BEYOND EDMONTON

MINUTES AWAY FROM SO MUCH MORE

Edmonton is only the starting point. From here, you’re minutes away from nearby cities and towns, and only hours away from destinations that offer unique host-site possibilities. To the north, experience the energy of Fort McMurray with a tour of Alberta’s famous oil sands, a night-sky viewing of the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights), Aboriginal culture, dog-sledding and boreal wilderness adventures.

As a unique host site for your tour or retreat — or simply a destination to visit for the day — Greater Edmonton offers options for everyone.

Surround yourself with the beauty of nature. Nurture your green thumb at the Devonian Botanic Garden and take your pick of fresh produce, meats and goods at the St. Albert Farmers Market and greenhouses.

Nearby communities boast major performance facilities, such as Festival Place in Sherwood Park, The Arden Theatre in St. Albert, the Horizon Stage in Spruce Grove and the Shell Theatre in the Sherritt Cultural Pavilion in the Dow Centennial Centre in Fort Saskatchewan.

These venues also offer unique facilities such as the Wardens’ Art Centre & Tea Room in Fort Saskatchewan and the Multicultural Heritage Centre in Stony Plain. For trade shows, consider these four major venues: The TransAlta Tri Leisure Centre, Millennium Place and Dow Centennial Centre as well the new Servus Credit Union Place.

• The TransAlta Tri Leisure Centre, west of Spruce Grove, offers a two-soccer-field-sized arena in winter — and double that in summer — when two indoor skating rink areas can be incorporated.
• Millennium Place in Sherwood Park offers the Celanese Centre, a 32,000-sq.-ft. double-arena space that can be easily transformed for trade show or special-event purposes.
• The Servus Credit Union Place in St. Albert features three NHL-sized arenas, two soccer fields, a variety of meeting rooms and more.
• The Dow Centennial Centre in Fort Saskatchewan offers an NHL-sized ice arena, leisure ice arena and a soccer field that can be used for trade shows. Banquet space is ample.
• River Cree Resort & Casino is a full-service, state-of-the-art gaming, hotel and entertainment complex on the outskirts of Edmonton at the Enoch Cree Nation.
• Regional attractions include the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village, a unique living-history museum celebrating local Ukrainian history. In Wetaskiwin, visit the Reynolds-Alberta Museum, which houses hundreds of vintage automobiles and agricultural implements as well as serving as Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame.
• Southwest of Edmonton, the Devonian Botanic Garden thrives as a scenic destination and event site. Sip a warm beverage in the tearoom, available for rent by smaller groups, in the serenity of the Kurimoto Japanese Garden.

Sunset at Maligne Lake, Jasper National Park
Photo: Travel Alberta

Photo: Edmonton Tourism

HERE THE BUFFALO ROAM — A wildlife oasis, Elk Island National Park is home to herds of free-roaming plains and wood bison, moose, deer and elk, and more than 250 species of birds. If you’re looking for fresh air and outdoor recreation, take advantage of scenic hiking trails, canoeing, camping, picnicking and cross-country skiing amid the natural splendour and starry night skies.

Photo: Edmonton Tourism

HERITAGE LIVES ON — The rich Alberta farmland east of Edmonton was largely homesteaded by Ukrainian immigrant families whose toil and traditions transformed east central Alberta from 1892 to 1930. With costumed players and historic buildings, Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village is an outdoor living museum that tells their compelling story of life in a new land. The food here is delicious, too.