Canada Guide
Alberta and the Rockies
Royal Alberta Museum
Address: 12845-102nd Ave
Opening time: Daily 9am–5pm
Price: $10
Telephone: 780/453-9100
Website: www.royalalbertamuseum.ca
Housed in a drab building well out in the western suburbs – a ten-minute drive from downtown – the Royal Alberta Museum makes a reasonable introduction to the history, culture, flora and fauna of western Canada, worthwhile if Edmonton is your first stop in the region. To reach it by bus, take the #1 or #120 buses heading west to "Jasper Place" on Jasper Avenue. Natural history exhibits include painted dioramas and stuffed animals; by far the best section concerns the virtual extinction of region's bison herds. Other displays include a humdrum collection of domestic appliances, a couple of beautiful chrome stoves and vintage jukeboxes and a rundown of the native peoples of the province. This last collection includes a series of state-of-the-art multimedia displays that do justice to the history and culture of the Blackfoot and other aboriginal cultures with displays of art, artefacts and other exhibits. Other engaging parts of the museum are the Bug, a showcase of live and often exotic insects, and "Earth's Changing Face", a geological display of gems, minerals, rocks and dinosaur exhibits. The museum also comes into its own when hosting temporary and travelling exhibitions from collections and museums around the world – ask at the visitor centre for current details.