Neigbourhoods

Areas of Interest - Downtown

There’s a lot of soul in the heart of the city with its thriving arts, retail, business and government centres. With more than 500 places to shop and 200-plus restaurants — as well as scores of clubs, pubs and major hotels — you’ll find memorable destinations here. The four-block Arts District is home to Edmonton’s cultural institutions. Landmarks include the award-winning Canada Place with its copper-hued façade, the historic Fairmont Hotel Macdonald built in 1915, and the newly expanded Shaw Conference Centre. Getting around downtown proves comfortable year-round thanks to the core’s extensive pedways, a network of above- and below-street, climate-controlled walkways that connect you to shopping centres, key public, business and cultural buildings. More than 25 “Park in the Heart” (look for the (##PARK##)) lots offer convenient parking.

Noteworthy Sites

• Art Gallery of Alberta – Opening in 2010, the new Art Gallery of Alberta will be a state-of-the-art facility. The building itself will be a work of art.
• The Citadel Theatre – Home to topnotch theatre, this multistage complex engages the world’s finest actors and directors. Be sure to check out its Lee Pavilion, a tropical, leafy atrium with its own waterfall.
• Edmonton City Hall – This eight-storey glass pyramid home of Edmonton’s City Council displays some outstanding work
by Edmonton visual artists and hosts many community and civic events.
• The Francis Winspear Centre for Music – Edmonton’s premier concert hall, and home of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra as well as the magnificent Davis Concert Organ, delivers an acoustically superior experience.
• Stanley A. Milner Public Library – One of Canada’s largest and busiest libraries, it’s a popular place for bookworms, students and anyone needing information from its amazing reference desk.
• Alberta Legislature Building & Grounds – Situated on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River, this majestic sandstone edifice and landscaped grounds is a sight
in any season (page 71).
• Sir Winston Churchill Square – A hub of activity, this open-air, public plaza hosts events throughout the year including The Works Art & Design Festival, The Edmonton International Street Performers Festival and A Taste of Edmonton.
• Edmonton City Centre Mall – Shopping mall with restaurants and movie theatres; it’s connected by pedways to other exclusive shopping and business centres – Manulife and Commerce.
• Chinatown – Established in 1910, this dynamic dining and shopping enclave welcomes all with its Chinatown Gate which promises good luck to all who roll the ball
in the lion’s mouth.
• Avenue of Nations – Multiculturalism is alive and well in this stroll that touts shops, services and restaurants drawn from the cultures of China, Vietnam, Italy, Ukraine, Poland, Japan and Latin America. Highlights include Lunar New Year festivities.
• River Valley – One of Edmonton’s greatest attractions, this lush park system is the longest expanse of urban parkland in North America. With sights, golf courses, nature trails and multi-use trails for cycling, jogging or a stroll, its wide pathways ensure access for all. In winter, enjoy cross-country or downhill skiing, snowshoeing or tobogganing.

Areas of Interest - North

History and sports are the name of the game on Edmonton’s north side. History buffs who explore Edmonton’s early days will be delighted to discover for themselves the city’s heady role in the early days of aviation. On game days, sports fans will feel the adrenaline rush that’s made Edmonton the “City of Champions”. Kingsway Avenue, constructed in 1914 as Portage Avenue, was originally intended to be the city’s main thoroughfare; it runs from southeast to northwest, between 101st Street and 118th Avenue. It got its current name in honour of the visit by King George VI to Edmonton in 1939, when some 60,000 people jammed the sidewalks to watch the royal cavalcade roll past.

Noteworthy Sites

• Rexall Place – Near the northern entrance of Wayne Gretzky Freeway, this 17,000-seat arena sports a larger-than-life bronze statue of hockey legend Wayne Gretzky. It’s home to the National Hockey League’s Edmonton Oilers, winners of five Stanley Cups during the 1980s, as well as the WHL Edmonton Oil Kings and Edmonton Rush Lacrosse Club.
• Commonwealth Stadium – Home of the Canadian Football League’s Edmonton Eskimos, winners of 13 Grey Cup championships over their 52-year history.
• Northlands – A day at the races will make your heart gallop with a visit to the Spectrum – a $21-million horse-racing and entertainment destination. With live thoroughbred racing in the summer and live harness racing in the fall, this venue also globally simulcasts races throughout the year and features slot machines for extra gaming action. Recent years have seen the introduction of the Edmonton Rush Lacrosse Club of the National Lacrosse League, whereas fall of 2007 brought the Western Hockey League’s Edmonton Oil Kings back to Edmonton.
• Alberta Aviation Museum – Offering an impressively detailed walk through Edmonton’s aviation history as The Gateway to the North, this meticulous museum boasts more than 30 aircraft on display, 40-plus display cabinets and exhibits, an aircraft restoration area, personal artifacts of famous pilots, a gift shop and more all next to the City Centre Airport that’s home to small charters, private and corporate aircraft, training, military, industrial and medevac flights.

Areas of Interest - West

From the thriving 124th Street Area to the ‘Greatest Indoor Show on Earth’ at the world-famous West Edmonton Mall, the city’s west end promises a little something for everyone. Check out the district’s museums and art galleries. It’s diverse retail outlets include specialty shops, coffee houses, restaurants and lounges, as well as superior headliner entertainment. The district, also rich in history, houses the Glenora Bed & Breakfast Inn within one of the city’s oldest neighbourhoods, once home to city pilot and First World War flying ace Wop May. Here, elegant Edwardian and early 20th Century brick mansions and two-storeys line Wellington, Tweedsmuir, St. George’s Crescents and Connaught Drive, which makes for scenic neighbourhood drives.

Noteworthy Sites

• The Royal Alberta Museum – Home to the internationally-acclaimed Syncrude Gallery of Aboriginal Culture, Wild Alberta dioramas that recreate lifelike encounters with wilderness and wildlife, and impressive travelling exhibits from around the world, the “RAM” is one of Canada’s five most popular museums.
• TELUS World of Science™ – Edmonton – Five galleries of interactive displays and exhibits inspire visitors to the leading edge of science and technology, with its new science demonstration stage, observatory, state-of-the-art computer lab, the largest planetarium dome theatre in Canada and Western Canada’s first IMAX® Theatre.
• The Valley Zoo – A habitat for more than 400 animals, including wildlife such as the Barred Owl, the endangered Peregrine Falcon and the strikingly beautiful snow leopard, Edmonton’s Valley Zoo is an animal lover’s paradise.
• West Edmonton Mall – The planet’s largest shopping and entertainment complex features more than 800 stores and services, 100-plus eating establishments and seven world-class attractions. See page 3, 24, 25 for more information on the ‘eighth wonder of the world.’
• The Gallery Walk – A multi-disciplinary, wide-ranging group of art galleries in the 124th Street neighbourhood collaborate several times a year to offer seasonal exhibits.

This World-Class Mall is Your Shopping Oyster

Experience “The Greatest Indoor Show on Earth” at this mega-mall that features more than 800 stores and services, more than 100 eating establishments and nine theme park attractions. Covering 48 city blocks — equivalent to 115 football fields — the mall thrills the millions of visitors annually who explore its shopping, dining and entertaining delights. West Edmonton Mall has also won its global-destination status thanks to family-fun meccas such as:
• Galaxyland – the planet’s largest indoor amusement park and home to the only spinning roller coaster in Canada: the Galaxy Orbiter
• World Waterpark – Surf’s always up at the world’s biggest indoor wave pool and waterslide complex
• The world’s largest indoor lake, where a replica of the Santa Maria – Christopher Columbus’s famed ship – is docked. As well, sail the Deep Sea Derby aboard your very own bumper boat.
• The Ice Palace – an NHL-sized public ice rink
• Capture some Old World spirit on Europa Boulevard, or fall under the jazzy spell of New Orleans on Bourbon Street – two of the mall’s themed indoor avenues
• Visit the Orient in Chinatown that comes complete with a giant T&T Supermarket
• Pass under a fire-breathing dragon as you enter the Scotiabank Theatre multi-screen cinema to catch Hollywood’s latest silver-screen epic.

Areas of Interest - South

Edmonton’s celebrated arts and cultural community, while represented throughout the city, finds its spiritual home with a huge presence in Old Strathcona. Anchored by the funky, bohemian spirit of Whyte Avenue, historic buildings blend with youthful exuberance to make Old Strathcona one of the city’s most popular neighbourhoods. Buildings here — like the Princess Theatre and Old Strathcona Hotel — date back to 1891, the year the Edmonton-to-Calgary railroad rolled in. Today, restored buildings house attractions, shops, restaurants and pubs. As a community, Old Strathcona loves to play. The Silly Summer Parade each July 1 (Canada Day) and the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival in August number among scores of entertaining events by vibrant organizations such as the Walterdale Theatre – the longest-running community theatre in Western Canada. The University of Alberta campus and area houses the Timms Centre for the Arts, the University of Alberta Hospital (including the Walter C. Mackenzie Health Sciences Centre) and the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium – home to Alberta Ballet and Edmonton Opera.

Noteworthy Sites

• Fort Edmonton Park – Canada’s largest living history park, with its own steam locomotive, recreates four time periods in the city’s development: the early fur trading days; frontier life in 1885; a peek into the brand new city in 1905; and its progress into the 20th century in 1920.
• The Muttart Conservatory – Four eye-catching glass pyramids which bloom year-round with exotic plants from across the globe. Note: This facility will reopen in Spring 2009 following renovations.
• Whyte Avenue – This eclectic strip features fashion-forward shops, restaurants and pubs, bookstores, craft and gift shops that display works by local and international artists. Rising local talent is routinely featured in the area’s live theatres and music venues.
• Old Strathcona Farmer’s Market – This year-round farmers’ market offers a cornucopia of fresh produce, baked goods, meat, crafts and more.
• University of Alberta – Built in 1908, this 90-building complex on a scenic 88-hectare campus comprises a student, faculty and staff population of more than 40,000 people. Its scholars and researchers have garnered global renown in fields such as diabetes and viral research, plant biotechnology, chemistry, nanotechnology and English literature. The nearby Universiade Pavilion (a block-long cube beloved locally as the Butterdome due to its yellow panels) was built as a sports venue for the 1983 World University Games.
• Rutherford House – The restored home of Alberta’s first premier Alexander Cameron Rutherford, and an Alberta Provincial Historic Site, resides on a large lot within the University of Alberta campus. Run by a charitable society, The Friends of Rutherford House Society, the historic building hosts a series of special events such as lectures and interpretive programming. It also houses a tea room (Arbour Restaurant) and a small gift shop.
• Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute – On the University of Alberta campus, this $200-million, 18-storey facility boasts the best in cardiac care, education and research in the country. With the floor space of four football fields, it’s a collaboration between Capital Health and the U of A.
• Walter C. Mackenzie Health Sciences Centre – Part of the University of Alberta Hospital, this $650-million centre features some of the most technically-advanced medical and research facilities in the world.
• The Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium – This fan-shaped facility plays home to the Alberta Ballet, Edmonton Opera and professional theatre companies as well as many visiting artists and touring productions from around the globe.
• Gateway Boulevard – This welcoming strip stretches from 23rd Avenue north to Old Strathcona itself; its southbound twin is called Calgary Trail. Retailers, restaurants, services, entertainment and more lines the length of these two major thoroughfares.
• South Edmonton Common – On the corner of 23rd Avenue and Gateway Boulevard, this shopping and entertainment district comprises a Cineplex Odeon Theatre, Wal-Mart, shops, bowling lanes, a golf dome, restaurants and bars as well as one of the largest IKEA stores in Canada.