Edmonton is best known as home to the world's largest indoor entertainment complex, the West Edmonton Mall. Yet it also supports a civic calendar filled with cultural and heritage festivals that provide family-welcoming events all year round. Here are some of our favorite activities to try when you're not sampling "fried cheesecake" at the Capital EX or roping cattle at the Canadian rodeo. If you want to park the car, hop on The Eddie (800/463-4667), a municipal sightseeing bus that circles most of these attractions. For more information on local events, visit www.edmonton.ca.

 
(toddler to age 8)

Kidtropolis
West Edmonton Mall
2472, 882 170 Street
 780/444-5302
This 50,000-square-foot indoor city is typical of other "opolis" or urban areas, with a city hall, police station, fire station, bank, sports arena, hospital, park and an arts district where children work at various jobs to earn Kidmoolah, redeemable for rental of a battery-operated car.  More than 50 careers options are offered, ranging from newscasting (kids can tape and listen to their voices in a functional radio station) to medicine (practice surgical skills in an operating room or take away patients in an ambulance); costumes, props and sets are used to full effect in the role playing. This imaginative playspace doubles as a reasonably-priced daycare center where ages 5-12 are accommodated for a minimum of 4 hours. Parents and caregivers may accompany kids, relax in the Parents' Lounge, or use the supervised care to shop in the mall knowing their children are safe.  Open daily, some nights till 7pm.

Elk Island National Park of Canada
Trans Canada Highway, Hwy 16
 780/992-2950
The closest national park to the city, in a country devoted to preserving its environment, Elk Island is perfect for slow and gentle hikes with young children. Check their website to find out about ranger-led programs where study materials are provided. Your family may see some coyotes, ducks, Canadian geese or other examples of local wildlife. At our visit, a couple of bison standing in the middle of our hiking trail brought things to a standstill, because the park rangers would not allow anyone to pass near them. In winter, the park's Shirley Lake Trail is a favorite for cross-country skiers.

TELUS World of Science-Edmonton
11211 142 Street
 780/452-9100
The Telus Science Center, formerly the Odyssium in Coronation Park, has four main galleries with interactive displays, an IMAX theater and a planetarium. The most fascinating for our family was the Body Fantastic, where body parts and functions are defined by fun signage and glass jars of (really!) boogers, puss, and poop in formaldehyde -- don't miss the Gallery of The Gross. Little ones will enjoy the Greens’ House exhibit of environmental activities,  and upstairs the Discoveryland with Lego pieces. Check their website for many seasonal events and school holiday daycamps.

 
(ages 10-16)

World Water Park
West Edmonton Mall
2472, 882 170 Street
 780/444-5302
The WEM's World Water Park is fun, whether you've had to chip the ice out of your car's lock to get there, or wilt in the heat from your RV drive across America's Midwest. Encompassing 5 spotless acres of waterplay, it's maintained at an internal temperature of 86F/30C and warm water courses through more than 20 activities and several slides, from the thrilling to the gentle. New for 2008 is Caribbean Cove, a 6,000-square-foot waterplay area with 20 waterslides and a 1,200 liter dump bucket! Bungee jumping dangles over one end of the wavepool and guests who sign up for the jump may elect to "hit" the water at the bottom of their fall, or just bounce crazily above it.  Although  locals and school groups come in regularly, the waterpark attends to visitors with rental towels and chaise lounges, lockers and several fast food outlets. Lifeguards abound.

Royal Alberta Museum
12845 102nd Avenue
 780/453-.9100
The Royal Alberta Museum offers families an introduction to the wildlife Alberta province is famous for. There are recently restored dioramas featuring beavers, coyotes, bison, and other fauna found in six distinct natural areas, all part of the boreal forest that covers 50% of the  province. Each is a beautiful habitat display and will encourage your family, on the next visit, to see the province's Banff and Jasper national parks where many of the animals live. Upstairs, the museum's Natural History Gallery has insects species on display, and when attendants are available, children may get up close and personal with giant cockroaches, tarantulas, snakes and other thrilling species.

West Edmonton Mall
2472, 882 170 Street
 780/444-5302
WEM is an indoor entertainment and retail complex built on superlatives:  there's an 217,800-square-foot indoor water park considered "the largest in the world" (see above); the "world's largest" indoor amusement park; and myriad other indoor delights, including a skating rink, mini-golf course; aquarium; bowling alley and billiards center. More than 800 shops include every name brand chain you can imagine, plus some Canadian stores. Families can pick any one of these distractions as a day's activity, or split up and let all ages gravitate to their own interest. Note that the waterpark and amusement park require an admission fee, so you may want to just get the layout down on a first expeditionary day, then return with a plan. If you're coming back to the WEM a second day, by all means plan a tour of the Fantasyland Hotel. Guided visits to the many styles of themed-to-the-extreme rooms are given daily at 2pm.  There's no charge, but arrive early to ensure your place as only 10 visitors can be accommodated.

Fort Edmonton Park
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T5J
 780/496-8787
Join historical interpreters and experience life as it was at Edmonton's 1846 fur trade fort among Cree aboriginals and heritage farm animals. Stroll down the recreation 1885, 1905 and 1920 streets lined with buildings moved there from various parts of old city and ask questions of the costumed guides. Kids will love the period trolley, steam train, 1920's era minigolf and classic carousel now spinning in a fun midway. There's dining and overnight accommodations at Hotel Selkirk, a cute tea room, some other shops and a general store.

Old Strathcona Neigborhood
82nd Avenue between 99-109 Streets
Old Strathcona is the city's most popular neighborhood for pedestrians, and one that visitors will enjoy strolling through. Most of the action can be found along Whyte Avenue (same as 82nd Avenue) from 109th to 99th Streets, and around the busy Farmers Market at 82nd Avenue and Gateway Blvd (equivalent to 103rd Street) where local produce and locally hand-crafted products are sold in renovated early 19th century buildings. During our summer visit, the sidewalks of the main drag, Whyte Avenue, were crowded with students from the University of Alberta skateboarding and iPoding while conventioneers trolled the cafes. Teens will enjoy the many snowboard and skateboard fashion shops, art galleries, bookstores and gift shops. Visitors over 18 will enjoy the live music clubs; all ages will like Fat Franks for the dozen different types of custom-made hot dogs.

City of Festivals

During summer, when daylight from 6am to 10pm makes sleep seem irrelevant, the festivals abound. Here are out top picks for family fun; check out www.eventsedmonton.ca for a schedule of happenings at other times of year.

Capital EX is the city's largest festival, with nearly 700,000 visitors each summer.  Since its incarnation as Klondike Days, this 10-day festival has evolved from its agrigulture and cowboy roots to include a wild midway, performing arts events and a variety of new snack foods, including cactus chips, Funky Pickle Pizza and deep-fried Coca-Cola. Toddlers will love FunTown; pitchers can win stuffed animals for their loved ones; favorite plush toys can race each other; or sharpshooters can vie for a set of moose antlers. All ages will enjoy the many traditional rides at the Midway, from a twinkling Ferris Wheel to swinging tea cups and a haunted house. Some are ear-marked for toddlers, in case they don't get enough of the mini John Deere tractors in the Fun Town Farm Zone. Held outdoors and indoors fro 10 days in late July at the Northlands exhibition park, 116 Avenue and 73 Street.

Taste of Edmonton is the city's annual outdoors food festival, in which coupons can be redeemed for sample entrees from the city's top restaurants or top wines from each Canadian province. Everything is served outdoors from lunch time to late evening, along with daily music performances. Held annually in late July, Churchill Square.

River City Shakespeare Festival ( 780/425-8086) is an outdoors celebration of the Bard and his work by a very talented, local theatre company. Nightly performances of alternating shows (typically one musical and one drama per season) are held in a small amphitheatre with a snackbar and toilet facilities, in full view of a lake. The park is part of the city's greenways that stretch along Edmonton's River Valley for more than 48 kms, described as the largest urban park in North America. Check their local schedule for performance dates and times, ticket prices are modest and support this artists group. Held for four weeks each summer, June-July in Hawrelak Park at approximately 9330 Groat Road. 

Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival ( 780/448-9000) is a large theatrical celebration featuring more than 1,200 offbeat performances, modern dance, and new drama. It's held over an 11-day period each August, with most performances given in the city's small cabarets around Old Strathcona.

The Canadian Finals Rodeo is a true rodeo, with 7 pro-rodeo events, including bull riding, steer wrestling and saddle bronc riding.  At this wild west rodeo, your family can cheer on professional athletes as they compete for the title of Canadian Champion. Each performance features . There's something for everyone that associates horses and cattle with -- what else -- agriculture. It's held each November in the Northlands exhibition park, 116 Avenue and 73 Street.

New Years Eve Downtown is western Canada's largest public celebration, and it's a big alcohol-free festival similar to the "First Night" celebrated in many American cities. Stick around for the 10-day Ice on Whyte festival that freezes over Old Strathcona. In addition to enormous ice sculptures, families will enjoy ice slides and rides, plus outdoor movies screened on a big sheet of ice.