Being from Edmonton I find the city gets a bit of a bad rap. Despite the cold in the winter and the construction during the snow-free months once you get to know it Edmonton is a pretty cool (pun intended) place. I want to show people that there’s more to do here than just visiting West Edmonton Mall. I’ve created this as guide for people coming to Edmonton, and I’ll continue to update as I find more resources. If you’re coming to Alberta or Canada I encourage you to come to Edmonton and see some of the city for yourself.
Posts on Traveler Ahoy About Edmonton and Area
3 Days in Edmonton A bit of a sample itinerary on what to do in Edmonton. If you want a more detailed 3 day Itinerary, plus more information about Edmonton check out my UnAnchor Guide.
The 2010 Edmonton International Fringe Festival. The Fringe Festival is one of the most popular in the city, and this post gives you some good tips for any Edmonton Fringe Fest experience.
An Afternoon in Old Strathcona. Some suggestions on how to spend an afternoon in one of Edmonton’s most popular neighbourhoods.
Rutherford House. This is the historic home, and now museum and tea-house, of Alberta’s first Premier.
The Capitol Theatre. This is a recreation of a historic theatre in Fort Edmonton Park, a great open air museum located by the river valley.
Devonian Botanic Garden an outdoor attraction in the town of Devon, about a 25 minute drive from Edmonton.
How to Have a Cheesy Time at West Edmonton Mall. This is a fun list of all the cheesy and touristy things you can do at WEM.
The Muttart Conservatory. A horticultural attraction in four glass pyramids that features flora from around the world.
The Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Museum. This is an open air museum located outside of Edmonton along Highway 16.
External Blogs About Edmonton
EdLove: Hidden Sights and Secret Delights. My friend Jenna writes about some of the hidden and quirky things to see and do in Edmonton.
External Event Links
Edmonton Couchsurfing GroupPage. This is the couchsurfing group for Edmonton. Even if you’re not into actually using Couchsurfing for accommodations this page will have information about meetups and other events in the area.
Yelp Events. A list of events and things to do in the city on the Edmonton Yelp page.
Edmonton Events. A calendar of different events, including festivals, throughout the year.
Tix on the Square. This is a ticket box office located downtown at Sir Winston Churchill Square. They sell tickets for a variety of events including theatre, arts, music, literature and dance events in the city. Most event tickets can be purchased online.
Aurora Watch. Being a fairly northern city Edmontonians are lucky enough to see the aurora borealis, or the northern lights. This website will give you email alerts for nights when you have a good chance to see the northern lights.
Attraction Passes
Alberta Historical Pass. This pass gives you admission to 19 different historic sites in Alberta for one year. The pass includes 4 different attractions around the Edmonton including; Rutherford House, The Royal Alberta Museum, The Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village, and the Father Lacombe Chapel.
Edmonton Attractions Pass. This pass gives you admission to a variety of attractions around Edmonton. The Ultimate Pass gives you admission to 15 different sites around the city and is valid for one year. The U-Pass gives you admission to 4 different sites around the city and is valid for one week.
WEM Multi Play Pass. This pass is for unlimited admission to all of the attractions in West Edmonton Mall. A five day family pass is $249 and a 5 day individual pass is $99. If you plan to do all the paid attractions at WEM,this pass is a good deal.
Sports
Hockey
Edmonton Oilers. This is the official site for the Edmonton Oilers the National Hockey League (NHL) team in Edmonton. Ticket prices per game range from about $60 to $300.
Edmonton Oil Kings. This is the official site for the Edmonton Oil Kings, the Western Hockey League’s team in Edmonton. Unlike NHL tickets, WHL tickets are quite low (about $18 to $35) and the games are very family oriented. The 2012-2013 season for the Oil Kings is currently over.
Curling
2013 Tim Horton’s Brier. This is big curling event that’s being held at Rexall Place in March 2013. Last time the Brier was in Edmonton was in 2005.
Football
Edmonton Eskimos.This is the official website for the city’s Canadian Football League (CFL) team. Seeing a football game is always fun, especially if it involves the Calgary Stampeders (our rivals) or the Saskatchewan Roughriders (because their fans are really passionate and just fun to watch – I speak as someone whose father is diehard Rider’s fan). The 2013 CFL preseason will begin in June.
Lacrosse
Edmonton Rush. Did you know that lacrosse is Canada’s official sport? The Edmonton Rush is the National Lacrosse League’s team. Ticket prices per game range from about $27 to $75.
Basketball
Edmonton Energy. This is the city’s professsional basketball team. The 2013 has not started at this time.
Soccer
FC Edmonton. The website for the city’s professional soccer (or football as everyone else outside of North America calls it) team. The 2013 season has not started at this time.
Rodeo
Canadian Finals Rodeo. While the Calgary Stampede might be more well known for rodeo events in Canada, the CFR is a large sporting event that’s held in Edmonton every November.
Transportation
Take ETS. The official website for Edmonton Transit Systems, which includes a trip planning widget for both the bus and the light rail transit (LRT).
Taxi Me. A Handy little site that will calculate approximate taxi costs. Note: I haven’t used this site, so I can’t comment on the accuracy of it.
Fly EIA.The official website for the Edmonton International Airport. The Edmonton International Airport, is located outside of the city, and is about 31km/20 miles south of downtown Edmonton.
Restaurants I Recommend
Best of Edmonton. This is a Yelp list I made for my favourite restaurants, cafes, and coffeeshops in Edmonton.
Tell Me More
If you’re coming to Edmonton or want some more info send me a DM on Twitter or contact me here.
