This museum is a great spot, especially for your airplane loving ones. I love how much effort they…read morehave put into making it more interactive with kid designed scavenger hunts and activity sheets available for your visit. As well as having a cockpit or 2 open for kids to climb into and explore. The restored planes are phenomenally done and set out as full display alongside fitting decor and learning material like flight suits, tools and equipment, and even a little tractor. I loved that we got a tour, it brought some of the Alberta and Canadian history of flight to life and more connection. And then we got an informative and very intimate back area tour of their restoration garage where so many volunteers were working on multiple plane restoration projects.

I can't say that I'm an aviation expert, but I am fascinated by planes. And visiting Edmonton I…read moreknew I had to see this. And it did not disappoint. The weather was nice out and the museum wasn't busy so we got to explore everywhere we wanted. I got to see some planes I've only seen on historical documentaries. This museum being Canadian had their own arsenals and equipment to assist in allied efforts during world conflicts. So it's nice to see what other countries had. All planes had a informational board to read about some well known pilots that used them and the impact they made with their equipment. We saw there was an attendant that was giving information as well. The one that I liked was the plane of the infamous Red Baron. Legendary for being an ace in dogfights during WW1. This place is a must see for aviation enthusiast! They have a small gift shop but they didn't have much compared to the one back home. But then again, we came to see planes!

We spent a few hours at the museum before it closed. The first floor of the museum leads you to the…read morehistory of Alberta. Although this museum exhibit and artifacts are nicely displayed and seems to be of significance, the museum flow was haphazard and didn't guide you towards a narrative or chronology, which is kind of jarring. The descriptions throughout the museum themselves don't really dive deep and maybe seems more like it's geared towards school-age children. Had I just seen this part of the museum, I would've disliked the museum overall. The second floor with the natural history section was much better, with fossils and even some live exhibits (like the beautiful, healthy corals and the turtles, though they didn't seem as happy). I live learning about the animals that roamed the area, including the Edmontosaurus. I was kind of fatigued from all the taxidermied/animal models behind glass cases though. The minerals/gem exhibit was also pretty exquisite and there's even an interactive section about magnetic stones and meteorites. My favorite is probably the special exhibit on "Death: Life's Greatest Mystery," which I think did a wonderful job in portraying different customs revolving around death. I also like the Francophone exhibit, especially the audio exhibit. Overall, I enjoyed the majority of the exhibits and thought the museum was worth visiting.

It was only last year that I finally visited the Royal Alberta Museum (RAM) in it's "new" downtown…read morelocation. But since then I've visited 3 times, once for my birthday, once for a friend's birthday, and then again to see an exhibit on Orcas. The RAM is the largest museum in western Canada. There are several permanent exhibits including the Children's Gallery, the Bug Gallery, the Human History Hall, and the Natural History Hall. I didn't visit the Children's Gallery, cause I'm an adult without kids so that would be weird, but I did visit the other ones. The Bug Gallery is really cool if you love bugs, but even if you're not a big bug person the bugs are all in contained closures, and I thought was really interesting. My favourites were the two halls, which if you couldn't tell from the names deal with human history and natural history. The human history one goes through the history of the people who've lived in this area from the Indigenous peoples who have been here since time immemorial to European settlers, modern immigration, and present day. The natural history hall has the history of the different flora and fauna that have been in Alberta. This includes exhibits on dinosaurs, which if you've been in Alberta for any length of time you'll know we have a lot of fossils here. And there is also an exhibit on various minerals in Alberta and in Canada. I like shiny rocks so I liked it. Then there is a feature gallery and a changing exhibit. The feature gallery is smaller, but the changing exhibit (when one is in) is usually quite large. The changing exhibits I saw where the ones on Angkor Wat and Orcas (different times). Both were great exhibits, but I think they've changed now. The museum space is huge, and there's lots to see so give yourself lots of time. My downside to the museum is just that I don't live nearby so it's a bit of a pain to drive downtown and park (especially with construction). The LRT is nearby (I think Churchill is the closet station. The museum itself can also get really busy, especially on weekends or if a school field trip is in. But hey, I have fond memories of school field trips at the RAM in its old location in Glenora so I hope kids get good memories of the RAM in its new home. If you're planning to visit the RAM a few times you can get an annual pass. The other option is buy an Alberta History Pass, which will get you into a few different historic sites for a yearly fee. That's what I did. You can buy the pass at the RAM and it's pretty easy to get your money's worth if you come back for a couple of visits. Not sure when I'll visit again, but I'll definitely be back.

After dinner decided to go for a walk and walk a few blocks to see the neon sign museum. It is 24…read morehours as it is outside on the side of the buildings. As we did come during summer the sun does set later so I do recommend coming later in the night if you can to see the neon science and it's full potential. We did come by around eight or 9 PM so the sun was still out, but the lights were still on so we were able to see them. It is what it is, and was nice to see. Nothing super Duper special, but something nice to see as you're walking around the streets. Also around the corner they have other larger areas of the city and many restaurants to look at as well.

"Museum" is a bit of a stretch because this isn't a museum in the conventional sense of the word…read more Rather, it's a collection of 20 neon signs hung on the TELUS building. Collectively, they are quite a sight. Apparently, these are authentic signs from old Edmonton businesses that have been cleaned up and reconditioned. It's a nice curiosity to stop by and check out if you are strolling by the Rogers Center.

Absolutely wonderful place to hang out all day with the kids. Can be a little crow, bring ear…read moreprotection or quiet time activities for sensitive people.

Fun for kids and adults. Amazing imax theater. Good food at cheap prices in cafeteria. Nice clean…read morefacilities. Always entertaining. I have a annual pass to this place to watch movies and enter exhibits. It's totally worthwhile because If you go during the weekdays you almost have the place to yourself or just before closing too. I like the space exhibit which actually has a peice of the moon on display. But there are tons of interactive games and puzzles that most adults play too (some are still challenging for me for the first time). There is a cool body exhibits to explore which is cool if it's your first time there to see how your body works and how healthy you are. There's also a giant play are in 2 parts of the center. One one main floor and second floor. So the kids have plenty of place sto burn off their excess energy. I could stare at the ball thing thatis ancient for hours bc that's what I used to do as child mesmerized by the journey that little ball takes. I would highly recommend watching the imax movies here because usually the only last 2 rows are sold out so there's alot of space in between people. Staff are friendly and there's alot of areas to just eat if you pack your own lunch. Annual members get a 10% discount which is really nice too! I personally think the roving exhibits are a perfect date night since there's alot to do or talk about. And situated in west downtown there's alot of good places to eat nearby. I think edmontons telus center is better than the over busy and crowded ones in vancouver or calgary. With alot more to do. I think edmontonians take this place for granted.

I took my mother to a Valentine's Date showing here the past weekend to see Valentine Train!…read more First of all, LOVED loved LOVED the theatre made to be a replica of the original. From the pictures on the walls to the vintage curtain to the the replica windows, it was like a movie set! I did find it a tad odd that we waited in the lobby for the doors to open until 810PM when the website had said show at 8PM but none the less it was great! The accoustics and visual inside was perfect and you were even allowed to bring in drinks or snacks purchased from the goody stand which included old fashioned favourites like flavoured candy sticks (think candy canes without the curve). The intermission was the perfect length of time. Seating was first come, first serve. The seats themselves were a little uncomfy - I'd like a modern update to the chairs perhaps :-) And let's not forget how cute it is driving into Fort Edmonton Park (my first time there if you can believe it!). Even though the park protion was closed, it was cute walking past the old fashioned shop fronts. There is a hotel there open year round called Hotel Selkirk which offers date night packages and dinner. It is a reconstruction of the 1920's hotel originally located on Jasper Avenue. Check them out at: http://www.fortedmontonpark.ca/hotel-selkirk/ I admittedly have not eaten there but the pictures look divine! Their website mentions weekly Sunday Brunch as well as dining events like Murder Mysteries! Yes Please! I can't wait to come back in the summer to take the whole experience in with the fam jam.

Tonight I went to the Capitol Theatre, which is theatre in Fort Edmonton Park. It was completed…read morelast year (I believe) and made to look like the original Capitol Theatre that was in Edmonton in the 1920's. While Fort Edmonton Park is only open during seasonal months (May to October) and for special occasions the Capitol Theatre is open at various times throughout the year when the Capitol Theatre is putting on a production. I should say this is a live theatre (as in plays and musicals) but apparently during regular Fort Edmonton Park dates/times they show a historic movie about Edmonton called "Northern Lights" that's free with park admission. During the off-season when a production isn't on the theatre can be rented out for group functions, which would be kinda neat. The outside of the theatre, from the parking lot at least, looks like just another grey cement building. I have to admit that kinda saddened me. I mean the Hotel Selkirk is right next door, and looks very lovely with its brickwork. I don't know maybe the hotel Selkirk isn't made of real brick, but it looks real. The Capitol Theatre has a lovely front facade that looks like a theatre from the 1920's. A bright marquee, a lovely wood panelled box office, vintage movie posters. It totally sells the part. Except for the fact you turn your head two inches and you can see the rest of the building is an ugly grey cement box. It's a bit disappointing that no one sprung the little bit extra to make the whole building look nice. So the disappointing part out of the way, like I said the front of the theatre is very nice, and the inside is nice as well. The theatre is done up in an Art Deco style. The lobby has framed posters of the original theatre, and other historic theatres in Edmonton. Plus there are posters from some of the plays and movies that were originally shown around Edmonton. If you're like me and you love vintage movie posters it was a pretty cool thing. The actual theatre where the stage of was lovely. It sort of reminded me of the Cannon Theatre in Toronto. Definitely not the same size, but there was that same Art Deco kind of style. The theatre looked like it could hold a couple hundred people, so it's not too big. The seats just look like any seat you might see in a theatre, but they're actually quite comfortable for a theatre seat. Trust me. I love theatre, but I've been to shows where I start fidgeting after 20 minutes because the seats are so uncomfortable. The Capitol Theatre seats were very nice. I saw "The Next Chapter", a Neil Simon play about a widowed man and a divorced woman. It was kinda funny, kinda cute, lots of snappy dialogue (Neil Simon seems to write snappy dialogue well), a little more dramatic than I expected. But I enjoyed it. The theatre was maybe half full, but to be honest I completely forgot that Fort Edmonton Park had a theatre until I was doing research for a school project. The price is very reasonable. Students (with ID) and seniors get tickets for $20, a regular adult admission is $28. The play I saw wasn't appropriate for the under 12 crowd so I don't know how much a regular kids ticket would cost. I do know that they will put on kids shows, because they're going to do The Velveteen Rabbit in December. The theatre is very nice (except the back part outside). The show was good (although live theatre can vary), and the ticket price was reasonable. Another bonus to seeing a show at the Capitol Theatre is getting to see part of Fort Edmonton Park in the evening, after a snow fall. It was quiet and quite pretty.

This is the first gallery I've seen in Edmonton that sells fine First Nations art (maybe the only…read moreone?). It's an authentic art gallery, so you won't find items like tacky dreamcatchers and mini-totem poles as you would at stereotypical tourist shops. The Bearclaw Gallery has the real stuff, some of which rivals the fine art in BC, where there is a huge Aboriginal art market. Since coming back from Vancouver, I hadn't seen any soapstone carvings until today when I stumbled upon the Bearclaw. (Soapstone is basically a rock material used in art carving, and typically has green to brown hues depending on its mineral content; it's very common among Inuit art.) They carry quality art by Aboriginal and Inuit artists, including paintings, silkscreen prints, sculptures, and soapstone and antler-bone carvings. I was surprised to see a strong Northwest Coast influence here; there are lots of wooden carved masks. They even have authentic hand-carved silver jewelry here! (If you've never seen one of these, you have to visit the gallery to at least look at them; they're unlike any jewelry you've ever seen before, and that's an understatement.) The prairies First Nations art tended to be more dominant in the paintings and prints. Famous artists include Norval Morriseau and Daphne Odjig. They have smaller items too, like beautifully beaded jewelry and accessories, moccasins, and dreamcatchers. These dreamcatchers are unlike any you've seen though; they're huge and authentic, not mass-produced somewhere in China. Although there's not quite a market for Aboriginal art here in Edmonton yet, I think it's great that the Bearclaw Gallery is here. If you're an avid art collector, this place is a must-see.

My friend and I grabbed a coffee and did our own little art walk on 124th street. The Bearclaw…read moreGallery was the third gallery we went to and for me the most impressionable! The art is stunning. There is a variety of sculptures, carvings, paintings, prints and jewelry all influenced by aboriginal culture. I love the stories that each piece of art had - lots of meaning and significance that always draws me in. The colors are brilliant. The cost can range anywhere from $10 to thousands of dollars depending on what your tastes are. I was able to snag a few prints by Maxine Noel that I absolutely love. She is a Canadian First Nations artist who is self taught. Her paintings come to life with the use of lines, color and symbolism. I must say they look great on my wall. The staff were super friendly and knowledgeable and were passionate about the art. I highly recommend stopping in for a look. You may walk away with a treasure.

There's so many cool and exciting things happening here! So much goodness…read more I was here for the first time last weekend at the Compost S'Cool to learn about home composting. Excellent afternoon! The exhibits are wonderful, the compost experts are also wonderful and the compost toilet is even more excellent! They offer courses and programs as well. There are other exhibits at the centre; Prairie Pond, Honeybee Hive and the Tegler Discovery Zone. Great learning and fun activities for families. They also offer birthday parties! It's located right beside the Fort Edmonton Park so you can do both in one day! The parking lot is big and spacious.

When you have a little one and long cold winters, you definitely need to find creative spaces…read morearound town that will assist in letting your little ones burn off some energy. I'm thankful that we have the John Janzen Nature Centre. For starters, it's in the river valley next to Fort Edmonton Park, so the location is pretty awesome. The centre itself is bright and full of fun activities for the kids to see and do. One room has some amphibians and fish to observe, as well as cool nature facts. The other room across the hall is a giant play area for kids to run around in - there is a giant bee "hive" they can climb, a slide to go down, a treehouse to check out or tunnels to explore. Also, a beaver dam and mini river to round out the room. Many parents take their kids and babies here to spend an hour or two at. I've seen even groups of moms come with their newborns and set up a blanketed area for their newborns to play together in. It's so nice to see the space being utilized so well. For babies under 2, the cost is $3 (for one parent and baby inclusive); otherwise once they are over 2, the price jumps to $8. I've only ever checked this place out during the winter but i'm excited to see what else is offered during the warmer months.

We came here for a special experience at the the 360 Dome Theatre. It has some beanbag seats in the…read morecentre, where you lie down and stare at the ceiling which is a dome, the whole surface is the screen. The rest of the chairs are set in circles with varying degrees of recline-ability. The show was called Trust the universe. It was listening to philosophy and watching and hearing a beautiful show. The rest of the science centre was closed to the public. But you could purchase drinks (even a glass of wine!) and snacks and bring them into the theatre. Hard to describe it, except if you like the first act of Fantasia, when it's just colour and movement to music., the. You will really like this. It was similar, but the 360 dome made it such a wonderful and relaxing experience. Lots of galaxy, stars and moving colour and light. Absolutely worth it and would like to see more performances like this.

This place brings out my inner 10 year old nerdy/geeky child, and I love it!…read moreEven if you don't like science-y things, you will still enjoy yourself plenty here The IMAX theatre is amazing (and comfy), the gift shop is full of unique trinkets, gadgets and thingamajigs galore, and obviously the exhibits are top-notch! There are so many things happening here it's insane! @_@ I appreciate the super family-friendly environment and play areas for the kids, which encourages me to bring out my own inner kid and play again And I also like how they have certain hours for adults-only play time too! The Dark Matter events are also great adult-only play-times at the science centre, hosted about once every 2 months. If you haven't been before, you got to check out the next one! I've always had a lot more fun than I anticipated having attended a couple Dark Matter events previously (example- smashing veggies dipped in liquid nitrogen all over the floor!) The permanent galleries/exhibits are great fun, whether you've been once or a hundred times, and it's more magical sharing with a group of your crazy cool friends (or borrowing your nieces & nephews for the afternoon haha)! The traveling exhibits are the highlight of why I think this place is awesome, like the dinosaur exhibits, Star Wars, Sherlock Holmes (super fun but my detective skills were lacking in solving the murder mystery lol) and my all-time favourite Body Worlds (seeing the inner you in a whole new perspective....)!! And multiple other events that use the science centre as a venue to host seminars, webinars, clinics and more! In-a-nutshell, come check it!