VERY SMALL MUSEUM IN BANFF…read more We recently visited the Whyte Museum located in downtown Banff. Admission is $15 adults, $12.50 seniors and students and free for children. There are free docent-led tours as well as a one hour Historic Banff Walking Tour (fee) and Historic Homes Public Tour (fee). No coffee shop on site but there is a very nice book and gift shop. This museum is a beautiful space but very small. The permanent exhibition hall is one large room featuring artifacts relating to the local Indigenous populations and the early history and pioneers of Banff. Without the docent-led tour of the special exhibit, Thick as Thieves, we would have spent less than 1/2 hour at the museum.

The Whyte museum was named after Peter and Catherine Robb Whyte, local artists and philanthropists,…read more who created a museum where visitors could see the culture and landscape of the Canadian Rockies. Paintings of the original settlers, the Indians, and their clashes with the white men explorers in the 19th century. Building of the railway, including an interactive tunnel view. How the railroad tracks were laid through mountainous areas, and the effect of frequent avalanches. Picture of the golden spike where the trans Canadian railway was joined. No Chinese workers, who did all the hard work, in the picture, just business men in formal clothing, gathering around the railroad track. Early women tourists in their long ankle length skirts exploring the glaciers in pictures. Men and women of wealth in pictures showing their fancy dress for crossing the Rockies by rail. Cutaway view of a automobile from the 1920s, with a film of automobiles in the Canadian Rockies at that time. The Canadian Rockies contribution to the war effort in the world wars, including descriptions and pictures of heroic actions by locals fighting the enemy. The Canadian Rockies in the movies, including posters of 'Saskatchewan', and 'River of No Return'. Helicopter skiing in the late 20th century, where helicopters would ferry skiers to the top of mountains, to ski down. Mountain climbers going up mountains, with display showing how they slept in tents anchored off the cliffs. Great way to spend time indoors when Banff was suffocating under forest fire smoke. $10 per adult, $9 for seniors, and AAA discount. Wife had no objection when I paid for 2 senior tickets, even though she was not yet 65. You know you are getting old when the museum cashier doesn't ask to see identification with dob!

I love to learn about Native American history (US), or First Nations People in Canada. I had high…read morehopes for this museum - it had some excellent artifacts and information posted. It's a traditional-type museum that is self-paced with still, quiet displays & dioramas. I'm not a fan of the mannequin-style dioramas because it feels a little creepy to me, but that's just my aside thing. I hope one day they will update their museum to have interactive elements and to modernize. I'm glad to support this museum with my entrance fee. We spent about an hour here browsing the displays and enjoying the space.

Museum about the native Canadian Indians, inside a building resembling a 19th century log fort,…read morecomplete with towers, near the center of downtown Banff. Lots of mannequins with painted faces and hands, covered with traditional native Canadian Indian clothing. These mannequins are not in display cabinets nor in dioramas with background settings, but just out in the open behind security ropes. Low budget from the 1970s. Display showing warriors hanging from their chest muscles from the ceiling, in a ceremony. Women weaving behind a small hut. Women washing clothes. An Indian warrior on horseback using a bow and arrow to shoot a bison. Indians herding horses, with a dog running aside. Warriors in teepee. Indian chief presiding over a gathering. Canadian Mountie and Indian warrior side by side with their horses. Displays of headdresses, papoose, stuffed animals such as mountain lions and bison. Crafts, artifacts, native artifacts of the first nations. Gift shop with free coffee, except that I'm not addicted to coffee, unlike most of my fellow Yelp friends. Would have like to have seen big display dioramas of battles in the French and Indian Wars, and other wars involving native Indians in Canada. No showing of massacres. Would I come back? Only reason to come here is that all outdoor events smoked out by the smog created by the forest fires, causing me to cough.

A place to see all the animals you didn't see live in Banff National Park…read more We didn't see a lot of wild animals in our trip to the Canadian Rockies. Trout in Maligne Lake, pikas at Morraine Lake, elk on the Icefields Parkway, and bison at a ranch in the Kananaskis Valley. Here in the heart of Banff is a two story 100+ year old building, constructed out of Douglas Fir, renovated, so that the interior structure looks spanking new, with varnished wood beams. Entering the front door, and I feel like I'm in the center of a stage, with all the animals seated in the stands and bleachers, looking right down on me, with open eyes, ready to pounce! Individual airtight glass cases, to keep out destructive insects and live rodents, and keep the dust down. Wolves, lynx, elk, moose, bison, mountain lion, ox, beaver, bear, deer, mountain goat, owls, birds, and pronghorn sheep. Two stories, with the second floor being a corridor running along the sides, with a center gap, looking down on the displays. Many of these animals, I've seen live in Yosemite, Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks. Today for the 150th anniversary of Canada, free admission throughout 2017. A great place to spend a few hours during our stay in Banff, under forest fire smoky skies, this first week in September.

One of the perks for running the Banff Marathon was free entry into the Banff Park Museum. It was…read morevery convenient since the race finished right at Central Park. So after the race, my friend and I stopped in here to check things out. Before we began looking around, the guy at the entrance made sure to let us know that some of the exhibits were over 100 years old and cautioned us not to touch any of them. There were 2 floors full of exhibits including a room with videos. A lot of the animals that we saw were ones you probably don't want to come across out in the wild! Overall I thought it was a museum definitely worth checking out.

Pioneer Village Museum is a must see! The photos speak for themselves. If you visit Sundre and…read moredon't stop in for a visit, it would be a regret I would not want to live with!

Not worth the admission price. Basically can get thru the exhibition in 15 minutes. The front desk…read morehelp is friendly but this is such a small museum, I'm not sure they should even charge.

This is a historic home and garden first settled in 1905. Wealthy individual who started many…read morebusinesses in Banff. Period decor. Quite a number of mounted animal heads. Nice garden on the side of the house. Price is by donation. Worth a visit.

From the owner: Only 1 block off Banff Avenue, this Heritage Home museum offers a small oasis in this busy tourist…read moretown. Visit to tour the home, sip a cup of tea, sit in the garden, relax and enjoy.

I took my grade two and three students on a field trip to the Leighton Art Centre and they loved…read moreit! It's quite out of town so when going you have to incorporate that into you time and make it a full day. We arrived and automatically went into the cabin where we would be doing our art. Our tour guide was Emma and she gave each of the students a notebook to keep and take home which they loved. She asked them to look around the room but they had to stay seated and draw an object or thing they could see from their seats. Then after they did it once they had to flip to the next page and find another object in the room and draw it and she gave them a time limit the first time of 5 minutes and only 3 minutes the second time to show how it gets harder. Some students were asking for erasers and she explained that they don't have erasers because they believe that artists don't make mistakes. Then they students started their clay projects making a landscape and they had lots of fun doing this. Then we had lunch in that same room after students cleaned up and then they had play time outside in the snow which the leader explained the boundaries they had to stay in and that all nature things including snow stay on the ground. Then we did a nature walk and then the students got to go through the Leighton house which they really enjoyed especially the room with the parrot and all the trees! Thank you Leighton Art Centre !

My friend's soon to be mother-in-law organized a bridal shower here. I've never been to…read moreMillarville....not gonna lie....didn't even know it even existed. It's a short drive south of Calgary. I used google maps to get me to the Leighton Art Centre. The drive there is beautiful. Lush rolling green hills and beautiful forests. I swear I was transported to an English countryside! If you like scenery, a summer drive in this area is highly recommended. Our art lesson was held in an original little school house, now an historical landmark, built in the 1950s. After our art lesson (which I determined I do not have a talent for lol) our instructor led us on a short nature walk up to the the Leighton House Museum. A beautiful home originally designed by Alfred Crocker Leighton that features much of the home's original furniture and the Leighton's personal belongings. The home also showcases AC Leighton's original artwork as well is now home to many local artists' work where they are displayed and for sale. The house is beautifully situated over looking a breathtaking view. The Leightons were dedicated to art and the art community, and I can see why artists come there to paint, there is so much inspiration all around you. Definitely worth the drive out there for the views alone, but the museum and learning a little bit of local history is a nice bonus too.

Calgary, Alberta, Canada…read more The museum is in the heart of DT Calgary and composes of four floors. First Floor - Museum kiosk, gift shop, access to downtown and some exhibitions in the hallways for the building/hotel/conference room. Second Floor - all the silly features from (assume) modern art. Features changed periodically (e.g. quarterly, monthly, etc.). Modern art is junk in my opinion but what does a guy who has a dual degree in History & Art History know about this stuff? Third Floor - Dedicated to First Nation(als) aka Native Americans/Indians. The main purpose I wanted to visit Glenbow and Royal Alberta up in Edmonton. I was curious how Canada as a federal government and general population viewed the genocide/diaspora for the First Nationals and unfortunately... It's not that different than how Americans treated them but why would it be? Fourth Floor - Random stuff and a women power exhibit. The woman exhibition was interesting with highlights focusing on a photographer who joined the dominant male explorers to venture to the Glacier and Northern Rockies in the early 20th. Her photography was sick~! The fourth floor was bleh aside from her corner. The museum had many other exhibits on various floors showcasing Canadian & Alberta fore-fathers. I may have my wires crossed w/ Glenbow & Royal Alberta so I apologize for that. I will update as I sift through my pictures to remind me what I just experienced. Access/Roads: A It's in DT. Parking: A Weekend was easy. Public parking everywhere for $10USD/$13 CDA. Distance: C DT Los Angeles is appx 1,600 miles away (~2,600 KM). Costs: A $13 USD/$18 CDA. Students, kids and seniors cost ~$9 USD/$12 CDA. This is a great starter place to learn about general Canadian stuff, Alberta History, First Nation issues and so forth. Worth scoping out as I was uber excited to visit. I spent over five hours so wear some comfy shoes, expect to walk around a lot and so forth. There is a convenient bathroom/washroom aka sh*tter on every floor. Additionally, organized spots to rest/sit for us disabled/terminal ill peoples. Safe travelings my friends and I hope your fears don't paralyze you to live. Consolidated photo gallery: https://www.facebook.com/SiRTurbo/media_set?set=a.10157283091752324&type=3 IG @cigarcpa www.cleeshyun.com

The museum is located in the heart of downtown and share the same building as the Telus…read moreConventional Center. I came on a Thursday night after 5 pm. Every first Thursday of the month is free admission sponsored by Servus. I had to take advantage of this offer. Regular price admission is $18 per person. Why pay when you can go in for free. Plus I am not a tourist so might as well visit on a Thursday. All exhibits/galleries are open on the free admission day. The museum is very specifically tailored to the First Nation history and history of Calgary. They do have an interesting section on geology: rocks, minerals, stones, geode and etc. That gallery was slightly out of place compared to the rest of the museum/items on display. The first floor is really the gift shop and museum ticket/concierge/info center. Second floor is the first nation artworks. There are paintings and a few pieces of artwork. Third floor is about the oil and gas industry. As well, as the first settlement and the history of Calgary. Fourth floor is more tailored to the British Army and a section on the history of Africa. Everything is well documented, comprehensive and well referenced in the museum. Expect to spend about 2 hours minimum here. Overall, I enjoyed my stay. I don't think this museum changes much and so it is really one time visit. Note that no big backpacks are allowed into the museum and would be required to be checked in.

This place is very cool. Visited Calgary & Banff for a week from California and wasn't sure what to…read moredo on our last day. We debated between here and the kids museum. Decided to go here as it was the more unique option. It did not disappoint. My 3 and 5 year old loved the ride and I loved that we didn't have to pay extra for them. I think I enjoyed the rides as much as them. They weren't as nauseating as modern rides, imo. They were also unique twists on them - particularly the carousel. The horses go forward/back, instead of up/down. According to a little plaque on the ride, it's only one of two in the world that do this. How cool?! It was also nice to stroll around and look at various historical homes and such. Prices were also great! The ice cream is a must! Probably amongst one of the best ice creams I've had in my life. I really enjoyed the coffee/choco cookie flavor I got. Lunch at the Asian place was not bad, but not that great either. My biggest complaint would be the train. I have one of those strollers that folds up really small. I forgot to bring my backpack for it, so they wouldn't let us on, claiming that it was "too big". Only umbrella strollers are allowed. However, if I had it in the backpack, they would've allowed it. It would've easily fit between or under my legs, so the claim that it was "too big" is BS. There was plenty of parking. We came on a Monday in early August and there were pretty much no lines for anything. However, it's a huge place and we spent literally all day (from open to close) there.

What can I say, I was wowed by my family's visit here this summer. I hadn't been here before and…read morewhile we only made it to about half of the park we really enjoyed what we did and saw. From the paddle wheel boat to the train, the amusement park rides to the playground, the Gasoline Alley Museum to the absolutely excellent and earnest musical entertainment performed at the Opera House, our stay here was great! I loved talking to the interpreters at the pharmacy among other highlights. I will definitely want to return here in the future to take in areas we didn't have time to visit. Parking was reasonable (be sure to pay!) and ample.