Tourism in Alberta

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, as well as more eclectic attractions.

Overview

and the cattle ranching industry. Edmonton, known as Canada's Festival City, boasts a summer calendar of non-stop festivals, including the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival and the Edmonton Folk Music Festival.

Alberta tourism is split into four large regions by the government.^[1] As of 2014; Alberta North which saw 1.81 million visits,^[2] Alberta Central in saw 8.45 million^[3] and Alberta South with 4.29 million^[4] and the Canadian Rockies with 4.35 million.^[5] As well, Calgary & Area and Edmonton & Areas encompass the two largest cities, Edmonton and Calgary and areas around them.^[1] As of 2014; Calgary & Area saw 8.27 million visits,^[6] while Edmonton & Area had 8.43 million.^[7]

Tourist attractions

Mountains

The

is done on some of the rivers.

See also:

Mountains of Alberta

Skiing

Alberta is an important destination for tourists who love to

, with its downhill ski and ski jumping facilities, is located in the city of Calgary.

Hunting and fishing

Hunters and fishermen from around the world are able to take home impressive

campgrounds

and boat launches.

Museums

See List of museums in Alberta.

Museums in Alberta:

• The Royal Alberta Museum, in Edmonton is the official provincial museum and largest museum in western Canada.
• The
  Lethbridge, and is the largest museum in the province south of Calgary
  .
• The
  Calgary. The park is located on 66 acres (267,000 m²) of parkland on the banks of the Glenmore Reservoir
  , along the city's southwestern edge. It is one of the city's most visited tourist attractions.
• The
  National Historic Site of Canada of Stirling. It was declared a Provincial Historic Site of Alberta in 2001, and has been restored back to its original 19th century Victorian
  style.
• The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Drumheller is the museum that earns 5 Guinness World Records (as of November 2021) including the best-preserved armoured dinosaur in the world.^[8][9]

National and provincial parks

Five national parks are located in the province of Alberta, with Banff, Jasper, Waterton Lakes and Elk Island National Park being the most popular tourist destinations. 69 provincial parks, 33 wildland provincial parks, 248 provincial recreation areas, 16 ecological reserves, 3 wilderness areas, 149 natural areas and a heritage rangeland are also protected on a provincial level.

Alberta contains five of Canada's 13

.

Railway

Located in East-Central Alberta is Alberta Prairie Railway Excursions, a popular tourist attraction operated out of Stettler that draws visitors from around the world. It boasts one of the few operable steam trains in the world, offering trips through the rolling prairie scenery.

Another popular tourist attraction located near the

to the current location near Stirling in 2000.

Tourists also ride the

.

Significant events in Alberta tourism

The history of Alberta tourism events:[10]

• 1885:
  Canadian National Park, and the world's third^[11]
• 1912: The Alberta Legislature Building opens;Calgary Exhibition and Stampede debuts; Alberta's first movie theatre, the Empress Theatre, opens in Fort Macleod
• 1921: Road from Banff to Lake Louise opens
• 1923: Road from Banff to Radium opens; First competitive chuckwagon races at the Calgary Stampede
• 1927: Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton opens 25 Jul 1927
• 1932: Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park established; Going-to-the-Sun Road opens in Waterton
• 1936: Chinook Train begins operation between Calgary and Edmonton (now on display at the
  Canadian Museum of Rail Travel
  )
• 1940: First teahouse on
  Icefields Parkway
  opens
• 1959: Sulphur Mountain Gondola opens - the first bi-cable gondola in North America and first ever gondola in Canada; First heritage trails (walking trails with posted historical information) open in Banff, including Hoodoos and Bow Summit trails
• 1962: Klondike Days begin in Edmonton, as extension of the Edmonton Exhibition, itself dating back to 1879.
• 1967:
  UFO
  landing pad to celebrate the Centennial of Confederation
• 1967: The Provincial Museum of Alberta/Edmonton opens December 6 as Alberta's project for Canada's centennial (now known as the Royal Alberta Museum).
• 1968: Calgary Tower opens June 30
• 1975:
  Ukrainian
  immigrants east of Edmonton
• 1977: Kananaskis Country opens
• 1978: Commonwealth Games held in Edmonton
• 1981:
  Fantasyland in 1983 and Phase III and the World Waterpark in 1985; Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump designated a World Heritage Site
• 1985: Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology opens in Drumheller; Frank Slide interpretive Centre opens April 28; Oil Sands Interpretive Centre opens in Fort McMurray
• 1986: The Mindbender at Galaxyland derails and kills three riders
• 1988: XV Olympic Winter Games held in Calgary
• 1990:
  Museum of the Regiments
  opened in Calgary, June 30
• 1991:
  Saamis Teepee erected in Medicine Hat
  ; originally built for the Olympic Games in Calgary in 1988, the structure is the world's largest tepee
• 1995: Fantasyland changes its name to "Galaxyland" after a lawsuit from
  Disney
• 1996: Torrington Torrington Gopher Hole Museum opens
• 1997: Canadian Petroleum Interpretive Centre opens, honouring the occasion of the Leduc No. 1 oil well going into production on February 3, 1947; First leg of Trans-Canada Trail, the Bow Corridor Link Trail, opened on October 18; Town of Legal unveils first of 28 murals
• 2000:
  Shaw Millennium Skate Park
  opens in Calgary, the world's largest public outdoor skate park.
• 2006:
  Calgary Aerospace Museum
  .

See also

• Tourism in Canada
• List of attractions and landmarks in Edmonton
• List of attractions and landmarks in Calgary
• List of attractions and landmarks in Stirling
• List of Alberta provincial parks
• Festivals in Alberta

References