suggestions for my trip
 

hey
so xirax and i are going to alberta in august to visit some of his relatives, and i thought i would ask for suggestions of some stuff to do while we're there. we're going to lethbridge, edmonton, and calgary. i'm not sure of our full schedule yet, so i'm not sure what can be worked in. just if any of you fine tfp loving canadians know of something we just have to see, let me know? thanks :icare:

well ive driven through and flown over... let me see.. theres the west edmonton mall... and theres a huge fighter base in cold lake, its cool to stay on the base with all the low fly bys when the cf 18s and the snowbirds practice for the airshow

If you've never been to Banff do yourself a favor and stop there. It's beautiful.

I've been to both Calgary and Lethbridge but didn't really do much touristy type stuff. Oh, I did go to the little fort down in the river bottom in Lethbridge. That was kinda cool. Fort Whoop Up I think it was called. The river bottom is nice. If you like taking walks and such and you have a few hours to burn take a walk down there.

I just returned from Banff and I have to second Averett... While it is touristy it is worth the visit... Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper are all amazing...

I live in Calgary now and spent over 5 years living in Banff ( also spent a few years in Edmonton, but that's not as consequential).

Now that I have esablished myself as and expert :) Let me give you the straight dope. As far as cities go, Calgary is way more interesting that Edmonton is. If it was not for West Edmonton Mall, there would be nothing to see in EDM.

Calgary's city center is amazing. A couple of things not to miss are: Prince's Island Park (close to Eau Claire Market) and the miles and miles of bike/walking paths.

Most importantly: Do not miss Banff, it's only about 90 minites from Calgary and something you have to see. The townsite is very touristy but there are someways to get more into nature if that is your deal. Go north from Banff to Lake Minnewanka, it's about 15 minutes from town and worth the drive. If you have time you can take a boat ride around the lake...but I don't know what it costs or how long it takes.

If you are into hiking, head to the south end of Banff near the world famous Banff Springs Hotel. There are a number of trails that start and end in that area. Also, be sure to take a walk thru the hotel it's quite site to see.

On your drive from Calgary to Lethbridge (or viceversa) you should stop in at my most favourite museum in the whole world: (pause for the name)

"Head-Smashed-In-Buffalo-Jump"
Back in the day our native Albertans if you will, would herd buffalo over cliffs to save themselves the messy task of having to kill them manually. The museum is set right into a cliff-side, so from the exterior all you can see is a door way leading undergound...very impressive.

I could go on more and more if you want. But let me know what sorts of things you like to do and I can suggest more stuff (esp in Banff) that would be up your alley.

Have a good trip, and don't forget to buy a t-shirt.

I hope you realize how far apart Edmonton and Calgary are. =)

(~300 km, or 200 miles)

You can go up the Calgary tower. And visit the Calgary zoo!

Oh, and while there, eat some saskatoons.

Yes - walk through the Banff Springs Hotel. It is AMAZING. I thought we were going to get lost in there. It was winter, and we saw about 6 or so elk outside. So impressive.


I really want to go to Head-Smashed-In-Buffalo-Jump. There are a lot of things I missed during my trips out there. I guess I'll have to make another someday :D

If you like dinsauor bones (or have kids who do) go t to Drumheller.
http://www.drumheller.findalberta.co...drumheller.jpg

Drumheller and banff voted for here.

thanks guys. keep th ideas coming and i'll update you guys on plans as we get an idea of what we're doing.
btw, i do know how far they are, but thanks for the warning in case.

Banff is a beautiful place. lots of stuff to do in the summer and winter, incredible scenery, and I love the look the locals give you.

head smashed in buffalo jump is my favorite museum as well. Went there when I was 12-13 and it was just amazing. Learned a lot as well as having tons of fun.

Be sure to stop by west edmonton mall though- you can go to the waterpark, shop, ride in the amusement park, etc. it's a full day trip in itself.

Edmonton is (in my opinion) more laid back than calgary. There is a lot of thought towards city beautification and the river valley is very peaceful. Night life is depressing, but the Globe usually has it's share of people.

I hope you guys have fun in alberta!

I agree with all DO NOT MISS BANFF but in calgary you should look around on the net and find out about a couple activites. On Prince's Island Park there are festivals, medival fighting events, and a very aswome theater group that does "shakespear in the park" I dont know when they are playing but it is sometimes in augest

My list of things in the area (from a trip I did with my wife 5 or 6 years ago). Some of our highlights were:

Drumheller
Calgary Zoo
Banff

Some things we wanted to do but didn't have time:
The Jasper Icefields
Hike to the Burgess Shale (needs pre-booking).

Definitely West Edmonton Mall and Banff. Banff is a must see. You do not go to Southern Alberta and not go to Banff. It is just wrong.

Gets the geeky thumbs up from me... this is one of the most important fossil finds... ever. LOOK HERE

Drumheller is cool as well... if only to say you've been to the bad lands... who's bad?

On your way to the Banff Springs hotel, there is a bridge you have to cross at the end of the main strip. (just next to a tourist info center)

Go under the bridge and check out the amazing artwork on the walls. I heard some famous Canadian painter did something under there but can't remember the name. You might find some backpackers under there to but they shouldn't bother you. Go in the daytime.

Someone may have cleaned it up by now which would be to bad but you never know.

thanks guys. i love hearing all these suggestions. we'll probably get into some solid planning soon (well i guess we'd better, we're going in about a month). i'll make sure to keep checking here, and i'll let you know what we decided to do.
i'm wondering too if anyone knows of any good bars or anything that's more of the nightlife, cause that's something a bit less touristy but something we might like to check out nonetheless.

hey! i just thought too...if there are any good gay bars or strips clubs...we don't have either in pei. well, i heard a strip club opened on the west part of the island, but it sounds pretty shady. anyways, that could be fun for us.

haha best gay bars in edmonton are the roost and buddy;s, both downtyown. The roost is 50% straight peeps and buddy's is like 85% homosexual. anyways both are fun, if ya meet the right people.
other nightlife highlights (at least for me) are the globe(downtown), and if with friends, squire or o'byrnes on whyte ave.

are they like pub style places or like more dance clubs? i like both, i'm just wondering for which nights i'd like to go where kind of thing.
this is great guys, keep any ideas coming.

Wait till winter and go skiing at Fernie and Lake Louise.

Some good spots to check out for nightlife in Calgary are on 17th Ave. There's a ton of little pubs and lounges that are a lot of fun. 1st St. has a lot of good clubs as well.

As for strip clubs, I'd recommend checking out the Speak Easy in Calgary. It's huge and a lot of fun. And for gay bars, don't really know. Never been to any, though I'm sure there are a few around.

As for other info, a lot has already been said above. You gotta get out into the mountains. I'm not huge on Banff the town in general, though it is a beautiful town, just a bit too touristy for my tastes. I'd rather go to the Kananaskis or check out some hikes and sites a little off the beating path.

Have fun.

not really an option at this point, since i have my flight booked and i am in school in the winter.
plus, i have never skied in my life so i probably should stick to small time ski places if i were going to start.

Well, In calgary there is 1 gay bar that I know of. Detours. No idea what it's like, but that's where my hair cutter goes.
Like sherpahigh said check out 17th ave. I live there and there are alot of bars/pubs.
Detours is on 17th as well.

both the roost and buddy's are dance style clubs. There are quiet areas in them though. The globe is much like the roost, just straight.
If you are looking for a pub scene in edmonton, head to "The Druid", (downtown), and there is quite a few on whyte avenue- Squires, o'byrnes, wooly bully's, and another one that I go to when i'm already drunk, so i don't remember it's name. Lots of nightlife on whyte avenue though.

thanks- this is great to know. i love you guys :icare:

Definitely don't miss Drumheller if you're even remotely interested in Dinosaurs! As much as I love Banff, I've always been a much bigger fan of Jasper if you're into the outdoors. And don't miss the Columbia Icefields if you can help it.

*sob* This is making me homesick for the West Coast.

i'm planning now you guys. we're trying to work in as much as possible. we'll likely be in calgary for the better part of it...anyways if there are any other suggestions now would be a good time. thank you all for all your help. i'll let you know where we're going and how everything went soon. xoxo

rent a raft from the University and float down the Bow River. Also don't forget to check out Kananaskis Country. It's on the way to Banff. Some nice spots up there.

Cheers,

that's always a great idea for a hot summers day. The elbow river can be good fun as well.

hey all
just got home tonight. i'll give you details later about what i did, sometime when i'm not so sleepy. we didn't do as much touristy stuff as i had thought, but we explored calgary a lot and i am completely in love with the city. i think i will move there sometime soon. thanks for everything again guys. xoxo