You have friends of family coming to visit from out of town. You put them up for a week or so and take them out to show them the sights. How many times do your guests want to see the most blatantly tourist oriented things in town? In Edmonton's case that means the 500,000 square meter, multi billion dollar monstrosity known as West Edmonton Mall.
The capital of Alberta, Edmonton's river valley offers the largest stretch of urban parkway at about 20 times the size of New York's Central Park. From late spring through summer Edmonton earns its reputation as festival city. Between art, theatre and night club venues, Edmonton has a thriving arts and culture scene. And there's plenty of shopping and sights to see that are actually fun.
For example, if you do want to shop, you should start in Old Strathcona. Voted one of the ten coolest places in Canada, Old Strathcona is about eight square blocks of dining, shopping and more centered around Whyte ave. and Calgary trail. www.oldstrathcona.ca will tell you all you need to know about this historic neighbourhood. For more shopping, dining, health and beauty needs, Kingsway mall will fit the bill nicely. www.kingswaymall.com will guide you to all your shopping needs.
If you're visiting anytime during the spring and summer Edmonton has plenty of activities to keep you out in the fresh air. The festival season kicks off on May 23rd with the rainmaker rodeo, so named because this rodeo has not been held without it raining. June brings us nextfest and the international jazz festival. Visit this site for all your festival needs.
All partied out at this week's festivals? Spend a Saturday at Fort Edmonton Park. For a $13.50 you get full access to North America's largest interactive historic park. At its heart is a full replica of the Hudson Bay fur trading post as it stood in 1845. Outside the fort is a small park and pond (stocked with fish for father's day) and a nearby amusement park. You'll also find three streets built to represent three eras in Edmonton's growth. And in case all that walking gets you tired you can take a load off in one of the restaurants or ride the streetcar, train, or one of many restored vehicles. This site will give you all the information you need.
Weather not so good? Get inside at the muttart conservatory. $9.00 buys you access to four glass pyramids featuring rare plants representing different ecosystems from around the world. The conservatory offers tours Sunday afternoons and behind the scenes tours at 1:00 pm the first Sunday of each month. Go to www.muttartconservatory.ca to find out more.
Come to the provincial museum to view impressive displays on aboriginal culture, Alberta's wilderness habitats and natural history dating back to the time of dinosaurs. Every season features new displays on a wide variety of subjects in science, nature and history. Admission to the museum is only $10.00. Go here to learn more.
Need more indoor fun? Visit the Telus World of Science for all sorts of science fun. The Art Gallery of Alberta has some beautiful exhibits by local and international artists and is located near downtown shopping and dining. Interested in aviation? Visit the Alberta Aviation Museum near Kingsway mall to see the history of aviation in Alberta.
I don't know about you, but all that walking around has made me hungry. One place I love to stop for lunch is Metro Billiards in downtown Edmonton. While on Whyte ave, the next act pub is one place I always like to go. Unfortunately, no website yet. If you're looking for more restaurant recommendations, go here.
