If you’re looking for fun things to do in Edmonton, Best Western Cedar Park Inn is ideally located in South Edmonton, giving you quick access to Edmonton tourist attractions and more.

Alberta’s capital city, also known as The Festival City, has so much for the whole family to do. Whether you’re here on business, to see the Oilers play, shopping at world famous West Edmonton Mall, checking out the Art Gallery of Alberta, Royal Alberta Museum, Muttart Conservatory or one of the many concerts and festivals, Edmonton will keep you entertained.

Shopping

Edmonton has world class shopping and is a great destination for wonderful shopping experiences. These are just a few of the shopping areas in Edmonton. The great shopping opportunities here are almost too numerous to mention: downtown, Jasper Avenue, 124th Street, Kingsway Mall, farmers markets in the summer and much more!

West Edmonton Mall - WEM is the world’s largest entertainment and shopping centre with more than 800 stores with attractions appealing to the whole family. You might want to make it your first stop in Edmonton.

Old Strathcona Shopping & Historical District - Edmonton’s unique shopping district has a wonderful mix of historic buildings, live theatre, unique restaurants and quaint shops. Also has summertime walking and trolley tours. A must see!

South Edmonton Common - South Edmonton’s power retail centre is full of all the big name outlet stores you can imagine. It’s a shopper’s delight.

Museums, Science, Cultural, Political & Historical

Alberta’s capital is home to a number of interesting and exciting cultural, scientific, political and historical sites for Edmonton visitors. Make sure to check out some of this city’s world-class offerings.

Alberta Legislature - Edmonton is Alberta’s capital and home to the Alberta Legislature. Enjoy a picnic on the Legislature Grounds overlooking the North Saskatchewan River, or take a free tour of the Legislature Building to learn about Alberta’s history.

Canadian Petroleum Interpretive Center - Here’s your chance to learn about the petroleum industry that drives Alberta’s economy. CPIC has interactive displays, games and guides who can tell you how the oil and gas industry works. Outdoors you can see vehicles and a working drilling rig.

Art Gallery of Alberta - You can’t miss the AGA’s brand new 85,000 square foot gallery downtown. View the extensive 5,000 plus works of art or exhibitions by regional, national and international artists.

Royal Alberta Museum - One of Canada’s most popular museums, there are a range of permanent and travelling exhibits for every age level and interest. View the Syncrude Gallery of Aboriginal Culture or perhaps the largest collection of mounted birds in Canada; just a sample of the wonderful discoveries at the Royal Alberta Museum.

Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village - This historic site is 25 minutes east of Edmonton and gives you the chance to learn about Alberta’s Ukranian Immigrants. Role players in period costume recreate the architecture, farming and social relationships as they were back then.

Telus World of Science (TWOS) - Telus World of Science (formerly the Odyssium and Edmonton Space and Science Centre) has an exciting mix of science, learning activities and displays for the whole family. With permanent galleries and travelling exhibits there’s always something to explore. You can also check out the IMAX Theatre for stunning movie experiences or the Margaret Zeidler Star Theatre dome planetarium shows.

Fort Edmonton Park - Here’s your chance to experience life in Edmonton in the 1846 fort and streets of 1885, 1905 and 1920. Fort Edmonton was originally built in 1795 by the Hudson’s Bay Company. Lots of activities for the whole family, including steam train, wagon and streetcar rides.

Sports

Edmonton is definitely a sports town! You can catch professional NHL hockey, baseball, football, rodeo, Indy auto racing, horse racing and more.

Edmonton Oilers - Our exciting NHL hockey team plays from October through April.

Edmonton Oil Kings- Edmonton’s WHL hockey team plays from September through March.

Edmonton Capitals- Baseball fans will want to catch our Golden Baseball League team which plays from May through August.

Edmonton Eskimos - Home of the Grey Cup game in November 2010, our Canadian Football League team plays from June through November.

Canadian Finals Rodeo - This exciting, week-long world-class rodeo event keeps Edmonton hopping in mid-November.

Rexall Indy - If you’re an auto race fan, you’ll want to be here in July.

Horse racing - There’s exciting horse racing action at Northlands Park nearly every day, whether live or simulcast, along with gaming and dining.

Nature & Gardens

Devonian Botanic Garden - This 80-acre garden, created by the University of Alberta, has another 110 acres of natural areas to enjoy. It has an authentic Japanese garden, floral gardens as well as native and alpine plant and ecological reserves. The natural landscape of pine trees and wetlands is just a few minutes southwest of the city, and 5 minutes north of Devon.

Muttart Conservatory - The Muttart Conservatory’s four striking glass pyramids contain four environments to explore: exotic jungle, desert oasis, a temperate forest and a floral paradise. Located in the heart of the city in the river valley, the Muttart also has specialty shows throughout the year.

Elk Island National Park - Just 50 kilometres east of Edmonton, and just past the Ukranian Cultural Heritage Village, is a vast national park with more than 100 kilometres of hiking and skiing trails. Here you can wander among meadows, lakes, bogs and hills where you can see herds of bison as well as moose, caribou, beaver, coyotes and an amazing variety of birds. A photographer’s paradise.

Edmonton Valley Zoo - Home to more than 100 exotic, endangered and native species, including tigers, camels, world-famous Lucy the Elephant and more. Take a ride on the miniature train or the kids can go on a pony ride.

Conferences, Festivals & Concerts

Northlands Park - Throughout the year, Northlands is host to a variety of interesting conferences & trade shows. Check the schedule to see what’s happening next.

dEdmonton - October - Edmonton’s Halloween festival.

International Fringe Theatre Festival - August - An 11-day festival full of strange, funny, and unusual theatre act. This well attended festival happens in historic Old Strathcona.

Folk festival - August - An exciting folk music festival with performers from around the world.

Heritage Festival - August - Experience food, performances, crafts and culture from around the world at more than 60 cultural pavilions.

Capital Ex - July - Ten days of fun, rides, games, concerts, displays and entertainment appealing to the whole family.

Kiwanis music festival - April

A Taste of Edmonton - Food festival - July

Edmonton Festival listing

More Edmonton festival listings

Ticketmaster - Edmonton gets more than its fair share of top name concerts and acts throughout the year. Get on their mailing list to find out who’s playing next.