Edmonton Travel Forum

I will be visiting Edmonton in mid-June to attend the Churchill Cup, which will be played at Commonwealth Stadium. I will be staying downtown around 105 Street NW in Edmonton. I will arrive Wed evening, Cup is Saturday June 17, so I will have two days Thursday and Friday for visiting. I will not have a vehicle, I am travelling alone.

As usual I am looking for things to do. I am NOT interested in going to the mall. Museums, art, cycling, good food, theater, photography, are my interests.

Is the area I'm staying good for this sort of thing?

What about the Edmonton Queen? I would not want to go alone for a dinner cruise, but what about the afternoon non-eating cruises?

Any info would be greatly appreciated. I am excited to visit Edmonton and it will be my first time in Canada, except for a very drunken visit to Vancouver while I was in the US Navy, Expo 86.

Thank you.

You will be steps away from the river valley, which is lined with a network of walking trails. Go to the Macdonald Hotel, stairs descending into the valley are just to the south. From there you can walk to the Mutart Conservatory, an indoor botanical garden under pyramid-shaped glasshouses.
I would suggest Fort Edmonton Park, a sort of outdoor turn of the century museum. You could walk there thru the river valley too, but it would be a long walk from where you are.
I can't say whether the Edmonton Queen is worth it as i have never taken it..
I hope others can offer more suggestions. Hope you enjoy yourself!
k

Even if you do not have a vehicle, Edmonton has a transit system that is not bad at getting you to various parts of the city, especially from (and to) downtown.
The Royal Alberta Museum is just west of the downtown area, a 10 minute ride at most by bus (http://www.royalalbertamuseum.ca/)
From the grounds of the museum you have a nice view of the river valley and the University of Alberta campus across the river.
The museum is within a 5 minute walk of High Street, a small but interesting shopping and restaurant area (recommended restaurants are Manor Cafe and La Spiga).
There are a variety of small art galleries in the High Street area showcasing the art of local artists (http://www.gallery-walk.com/members.cfm)

On the northeast corner of 124th street and Stony Plain Road (a couple of blocks north of High Street) is a cycle shop (Western Cycle) - I''m not sure about this, but they may either rent bicycles, or may know where you can rent them.

Edmonton has a beautiful river valley with many trails that are perfect for walking or cycling ( see some reviews here: http://www.edmonton.com/tourism/page.asp?page=375)


Good food - in the downtown area are Hardware Grill and Characters. Another favorite of ours is a little west of the downtown and just north of Grant MacEwan Cummunity College (on 104th avenue at about 114th street) - Wild Tangerine which serves an eclectic original oriental-california-italian fusion cuisine - a small restaurant so it's best to have reservations.

Take the LRT (Light Rapid Transit) from downtown to the university campus, the University of Alberta is the 3rd largest in Canada in terms of research funding, the campus is very large, will be celelbrating its centennial in 2008, but there are some interesting buildings for photography, and lots of new construction. If you walk from the university east along Whyte Avenue you will come to the trendy Old Strathcona area, lots of restuarants, bars, shops, and on Saturday mornings a Farmer's Market that is always packed with people (with booths of local arts and crafts along with the fresh produce).

The LRT will also take you from downtown to the Alberta Provincial Legislature, very pretty picturesque grounds, there are tours of the building, there's tourist information available there as well as a gift/souvenir shop.

In the downtown area there is a concert hall (the Winspear), a theatre (the Citadel) and the Edmonton Art Gallery. Unfortunately mid-June is the quiet time between the end of the 2005-2006 season and the beginning of the summer festivals, so there isn't anything going on at either of the two venues.

I hope that this information gives you a starting point for your visit.
Enjoy your stay in Edmonton!!!