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Edmonton, the capital of Alberta, stretches along both banks of the North Saskatchewan River in roughly the center of the province. With that economic prosperity, shops, Edmonton has invested in art and culture by building excellent theaters and museums.

The city’s greatest claim to fame, however, is the West Edmonton Mall, which is one of the largest leisure and shopping centers in the world. Even during the long cold winters, when temperatures average -40°C, shoppers are still enticed to linger.

10.TELUS World of Science

In a modern white building, the TELUS World of Science in Edmonton is an all-ages educational experience. Many interactive and hands-on science and technology exhibits cover topics like space, robots, forensics, and the environment. Adjoining is an excellent planetarium called the Margaret Zeidler Star Theatre, and the IMAX theatre shows fascinating films from all over the world.

9.Alberta Aviation Museum

The Alberta Aviation Museum is a must see for all aviation buffs with its 40 aircraft on display. Located near the Edmonton city center airport, the museum is easy to find with its two fighter jets mounted in interesting positions, one nearly vertical.

8.Art Gallery of Alberta

A twisting modernist building on Sir Winston Churchill Square, the Art Gallery of Alberta in Edmonton is dedicated to visual arts with an emphasis on Western Canada. The gallery features changing and traveling exhibitions, and maintains an extensive collection of more than 6,000 pieces.

7.Legislature Building

In the midst of a park-like garden where the last Fort Edmonton once stood, is the 1912 Legislature Building. From the terrace, there is a beautiful view across the North Saskatchewan River to the far bank. Guided tours are the best way to learn about the history, architecture, and secrets of the building.

6.Muttart Conservatory

On the south bank of the North Saskatchewan River, four pyramid-shaped hothouses are home to rare and far-traveled species of plants.

Each pyramid features a distinct environment representing different biomes of the world, from the tropical climate of Burma and Fiji to the temperate pavilion with its American redwoods and Australian eucalyptus. With so many species of plants on display, the conservatory is the premier horticultural facility in Edmonton.

5.Fort Edmonton Park

Another open-air museum, Fort Edmonton Park has old buildings faithfully reconstructed to reflect Edmonton’s historical development. The buildings include a typical 1846 fort belonging to the Hudson’s Bay Company, a street from a pioneer town of 1885, the up-and-coming provincial capital in 1905, as well as buildings from the 1920s.

Among the different forms of old transport, visitors can ride a horse-drawn wagon or a steam train. At the John Janzen Nature Centre nearby, there are exhibits about local geology and ecology.

4.Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village

Established in the 1970s along the Yellowhead Highway, this open-air museum preserves the cultural heritage of the many immigrants from Bukovina and Ukraine, who settled in what is now Alberta in the 1890s.

Various historic buildings have been reconstructed on the site, and the pale onion dome of a Ukrainian church is visible from afar. There are many living history elements to explore, including a blacksmith, market, and an old-fashioned general store.

3.West Edmonton Mall

Canada’s largest shopping center and one of the largest in the world, West Edmonton Mall is a major tourist attraction. In addition to hundreds of shops and restaurants, the facility contains a hotel, movie theaters, a huge water park, ice rink, and much more. In Europa Boulevard many of the shops have European-style fronts and carry the names of international fashion designers.

Bourbon Street, a copy of the famous New Orleans street, is a destination for Creole food and live music. The mall’s Galaxyland is one of the largest covered, indoor amusement parks in the world. There are all kinds of rides including a triple-loop roller coaster.

2.Elk Island National Park & Beaver Hills

This national park covers a wooded area with lakes and wetlands and is home to all kinds of wildlife, including moose, elk, deer, and beaver. But the main attraction of Elk Island National Park is the large herd of buffalo (bison), which graze over a special enclosure. Anyone driving slowly along the road through the park cannot fail to catch sight of one of these massive shaggy beasts.

The Beaver Hills area was originally the tribal home of the Sarcee Indians. The Cree drove them out, however, hunting beaver and buffalo pelts for the large fur-trading companies. With hunting and settlement, the buffalo were almost wiped out, though some Beaver Hills buffalo are thought to have been captured in 1909 and placed in a reserve of their own.

1.Royal Alberta Museum

The Royal Alberta Museum is home to a mix of permanent cultural and natural history exhibits, as well as always-changing temporary installations. Particularly impressive are the fossils from dinosaur and ice age eras, aquaria of native fish, and live insects – including some exotic and enormous species.

The museum’s cultural history departments explore aboriginal cultures with artifacts from Blackfoot, Cree, and other First Nations.