trip we actually saw a sailboat on this lake and I was intrigued so, decided to take the kiddies on a road trip to Chip Lake.
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.
I’ve lived in Alberta my whole life, in Edmonton for almost 20 years and I’d never been to Elk Island National Park until this past week.
I know what some of you are thinking. What took you so long? Honestly, I don’t know. Many friends had told me about all the fun they’d had, I’d seen amazing pictures from my photography friends and I always thought to myself that I need to get out there some day. Thanks to my very good friend Allison, who offered to take us out there, 2 moms and 4 kids set out on an adventure.
Looking for more activities? Check out these posts:
- Short Day Trips from Edmonton
- Roadside Attractions day trip to the northeast of Edmonton
- Head East of YEG!
- 8-day/7-night Alberta highlights
We started by going down Bison Loop Road, to see the grazing beauties & stopped at the Big Red Chairs, before driving to the beach to eat our supper.
The lake. It sure is beautiful and was a perfect place for supper.
After supper, we checked out the Living Waters Boardwalk.
We did the loop & hit the playground. Then we walked up and checked out the old house.
The sun was coming down in the sky so we hit the car again to head out for a 2.5Km hike down Amisk Wuche Trail.
The sun was almost down as we finished up the last bit of the hike and it was amazing.
The kids had spent the whole time looking for markers, discussing the fairies that lived under the mushrooms, watching a teeny tiny tree frog hop across the path and generally being as loud a possible.
It was my favourite play date this summer and I highly recommend it! Be sure to check out their events page too. They have sessions running every weekend over the summer.
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.
Updated May 9, 2023
Across the province, Albertans are celebrating the end of a long winter’s nap and relishing this much deserved warm weather. Kids, meanwhile, are still firmly attached to their devices. Did you know there are ways to turn that into an outdoor magnet?
While chirping birds and sprouting buds may be enough for parents to start summer dreaming and into nature but the same can’t always be said for our kids. But phones, cameras, and even some game systems have ways to encourage kids to get outdoors!