West of Drumheller, Orkney Viewpoint is a beautiful natural viewpoint high on the cliffs above the Red Deer River. You will be surprised by some of the unique things to do … A great way to cool off, and it’s also free! Visit top … Wear ice cleats if you do this short hike in winter. The running joke about Drumheller’s Little Church is that it seats 10,000 people – 6 at a time. Dubbed the "Dinosaur Capital of the World" thanks to its extensive palaeontology museum, as well as the 26 m (86 ft) tall T-Rex statue that offers sweeping views over the Badlands, the town attracts dinosaur-mad visitors from across the globe. Located just outside of town, the museum is home to excellent exhibits showcasing dinosaurs, fossils, and information from different prehistoric periods. Finally, you’ll reach Bleriot Ferry (#8), cross the Red Deer River on it, then follow Highways 837 then 575 (S Dinosaur Trail) back into town, stopping at Orkney Viewpoint (#9) along the way. Atlas Coal Mine is closed in winter, but you can still stop by for an exterior photograph. Drumheller is without a doubt one of the top attractions in all of Alberta, Canada for families with toddlers or young kids. Athens Greek Restaurant is the best rated in town, while a drive out to Last Chance Saloon (#21 below) for a beer and hearty meal is a must. The Midland Coal Day-Use Area is along Highway 838 just as it is leaving Drumheller town, before reaching the turnoff for Royal Tyrell Museum. The door to the church is open, so visitors are free to enter and take a quick look. The play attracts hundreds of spectators every year. Your email address will not be published. The 10 Best Things To Do in Drumheller, Alberta . This registered national historic site lets you step back in time and see what life was like for coal miners in this region of Alberta. Returning to Highway 56, you’ll continue for just a few hundred meters before reaching the turnoff on the opposite (left) side of the highway to the Star Mine Suspension Bridge (or Rosedale Suspension Bridge) in tiny Rosedale. There’s also the small Bleriot Ferry Campground on the western bank of the river. At the northwester end of town, a few minutes along Dinosaur Trail (Highway 838), the kid-focused Fossil Dinosaur Discovery Center is worth a stop for dino-obsessed young kids. Related: Check out our post about Things to do in Red Deer in Winter. From Beisekar, it will take you around 50 minutes to arrive at the Midlands Provincial Park. Your reward for making the journey to Wayne is the chance to enjoy a pint at The Last Chance Saloon, a wild west saloon with real bullet holes in the walls. The Dinosaur Trail is a roughly 60-kilometer loop drive that takes in some of the best scenery and attractions that the Drumheller region has to offer. The buffet food is delicious and the family-friendly shows are always entertaining and well-done. But it’s so much more than plastic dinosaurs, even though that’s definitely part of its appeal. Note: you can approach the brachiosaurs from the parking lot of Fossil Discovery World, but to actually play in the playground, you’ll have to access it from 17 St. NW, a minute west along Highway 838 due to the fence you can see in the photo above. Find what to do today, this weekend, or in December. Upon crossing to the west side of the river, Highway 838 meets with Highway 837 for the return drive to Drumheller. Every time we visit Drumheller with our kids, we stay at the Ramada by Wyndham (see prices / read reviews). This isn’t a must-see Drumheller attraction, but if you’re looking for a nice spot to have a picnic when just arriving in or leaving Drumheller, it’s good to know it’s there. If Drumheller just isn’t enough and you’re not done with dinosaurs and badlands just yet, there are many more things to do around Drumheller as well. This post contains affiliate links. The day use area is on the bank of the Red Deer river and has picnic tables, outhouses, and water. It’s run by locals who live in the area and for one Saturday each month, Rowley becomes the busiest ghost town on the prairies. Located in visually stunning Midland Provincial Park (see #4), the enormous (12,500m2) building is a testament to all things palaeontology (the study of ancient plant and animal fossils), especially dinos. Drumheller may not be as popular as other cities in Canada, but don’t let that fool you. The Rosebud Dinner Theatre employ the students and other members of the tiny community. The large bend in the river around the Giant T-Rex has some walking trails, while there’s another lovely section at the southeast end of the town center. The center is a quick (maximum 1 hour), fun stop, but it’s pricey for what you get. But she is a national bestselling author and an award-winning writer and photographer. The dinosaur officially opened on October 13, 2000. Sip some cold beers and enjoy some hearty Canadian food, including a menu for kids. You can walk from various points down into the valley, or follow this simple trail map. Whether you’re looking for action, culture, romance, family fun or just looking to relax, Alberta has a wide variety of interesting attractions to keep you entertained. First off, 11 Bridges to Wayne is a detour on Highway 10X (watch for the turnoff just before 11 Bridges Campground and Cabins) to the tiny hamlet of Wayne that, as the name suggests, requires crossing 11 bridges in a short distance. For many visitors, it happens at Drumheller. It’s a short drive from the town of Drumheller and it’s a great thing to do at sunset or sunrise. Keep your eyes peeled for cougars, which frequent the park (you probably won’t see them…). #sunsetphotography #sunset #ph, Fell on the Heart Mountain Loop hike a couple of y, I have always wanted to canoe in Lake Louise. For visitors coming in off the N Dinosaur Trail, this can be a much needed stop for some park fun, and is the first big dino you’ll spt when driving into town from that direction. During the summer, bathrooms are open at the site. The parking lot with foods stalls (in summer), and railings & staircases around from the hoodoos take away from the natural atmosphere, but the latter also serve to prevent people from walking on the hoodoos and destroying them. 15 Things To Do With Kids In Drumheller See Dinosaur bones at the Royal Tyrrell Museum. It was first built in 1968 by a local contractor who was working with the ministerial association. Besides the oversized T-Rex, there are around 20 other dinosaur statues around town. Read along for more excellent Drumheller activities. It was reconstructed by prison inmates at the Drumheller Institution in 1991. For the best ice cream in Drumheller, try the shop connected to Vietnamese Noodle House. Watch out for rattlesnakes! Dear reader: This article contains links to products and services that I may be compensated for, at no extra cost to you. The small dino museum inside features some impressive fossils, skeletons, and what some have called the most realistic animatronic (moving and roaring) T-Rex in the world. One of the biggest, the now inactive Atlas Coal Mine National Historic Site, offers underground tours through the mining tunnels and rides on a narrow-gauge train. Following, is a list of things to do in Drumheller that I thought were perfect for my 2.5 year old, that I haven’t discussed before. My son is a huge dino fan and we’ve been to several dinosaur museums around the world, but he was actually terrified of this one! Right next to Fossil World Discovery Center, there’s a small playground with a life-sized brachiosaurus. Kids can also pay extra to do a fossil or mineral dig, and they get to take home what they find. Below I’m going to cover 25 of the best things to do in Drumheller, based on my multiple visits over the years, recently with my own kids, and going all the way back to my own childhood, when I had a sleepover on the floor of the Dino Room at the Royal Tyrrell in Boy Scouts. It is one of the best dinosaur museums in the world and the official repository for all of the fossils discovered in Alberta. There are loads of fossils, dino skeletons, and life-sized mock dinos, as well as a Cretaceous Garden along the way. Seeing hoodoos is one of the best things to do in Drumheller in any season. Dinosaur Provincial Park. Join Airbnb here and you’ll get up to $50 off your first stay!). Note that the tipple and underground portions are only accessible by guided tour, but there are no guided tours available at the time I write this (late 2020), but the rest of the mine is still open. In winter, you can park near the closed sign and walk up the road to the viewpoint. Visitors can pay to enter and climb up into the mouth of the T-Rex. There’s nothing to see at each stop besides the sign, which features an Albertosaurus (my non-educated guess), but if you want a picture with the sign, there’s plenty of room to park. The drive itself takes less than an hour, but depending on your stops, it could be a half or even full-day trip. There are few like it in the world, and trails that they can definitely manage. Your email address will not be published. Continuing along past gorgeous badlands scenery, you’ll soon reach the turnoff for Cactus Coulee Fun Park, a small amusement park with go-karting, mini golf, eurobungy, ice cream, and more. You’ll soon pass the turnoff for Royal Tyrell Museum (#3), Midlands Provincial Park (#4), and The Little Church (#5) on the right. Drumheller Pedestrian Trails Drumheller has 18 kms of trails located in town and on the banks of the Red Deer River. Well, that sums up my list of awesome things to do in Drumheller, Alberta! There’s also a tearoom (summer only), shop with ice cream & treats, and children’s activities such as a scavenger hunt. At Royal Tyrrell Museum, the 1.4-kilometer Badlands Interpretive Trail (also called the Royal Tyrrell Museum Loop) is another easy walk that features stunning scenery of Midland Provincial Park. The store is run by Fossil World Discovery Center (#11). It may be a bit touristy (but, who are we kidding, most of Drumheller is touristy), but a visit to the Royal Tyrrell Museum is an absolute must. The Dinosaur Trail is a roughly 60-kilometer loop drive that takes in some of the best scenery and attractions that the Drumheller region has to offer. The steep drive down to the ferry is rather exciting. Required fields are marked *. The school is now converted into a small museum that gives visitors a peek into the area’s pioneering past. The Irish pub across the parking lot from the hotel doesn’t hurt, either. The below eight entries are all located on the Dinosaur Trail. Every year, new discoveries are made that advance mankind’s knowledge of the age of dinosaurs. A second, identical one is on the more commonly used Highway 9 coming into town from the west, while the third one is on highway 575 (S Dinosaur Trail), at the tail end of the Dinosaur Trail loop (see #1). One of the most famous dinosaur Museums, The Royal Tyrrell Museum is in Drumheller and it’s a definitely something you need to check out. When I’m not writing or compulsively planning every detail of our next family trip, I’m most likely playing dinosaur or princess games with Sage & Lavender, my two kids. Midland is a small provincial park created in 1979 to preserve a slice of the Drumheller region’s coal mining past. We have reviews of the best places to see in Drumheller. Along the way, we learned about the geology and history of the region. Things to do in Drumheller include cycling the Dinosaur Trail Check out the world’s largest dinosaur. The ferry ride is free, and you may have to wait a few minutes to make the short crossing. It also makes it onto my list of essential Alberta experiences. It’s understandably a very popular spot in summer, and stays open as long as whether permits. Reaching Drumheller and Midlands Provincial Park. There is a decent trail system along the Red Deer River in Drumheller. It’s a female, 4.5 times the size of a living Tyrannosaurus rex. There is a day use area with viewing platforms and bathrooms. It’s a female Tyrannosaurus Rex and it’s 4.5 times bigger than a real T-Rex would have been. See Tripadvisor's 8,968 traveller reviews and photos of kid friendly Drumheller attractions Next to the spray park, there’s also the Drumheller Aquaplex (swimming pool) and Drumheller Skate Park. On warm summer evenings, hundreds of people show up for the pizza party and wander through the historic buildings. You can even spend the night at the adjacent Rosedeer Hotel (see reviews here). Things to Do in Drumheller, Alberta: See Tripadvisor's 18,408 traveller reviews and photos of Drumheller attractions. She, Drumheller Hiking – Badlands Interpretive Trail, Atlas Coal Mine National Historic Site of Canada, Take a Tour With Red Deer River Adventures. In the heart of beautiful badlands filled with dinosaur fossils and hoodoos, sits the town of Drumheller. The remaining six sights can all be accessed by taking Highway 56 southeast out of Drumheller town center, then merging onto the Highway 10. Museums and Historic Sites Drumheller boasts a wealth of museums and historic sites where you can relive history with rich abundance of dinosaur fossils. Atlas Coal Mine was in operation from 1911 to 1979, when declining use of coal caused this and other coal mines in Drumheller to shut down. . Learn more in my, 22. You’ll want to budget at least 2-3 hours for visiting the museum. In summer, you might see locals fishing from the bridge. During the summer of 2014, however, I spent a little more time in the area and found out there are some really awesome things to do there! Visit the Spray Park . As soon as you pull into the small turnoff, you’ll be afforded an incredible, sweeping view of the Red Deer river valley. Fun Things to Do in Drumheller with Kids: Family-friendly activities and fun things to do. It’s got a few dino statues out front, plus an ice cream store. Why? Book your tickets online for the top things to do in Drumheller, Canada on Tripadvisor: See 18,412 traveller reviews and photos of Drumheller tourist attractions. We’ll list some of the more popular options below. Things to Do in Drumheller, Alberta: See Tripadvisor's 9 305 traveller reviews and photos of 31 Drumheller attractions. (Bragging rights!). You can see one of the original Bleriot ferries at Homestead Antique Museum (#13). Rosebud School of the Arts is a faith-based school that trains actors and others to work in theatre. Yes, it’s touristy and outright tacky at times (complete with the World’s Largest T-Rex). . Visitor’s to the museum walk through Alberta’s pre-historic past, from the Palaeozoic (when animals first left the sea), through the three dino periods (Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous), and finishing with the Cenozoic (age of mammals). If your kids haven’t got the tacky dino souvenir you promised them yet by this point, you can pop in to the Jurassic Store Fossil World across the street. Visitors can tour the large mine, including machines exhibited outside, train cars, a huge tipple (the structure that provided access to the mine and is used to transport coal to train cars), and underground portions of the mine. The trail and the museum are in Midland Provincial Park and you can park your car in the museum’s parking lot and walk to the trailhead. See Tripadvisor's 8,972 traveller reviews and photos of Drumheller adventurous activities The scenery is beautiful, and it’s easy to spend an hour exploring and photographing along the trail. There’s enough to do in this small town to fill an entire day, or even an overnight trip. Being the Dinosaur Capital of the World, Drumheller offers visitors the world-class Royal Tyrrell Museum which takes visitors into the not so distant past when dinosaurs roamed the earth. The answer is simple: swimming pool & waterslide! You know Drumheller for its prehistoric landscape and decorative dinosaurs scattered throughout its downtown. See Tripadvisor's 8,969 traveller reviews and photos of kid friendly Drumheller attractions The provincial park is a 1.5-hour drive southeast of Drumheller toward Medicine Hat. Find even more ideas is my guide to the best places to visit in Alberta. Not a bombshell. Top Things to Do in Drumheller, Alberta: See Tripadvisor's 9,307 traveller reviews and photos of 31 things to do when in Drumheller. The “trail” in Hoodoos trail refers to a small walking path loop viewing platforms around the hoodoos, but sometimes also refers to the 15-kilometer (15-minute) drive from Drumheller town south to the hoodoos. (As an Airbnb associate, I earn a small commission if you book through this link, at no extra cost to you. Rowley is a ghost town that simply won’t die. The world’s top paleontologists do important research at the facility. Read Canmore Cave Tours and a Claustrophobic Caver. Driving another five minutes south past the Hoodoos Trail will bring you to East Coulee School Museum in the tiny community of East Coulee (population 160). Unfortunately, the bridge was closed in 2020 due to structural concerns. You can also search for the best Airbnbs in Drumheller here. Discover 5 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Drumheller, Alberta from The Hoodoos of Drumheller Valley to Atlas Coal Mine. The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is the Last Chance Saloon. Follow the road to the left to reach the former mining site and Midland Coal Interpretive Trail, which takes you past various foundations and remains from the old mine. The park is open from May to September (weekends only in May and September). Check out your options in Drumheller. It’s fun to wander around the community and see the historic buildings. The canyon itself can be slippery in winter making hiking treacherous. Today there are only 28 permanent residents remaining. Nestled in the middle of Alberta Canada is Dinosaur country, the Badlands! You can ride the mine train, put on a hardhat and go deep inside the tunnels and explore the wooden tipple with a retired miner. Here’s a map of all the dinosaurs statues in Drumheller. The world’s top paleontologists do important research at the facility. Keep an eye out for prehistoric beasts lurking in dark corners during your trip to Drumheller. Just like Horsethief Canyon (#7), Horseshoe Canyon features a stunningly gorgeous badlands landscape, but with the river that formed it long since dried up. Highly rated adventurous activities in Drumheller. Related: Looking for more Alberta adventures? Heading north from Drumheller, the Rowley Ghost Town is really cool, while Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park could be visited as a stop en route to Drumheller from Edmonton or Red Deer. 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