Destination attractions things to do in alberta

Posted: 02/09/2007--25/11/2008 || Rate this Article: 3 || Views|| Sign In || Register ||Hello Guest

Think of the Canadian province of Alberta and you think of wide open spaces C prairies and mountains. This impression is justified as Alberta contains some of the most unspoiled and dramatic mountain scenery anywhere in the world. But Alberta also offers cosmopolitan cities, ranches reminiscent of the American Wild West and the worlds largest shopping mall. The province covers a huge area, yet with a population of only around 3 million, most of who live in the two main cities, Calgary and Edmonton.

It is of course, the spectacular Canadian Rockies themselves that are the provinces biggest attraction, and most visitors to the Rockies base themselves in Jasper or Banff, the two main gateways. Both towns offer a wide range of skiing facilities, accommodation, restaurants and other tourist facilities; both towns can be extremely crowded unless you visit off-season. The Rockies stretch for hundreds of miles down the West side of Alberta, and its easy to lose yourself in the solitude and beauty of these ancient mountains. The area offers unrivalled mountaineering, hiking and fishing throughout its many national parks. If you need to be pampered while staying in the Rockies however, several of the spectacular mountain lodges built by railroad tycoons are still offering luxury, along with a view.

Calgary and Edmonton are the two largest cities in Alberta; both are pleasant places to explore, with a small-town atmosphere to them rather than a big city feel. Calgary is home to the famous stampede every July, one of the largest and wildest events of its kind. Apart from the rodeo and related events, the city puts on entertainments and special events C its a bit like a state fair with a distinctly Wild West feel to it. Aside from the rodeo, Calgary takes pride in its hosting of the 1988 winter Olympic Games C you can take guided tours of the huge Olympic park site, and also visit the Olympic Hall of Fame, one of North Americas largest sporting museums. For a spectacular view of Calgary, as well as the surrounding prairies, take a ride to the observation deck at the top of the 600 foot Calgary Tower.

Alberta has been cattle ranching country since the late 1800s and the sprawling prairies to the west of Calgary contain some of the best ranching country in North America. Many of the ranches welcome visitors with authentic accommodation, campfire cookouts - and the chance to be a cowboy for a short while. The ranching country is dotted with small towns, many offer excellent antique and craft shops. The town of Cochrane is the home of the Western Heritage Center, a museum depicting the history of ranching and the cattle industry.

Edmonton discovered oil 50 years ago and has since become a thriving town and the oil capital of Canada. Nothing perhaps can compete with the Calgary stampede, but Edmonton tries with its Klondike Days festival every July. This commemorates the 1890s when Edmonton became a boomtown as prospectors stopped in the town on their way to the gold fields in the Yukon. The festival features locals dressing up in period costume, raucous singing and dancing, and the famous tradition of the Sourdough river raft race. But it is shopping that most visitors come to Edmonton for C the city boasts the West Edmonton mall, one of the largest in the world with more than 800 stores and dozens of restaurants. Its a mall of superlatives C the worlds largest indoor theme park, the worlds biggest parking lot. This is one place where you remember where you parked your car.

North of Edmonton, Alberta is even more sparsely populated, and there are few tourist facilities. A drive through the hundreds of square miles of forest and wilderness to the border with the Northwest Territories is one of the last great travel adventures. Wildlife abounds here C deer, moose and black bears C and the area is also a haven for wild bird watchers. The end of the road here C almost literally C is the village of Indian Cabins, with its traditional native Indian cemetery. One memorable sight in these wide open spaces is the natural light show known as the Aurora Borealis whish occurs approximately 150 nights of the year.

For something just a little bit different, to the east of Calgary, you can explore some of the largest dinosaur fossil beds in the world. Dinosaur Park is a world heritage site containing the remains of more than 300 dinosaurs of over 30 species; many of these are not found anywhere else. The Royal Tyrell Museum of Paleontology in the town of Drumheller, the self-styled dinosaur capital, offers 50 full size reconstructions of dinosaurs, as well as the chance to participate in dinosaur digs.