Taylor at the Super 8 Airdrie has these five tips for you to better enjoy your Airdrie Alberta stay. The naturally formed hoodoo formations in and around Drumheller Alberta, are well worth the visit. With plenty of walking/biking trails, for both the experienced and the inexperienced, this is a great tourist location, for families and individuals! Running out of packing space? Try rolling shirts/pants into bundles, creating more space for smaller items! Also try using a shower cap to prevent dirt from shoes spreading to other articles of clothing, put socks/under wear inside your shoes to maximize space. The Calgary […]

Read more

Drumheller is about 90 minutes from Calgary. The drive there covers a great deal of prairie farmland and wide-open spaces. There was not much to see in March, but we were treated to a snowy owl sitting on a fence post, looking at the world hurtling by. In our party, I was the only one who had seen the badlands before. To keep the sudden shock of the change of terrain a surprise, I did not mention it much to the rest of our group. When you drive into Drumheller there’s a sudden downhill and you are abruptly faced with […]

Read more

This is a dual minded hotel. I am thinking it was maybe two hotels that the Delta acquired and made into conjoined twins. In the Atrium side, there’s a really nice wide open spot to have breakfast, which is a decent buffet. It’s a bit pricy when the kids don’t dig in. The open atrium is surrounded by hotel rooms which reminded me of the really, really old Holiday Inns, except those ones were roofless and a swimming pool was in the middle. Speaking of kids, there was a nice, fast water slide on the Tower side. Both front desks […]

Read more

Going to Boston Pizza in Calgary, when the chain’s head office is in Richmond BC, when I’m Vancouver-based makes little sense except for 2 reasons. It was near my hotel and my friend’s house, specifically 232-6455 MacLeod Trail SW. And, it is very kid friendly. While the adults did the “blah blah I haven’t seen you in years blah blah” there was a substantial colouring and games book to amuse the younger patrons, along with a children’s menu. Perhaps one of the signs of either the rise or fall of civilization in Alberta is the 32 oz schooner of beer. […]

Read more

We had the pleasure of a morning visit to the Calgary Zoo on a cool March day. It was dry and there zoo was not crowded. I think there were more moms and strollers than anyone else! The zoo itself is not huge but it’s got a good spacious feel to it. The first exhibit was the Penguin Plunge, which was the most convincing penguin habitat I’d ever seen. Bored penguins standing around was replaced by space for them to dive and swim while being observed by we monkeys. Gentoo, Humboldt, King and Rockhopper Penguins were all represented. The Canadian […]

Read more

On our long road to Calgary, we stopped in Banff because two of the passengers had never seen it. When I first visited Banff back in 1990, there was still the small resort town feel in the middle of Banff National Park. This feeling has been eroded by the growth of the town site. However, the real gem of Banff is the Banff Springs Hotel. You have to drive through the entire town to reach it, but it’s worth the detour. There is street parking near the main doors or you can pay for parking in one of their lots. […]

Read more

Another must hit destination in Central Alberta is the summer resort town of Sylvan Lake. Noted for its well-maintained lake and uber-popular outdoor water slide park, Sylvan Lake’s popularity keeps on growing. Located less than two hours from both Calgary and Edmonton (and a brief 15 km from Red Deer), Sylvan Lake definitely deserves a couple of summer days to explore. One whole afternoon will spent at Wild Rapids Water Slide Park located on Lakeshore Drive (really the only road a traveller needs know anything about), the park offers more than a dozen outdoor water slides ranging from toddler sized […]

Read more

So you’ve spent a few days in Sylvan Lake, traversed the West Edmonton Mall, been to the Calgary Zoo and have another day to kill in Central Alberta… what to do? Well, there are several small communities in the area that provide some amuse bouche for the traveller looking to hit up some less common tourist spots. Why not visit the town of Innisfail, 30 km south of Red Deer, and spend some time at Discovery Wildlife Park? Once known as Doug’s Petting Zoo in Clive, Alberta, the now relocated zoo has become a world renowned spot for animals that […]

Read more

Oh beer, where would we be without your delightful burst on our palates and how would the English language function without such magical expressions such as “wobbly-pop”, “pea-eyed”, and the ever popular “%$#@-faced?” Well, I don’t know… but I do know that I enjoy beer. I enjoy beer so much that when Edmonton hosted its inaugural Craft Beer Festival in June 2013, my heart was a tingle with anticipatory delight. Let me tell you, this event rocks and if you are in the area and have a day to completely throw away (well… you’re probably throwing away the next day […]

Read more

If you’re visiting Central Alberta any time in the near future, chances are that you will have to pass by Red Deer in order to travel between Edmonton and Calgary. As Alberta’s third largest city, Red Deer does have several destinations of interest that are worth checking out if you have a day to spare (especially if you bring a young family). Red Deer hosts Alberta’s Sports Hall of Fame and one could easily spend a whole day discovering the province’s sports heritage through interactive games, artifacts, art galleries, and lectures exploring everything from hockey to cricket. An entire family […]

Read more