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.