Edmonton is Alberta’s capital city with the largest urban population in the province. Known for an enormous mall and the hockey team where Wayne Gretzky played in his glory days, Edmonton Canada is a truly Canadian city.
The population of Edmonton Canada skyrocketed with the oil boom beginning in the late 1940’s. The first oil well was drilled about 25 miles southwest of Edmonton, with 10,000 more wells popping up shortly after. The oil brought the city millions of dollars of revenue, and city development took off. Within twenty years Edmonton’s population had quadrupled and it took on the characteristics of a big city—replete with skyscrapers and a Light Rail Transit. Today Edmonton remains the oil capital of Canada. It is no wonder then that their hockey team is called the Edmonton Oilers! Spend a winter in Edmonton and you’ll understand why the Edmonton Eskimos is an appropriate name for their football team!
When looking into Edmonton tourism, there’s no doubt that the West Edmonton Mall will be the first Edmonton attraction that you discover. This is perhaps the most famous of the Canadian shopping malls. Much more than just a mall, West Edmonton Mall is also an amusement park, ice skating rink, movie theatre, concert hall, hotel and much more. There are over 800 stores and services, 100 choices for getting a bite to eat, plus eight top-notch attractions. This Edmonton attraction spans the equivalent of 48 city blocks and feels more like a theme park than a mall. When it’s cold out in Edmonton Canada, the West Edmonton Mall is a warm mini-city of fun and shopping.
If you’d like to see the more outdoorsy side of Edmonton tourism, take a drive an hour out of the city to Elk Island National Park. There are more than 250 species of birds living in the forests, meadows and wetlands of the park, not to mention large herds of elk, bison, moose and deer. The park features picnic areas, golf and 90 kilometers of trails. If you’d like to camp, the Sandy Beach campground has 80 sites to choose from.
For Edmonton tourism with an historical twist, try out life as a pioneer at Fort Edmonton Park, the largest living history park in Canada. Each street gives a sampling of life from four different eras. 1846 Street lets you experience life as it was in Hudson Bay. On 1885 Street you can visit the blacksmith or taste some pioneer food at the Jasper House Hotel. Ride the streetcar on 1920 Street or find something sweet at Bill’s confectionary. This Edmonton attraction is a fun way to understand Canada’s history.
