Have you been lucky enough to catch a ride on the Polar Express?
Lat year we decided to surprise our children with a trip to Stettler to ride the Polar Express over the Christmas break. We didn’t tell them where we were headed or what we were doing so they would be surprised when we arrived. All we told them was that we had a long drive and they could wear their pyjamas.
We left our house while the sun was still up, but arrived at the train station shortly after the sun had set which made the whole experience more magical. As soon as we neared the station the children couldn’t stop shouting with excitement as they realized where we were.
We were early so we watched the train drop off the group riding before us and then pull away to set up again.
There is a small retail store on site with Polar Express paraphernalia (best to avoid with children as items are extremely over priced). There is a warming tent where we went and waited with some other people. While waiting, the Hobo came in and had a chat with the kids and joked around with them.
Shortly before our tour time we went out to the platform to watch the train arrive. There is a small skit performed once the train pulls in before we got to start loading on the train.
Our children couldn’t wait to climb aboard the train. The nice thing with this train is the benches can be flipped so we could all face each other during the ride.
The ride is about an hour in total. You go out for about 30 minutes to reach the North Pole. On the ride out, the crew members dance up and down the aisles, joke and visit with the passengers. They also serve hot chocolate with whipped cream. The Polar Express story was read out loud as we neared the North Pole.
The children were told to watch for the lit up trees on either side of the track that would indicate we were near the North Pole. Just before the North Pole you have to go through the portal, where bright lights are shining.
We may have missed the magic age a bit with our oldest when we reached the North Pole as she was a bit disappointed since some of the displays were mannequin heads on poles with a sheet draped over where the body would be. They did also have children dressed as elves dancing about as well. Our youngest, however, thought is was so cool.
The train does a pass of the North Pole where you get to see Santa in his sleigh and elves dancing and singing. The children are then asked to shout to the conductor to go back to pick up Santa.
Once Santa boards the train then you start on the train journey back through the portal to return to the station.
During the train ride back, music books are handed out so everyone can join in singing Christmas carols. Santa also comes and visits briefly with each child as he hands everyone the first gift of Christmas.
Overall our children really enjoyed it, but it wasn’t as magical as our oldest had expected. She is 8 1/2 years old. It was a fun way to kick off the Christmas break and get in the Holiday Spirit.
Stettler is located approximately 2 1/2 hours from Calgary. We drove there and back the same day, but many people on the train were opting to stay in Stettler over night and making a weekend of it.
If you plan on going we would definitely recommend you go with the 6:30 or the 7:30 time slot as going when it is dark out is much more magical.
Every guest is given a special commemorative mug to take home and each family was given a reusable bag to transport your mugs home.
While this may seem a bit early to already be talking about Christmas activities, tickets are on sale now, and hotels can book up fast this time of year.
Have you ridden the Polar Express? Where did you go?
Aggie Days this year will run April 4 – 5, 2020 at the Nutrien Western Event Centre and the agricultural barns which are located on the Stampede grounds here in Calgary. The event runs from 10am -4pm on both days.
Aggie days is a free event geared towards children and families with many hands on exhibits and animals to visit with. It is a great way for children to learn about where our food comes from and learn about the farm culture here in Alberta.
There are two competitions that run during this event which you can watch. Saturday is the Stock Dog Competition and Sunday is the Extreme Cowboy Races. Last year we attended the Extreme Cowboy Races and my kids really enjoyed watching the cowboys and cowgirls run through the obstacle course on their horses.
One thing we love is that they wrist band all children entering the event with a parents phone number, so if you do get separated they can find you.
My youngest has always wanted to be a farmer when he grows up and so he looks forward to this event every year. He loves being able to talk to cowboys, see the tractors and farm equipment and spend some time with the animals. He is so excited for this event that he plans his outfit out a week in advance to make sure it is all clean and ready to go. He wants to make sure he looks like a real cowboy!
The First Nations community also perform some of their dances and play music as well as have some artifacts on display. My daughter loves seeing these presentations and meeting the First Nations Princess.
If you plan to go, I would recommend being there just before they open the doors so you can get through some of the areas before the lineups get too long for some of the activities. Also make sure to take snacks and plan to be there for the better part of the day, if these are things your children really enjoy. The concessions stands are open during the event as well as a couple food trucks, but the lineups can be quite long.
For more information check out the Calgary Stampede where all of the days events and important information will be posted a couple weeks before the event. Parking is available on the Stampede grounds for $15, this is also accessible via Calgary Transit.
Have you been to Aggie days? For us this is how we experience the Stampede since our children are still fairly young for the main event in July and the crowds aren’t quite so big at this event.
Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra is a great way to expose our children to the symphony and live music. I have fond memories of attending the symphony as a child and I wanted to continue this tradition with my children.
Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra offers children’s programming on four Sundays throughout the year known as Symphony Sundays for Kids. You can subscribe to the season or individual tickets. If you subscribe for the season then you end up with one concert free. Season tickets price range is $72-$87 for children and $105-$120 for adults. Single concerts are $35-$40 per seat. We are subscribers and the nice part of this is that we are offered our same seats each year before tickets go on sale to the public.
For best seats we recommend the dress circle left or right. My kids decided they prefer these seats over orchestra seats since they enjoy being able to watch all of the musicians throughout the concert and it is much easier to see the musicians from this vantage point. For my youngest, being in the dress circle means he does not have to sit for the entire concert, but can stand or calmly dance at his place without disturbing anyone.
This years offerings are: Kids at the Opera which was performed in September 22, The Hockey Sweater on February 2, Presto Mambo March 8 and Beethoven lives upstairs May 31. We are especially looking forward to Beethoven Lives Upstairs as this is a story we have listened to while travelling many times. It was a story I grew up listening to on long road trips and it was nice I could share it with my children. We are interested to see how they perform this.
The symphony is great for all ages. The conductor is very animated and engages the children throughout the concert. Some past performances have included Fred Penner, Gershwin’s Magic Key, Peter and the Wolf to name a few.
We highly recommend going early to visit the Instrument Discovery Zoo which gives children a chance to try a variety of instruments prior to the concert. This is where my son developed an interest in Violin which he has now been learning for the past two years.
Trying a viola before the performance
Do you attend the symphony? Have you considered taking your children?
We are slowly trying to visit places near to us that we have on our bucket list. Our kids really enjoy living history museums and we thought we would plan a weekend around that this summer.
Rocky Mountain House is just over 2 hours north of Calgary. It is a nice drive up through rolling hills and without a great deal of traffic. Being that it is a National Historic Site, your Parks Canada Pass will gain you free entry.
We elected to camp on site. The campground is an open area, but the sites are quite large and each site is equipped with a picnic table and a fire pit. There are no hookups on the sites, but there is a water fill station. For sewage dump you do need to go into Rocky Mountain House where there is a pay dump station at the Visitor Centre. This is a small campground, however it did not fill up when we were there.
Our campsite for the weekend
When you check in, staff will provide you with a map of the entire site along with tokens for the showers. They do run an evening program some nights at the campground, however we didn’t make it to one.
It is wide open skies here, so you get a pretty great sunset view. We also spent one evening watching a storm roll in from off in the distance which was kind of neat.
At the one end of the campground is the beginning of some of the historic site as well as a viewing platform to view the bison from. The path then meanders through grasslands, past the tipi campsite, and up into the forest where you join the main loop of attractions. You can book a Tipi to camp in for the night here as well as Trapper Tents and Trapline Cabins.
Tipi CampsiteAlways need to get a picture in the red chairs at any of the National Parks
There was a tipi set up with 2 interpreters dressed up as Metis who were showing off some of the tools that would have been used when this fort was in operation. They did tell us that some days they are prepping pelts at this site. This is slightly off from the main site, but can be worth a wander down as they do perform different activities down here. We arrived just as they were setting up, so if you waited until a bit later there would be more going on at this spot.
Once we arrived at the main site the kids wanted to check out the museum and learn a bit more about this site before venturing around more. They had a virtual reality activity so the kids could see what the fort would have been like when it was in operation. My kids loved that and thought it was pretty neat. They had 2 different options as our youngest was too small for the main virtual reality, but they had one where he felt he did the same as his big sister.
The museum is small, but has a wealth of information and many hands on activities for kids. This would be a good spot to take a break from the heat on a hot summer day.
After exploring the museum and enjoying all of the activities it was time to head back outside. The kids wanted to go and see what the blacksmiths were making. We wandered over and watched them make some hot dog roasters. We ended up returning a few times throughout the day as my oldest thought this was pretty neat and loved watching them work. While they were working they shared information about the fort, about the Metis heritage and some fun facts about the area.
While our oldest was watching the blacksmiths work, our youngest had a great time pretending he was setting off on great voyages in his long boat. It was hard to get him out of the boat.
Once we could convince him to get out of the boat we wandered over to the Metis Tent to explore it and try some fresh made bannock that had been cooked on the fire. While the kids were waiting for the bannock to finish cooking they enjoyed chatting with the interpreters about their Metis heritage and the Metis culture. After chatting for a while one of the interpreters asked my kids if they would like to see some of the traditional dances. Of course our kids said yes, so the fiddle came out and we got to watch some dancing. After they performed a few dances, the kids were invited up to learn a dance. This was certainly a highlight for our daughter.
Our sons absolute favourite thing to do here was to watch the David Thompson Puppet Play. This is a play all about the life of David Thompson with singing and story telling. They keep the children well engaged throughout and our youngest still likes to occasionally tell me the story of David Thompson.
We spent the entire day having fun on site and participating in the numerous activities, talking with the interpreters and having fun.
We noticed the bison had moved closer to the main visitor area near the end of the day, so went over to watch them for a few minutes before heading back to the camp site for dinner.
We took a different trail back to the campsite that followed along the river for some of it and some of it was through the forest. This trail also passed by the Trapper tents and Cabins.
This is a great place to visit with kids whether it is for the day or to make a weekend of.
If you are up there for the weekend then it is also worth stopping into the visitor centre in Rocky Mountain House and viewing the museum they have there. Be sure to ask at the desk for the scavenger hunt for the kids. If they complete the scavenger hunt they will get a prize. I took the kids in while my husband waited for the Sani-Station for our trailer.
Have you been to Rocky Mountain House? Is there something we missed?
Our favourite local theatre is Storybook Theatre. One thing my kids and I love to do is to go to the theatre. My children have developed a real love for musical theatre and look forward to going throughout the year.
Storybook Theatre is a semi-professional musical theatre that has been around for over 40 years. Many of their performances are family friendly and they tend to span a wide range. They do post recommended ages for each performance which can be helpful when trying to determine which plays to attend.
Sister Act
Storybook theatre provides summer camps for children and they are also now offering adult musical theatre classes. They are often looking for volunteers to help with set creation and in return you would get a free pass to one of the performances.
We have been surprised at the high level of talent that is present in this community and the quality of the productions.
Curious George and the Golden Meatball
Ticket prices range from $22-$27 for children and $26-31 for adults depending on the length of the performance. The theatres they perform in are fairly small, so there are no bad seats in the house. We are season ticket subscribers and the added benefit is that we have access to tickets before they go on sale to the public and our tickets are slightly lower in price. I did notice they do also offer a payment plan for those interested in seasons tickets, but can’t afford it all at once.
Some of our past favourite shows have been Matilda the Musical based on the Roald Dahl book, Beauty and the Beast, Wizard of Oz, Junior Claus, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Matilda The Musical
To be honest we have enjoyed all of the performances so it was hard to narrow down our list to just a few. This year they will be performing The Never-ending Story, Frog and Toad and Big Fish to name a few.
If you want to expose your children to theatre, but weren’t sure where to go, this is the place to try it out. They generally have a relaxed performance for each play. This is a great option if you aren’t sure how your child will react, or if they will be able to sit still for the performance.
Junior Claus
After each performance the actors return to the stage for the audience to be able to get autographs and photos with them. My kids love getting a chance to chat with the actors after the show. They have a collection of all of the programs they have collected over the years with signatures.
Have you attended any plays at Storybook theatre? What are your favourites? If you aren’t in Calgary, do you have a great local theatre where you live?
TELUS Spark is a place our family really enjoys spending time at. There are so many hands on activities to keep the kids busy for hours.
Did you know that now on Friday nights kids can get in for $5 after 4pm? The chef also prepares a special family style dinner at a great price. Check online for the menu as it changes weekly. The dinner special is $15 for adults and $10 for kids which includes a main and two sides along with a dessert. The night we went dinner was Beef short ribs, Mac ‘n Cheese, roasted vegetables and caramel bread pudding.
Your entry includes access to any movies being shown in the IMAX theatre as well.
We took advantage of this deal over the Christmas break as only myself and my youngest have a membership. This is a great way to spend time together as a family. TELUS Spark is pretty quiet on Friday evenings which means no line ups or waiting to try different activities for the kids.
Making a stop motion film
TELUS Spark has started to update some of their exhibits, including repairing ones that seemed to always be broken and adding in new things to see and do. Now is a great time to return to see what is new.
Over the past couple of years we have moved more towards giving experiences or handmade items over toys and items. Our children each asked for a week at camp this summer as their big gift.
My in-laws always send us money each year to purchase something for the kids that they need or to use how we would like. We like to use the money for a family experience. This year the kids asked if we could use it for a trip to Edmonton to check out the Marvel Comics Exhibit at Telus World of Science. Luckily we had travel points saved up to cover accommodations so it made for a great inexpensive getaway.
To help keep costs down when we travel I generally try to prepare most of our meals in advance to freeze so we can take them with us. If too cold to camp, then we look for a hotel with a kitchen or at least a fridge so we can prep meals in our room. If there is not a stove top, then we will pack our slow cooker or instant pot to use for warming our meals up.
We spent 3 nights up in Edmonton to give us time to check out a couple museums as well as stock up from some of the great gluten free bakeries and stores that are located in Edmonton.
Day 1: Edmonton is just over a 3 hour drive from our home, so we like to aim to have a good breakfast and then hit the road fairly early so it doesn’t feel like we spent the whole day in the car.
About a week before we were heading to Edmonton I was fortunate to win tickets to Glow Gardens Edmonton so we decided to plan for that as our first stop in the city after driving up. It was a pretty neat experience and the kids had a great time running around trying to collect stamps in their passports while enjoying the lights.
There were some great play and hands on areas for the kids. There was a large playground, light up swings, large lite-brite, hopping pads and a train ride. It was a good way to spend a couple days and worth it if the weather is too cold or nasty to be outside.
Of course a trip to Edmonton would not be complete without a trip to the West Edmonton Mall. Our kids love to go, to walk through the mall, check out the sites such as the water park, amusement park and skating rink.
Day 2
We woke up and had breakfast in our room before heading over to Telus World of Science. We like to arrive at or near opening time to beat the crowds when we head to museums. The kids were so excited to see the Marvel Comics Exhibit. My husband and I loved reading about the history and seeing some of the original boards and comics, while the kids enjoyed the interactive exhibits and seeing all of the outfits. We spent 2 hours in this part of the science centre as there was so much to see.
We were happy to see that the rest of the exhibits had been updated and there were some new ones since we had been to visit last. The space exhibit was a hit with many fun hands on activities.
Our kids always love a visit to the children’s play area where there is a fun water table (bring a change of clothes for after!) and an airplane set up the kids have fun playing in. We were happy to see a big climbing/play centre in the new children’s play area.
A favourite spot that has been added is the new Nature Exchange where kids can bring in items they find in nature, or draw pictures of items they found to collect points. Kids can then redeem their points for various nature artifacts such as rocks, shells, leaves, sticks, fossils, etc. We will definitely be back for this. We spent quite a bit of time checking out all of the items and they have some microscopes and magnifying glasses to encourage children to take a seat and explore the items they have.
We spent the entire day at Telus World of Science since there was so much to see and do. The kids were pretty tuckered by the time we left.
When we got back to the hotel the kids couldn’t wait to pull out their notebooks and journal about their day.
Day 3
We got up and enjoyed breakfast in our room. Then packed up our lunch and headed downtown to visit the Royal Alberta Museum. (Note to self, check the opening time before heading out). We arrived well before the museum opened, so we walked around the outside and had a visit with a woman who had shown up early as well with her service dog in training. We weren’t really sure what to expect with this museum before entering.
The main floor is an excellent place for children. Our kids thought it was so neat and had so much fun exploring the Children’s Gallery. There is so much to see and do. You could easily spend a whole morning, if not more time playing in this area. The area is so inviting when you walk in, with large windows letting in loads of natural light. Our kids had fun pretending to be coal miners, playing in the sand table to change elevations, building with “ice” blocks, having fun with the air before moving further into the gallery where there were different building centres, dress up play, and crafts. There was a story time as well for those interested.
Our youngest loved bugs so we knew the next gallery was going to be right up his alley. The bug gallery has a great variety of different bugs, some you have to look hard to find. Of course if you ask him what his favourite part of this gallery was and he will tell you the tarantulas, especially the blue one.
The special exhibit I Am From Here, the kids enjoyed which was about the Black Pioneers who made Alberta their home. It was interesting to read the stories and was a part of our provinces history we hadn’t heard about. This exhibit was a small room off of the Human History Hall. There were some fun hands on exhibits for the kids throughout this exhibit and some interesting stories shared. From what we understand this mechanical horse is the highlight for many children to the museum.
After taking a break to eat our lunch we ventured upstairs where they have a room full of rocks and minerals which our kids love collecting, so they thought this was neat to see so many “gems”. They also had lots of fun creating volcanoes on the simulator. If you ask our kids what their favourite part of the museum, they will now tell you it was seeing the Mastodon and Wooly Mammoth skeletons which are located upstairs. We had fun watching our children learn the Grouse’s mating dance.
This is a museum that is easy to spend a whole day in and then some. We were there all day having fun and learning lots.
When we got back to the hotel room, the kids actually asked to have some quiet time before dinner.
Dinner seemed to give them a second wind so we decided that we would let the kids stay up late and we would head out to do some skating on the Victoria Park Iceway Skating Trail. It was a busy spot, but worth checking out. Such a fun experience. There is a pathway that loops through the park and over to a large skating rink. The whole path and skating rink were well maintained and provided great skating. Over at the main rink there was music playing for those skating around. Our kids loved the portion of the trail that had multicoloured lights. Such a unique experience.
Our favourite gluten free establishments:
Kinnickinick Fresh: You may be familiar with this brand. They sell bread, buns and donuts in the frozen section of many grocery stores. What you probably didn’t know is that they have a fresh bakery in Edmonton where they sell a larger variety of products including fresh cinnamon buns, sticky buns, rolls, baguette, sub buns, pizza buns (one of our favourites for a snack in the car). Always worth a visit if you are in the area. We discovered their jelly rolls on our last visit and ended up bringing a bunch home to put in our freezer.
Rio Vida Gluten Free: This place was a new discovery and the owner is lovely. She makes empanadas that are excellent and also sells the dough if you want to make your own. Our daughter can’t get enough of them. She also has a variety of soups, meat pies, breads, doughs, and baked goods for sale.
Ben’s Meats & Deli: This was a place I had heard lots about, but this was our first visit. They carry a selection of gluten free European imports and had fresh gluten free pastas including ravioli. They also carry a selection of baked goods from Totally Gluten Free located in Lacombe, AB. We had been hoping to get some of their fresh mini gluten free donuts, but we were too early. If you are in Edmonton on Saturday then you should stop by around 11am for fresh mini donuts.
My Fries Poutinerie: This place was so much better than we were anticipating and worth a visit. They have so many different poutine options or a build your own option. We loved that the fries are not greasy since they are baked and not fried. We ended up ordering 4 different poutines to try and they were all great. They are a certified gluten free restaurant (the very first).
What are your favourite things to see and do in Edmonton? We would love to hear of any hidden gems to check out on our next visit or any restaurants or bakeries worth a visit.
