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    Royal Alberta Museum

    4.2 (54 reviews)
    Closed 10:00 am - 8:00 pm

    Royal Alberta Museum Photos

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    Albertasaurus
    Saba E.

    What a fun museum for all ages - really! I don't have children, but I did see a group of children exploring the museum with wonder. I was in Edmonton for work and decided to explore on my one free day! I found my way to the museum in the picturesque downtown and really enjoyed the exhibit on the Vikings. It was both informational and interactive, and I learned about the origin of Bluetooth! I was also able to enjoy a quiet lunch in their cafe. It was impressive that in spite of how crowded the museum was, I was still able to enjoy lunch in peace and the line at the cafe moved quickly! I had a lovely salad and coffee (needed to both stay away and healthy). They have lots of visiting exhibits that may be worth a gander if/when I'm back in Edmonton. I'm not sure I'm young enough for many of the permanent exhibits, but if you have kids, then I'm sure they'd enjoy the museum!

    C. H.

    This was my first time visiting this museum. It was nicely set up to showcase prehistoric to modern day Alberta. I found a lot of interesting things to see. My favourite was the dinosaur section and wished there were more dinosaurs on display. My kid really enjoyed the bugs and kids play area. The gift store had a nice selection of merchandise. The admission ticket was $21. It might be worthwhile to pay for the annual $35 mammoth pass for those who live in the area. The museum layout was very good. There were restrooms throughout the building and plenty of seating to rest. I think you need 2-3 hours to really enjoy what the museum has to offer. I am not sure how often they can really change their displays to make the annual pass worthwhile. My only suggestion is they should have a section to show a mini-movie and change the movie seasonally.

    Exhibit.
    Kat W.

    I saw online that the RAM was offering free admission for Family Day. There were a limited number of tickets available for designated times throughout the day. It was important to reserve tickets online prior to coming. I thought it would be a wonderful way to spend quality time with my husband and baby. This was our first time visiting this new RAM location. The Children's Gallery was amazing for our little one! There were so many things to see and do! It's more than a typical playground. There were various activities and exhibits to stimulate and educate. It was a very popular location for families with little ones. Next to the Children's Gallery was the the Bug Gallery. It was cool to see various creepy crawlies from around the world. The bugs were securely contained behind glass. It's a safe place to take a good look at these bugs! I was impressed with the variety of gorgeous displays here. There were so many fascinating things to see! The best part was that a lot of the displays were focused on the history of Alberta. There were dinosaur bones to Oilers displays. From prehistoric to modern times. I believe there is something here that would appeal to almost everyone. This is a high quality museum. I recommend bringing your out of town visitors here. This is a must see while in Edmonton. Time spent here is time well spent.

    Alia S.

    The Royal Alberta Museum is really quite something compared to the previous location. Everything is so vast and open and they have a ton of space for the exhibits they previously were not able to show. There are still two floors, and they have their standard exhibits, a kids exhibit and space for a changing exhibit. There is also a cafe which is good and a gift shop. However, when we went the cafe was closed and kids area was open but all the fun things were still put away. Altogether, the museum looks nice but I miss the charm of the location, even though it was a bit run down, as well as the ample parking that was once at the old location. Parking can be a bit hard to come by or expensive because it is downtown. They do have some accessible stalls right out front which is great. It is definitely a must see while you are in Edmonton and once the place really is in full swing a great place for the kids.

    Michelle M.

    I've wanted to visit this place since the opening. It does not disappoint. The architecture of the building inside and out is beautiful. The price is also really decent. The feature exhibit Vikings was very cool. First time it has been outside Europe that's pretty amazing itself. Pieces of history are cool to view and learn from. My absolute favourite though was the bug area. So many bugs and details as to what they eat and where they are found, some local bugs too. Worth a visit. I can't wait to go back for the new exhibit in October. Also an area all about rocks!!!

    Pamela D.

    I made the mistake of going to the Royal Alberta Museum on Family Day. It's free on Family Day - YAY but also noooooooooo! So busy I couldn't handle it. I ended up only really seeing the Natural History exhibit and then left. But I did enjoy my time there. It's really well laid out with lots of interactive elements. My 4 year old loved it. I'll be taking her back another time when it's less busy. The Natural History exhibit doesn't have as many dinosaurs as one would hope for. The Wooly Mammoth is very impressive mind you! And the rocks. Wow! I would never get my geologist husband out of there. They have a lot of interesting info on the province and there was also a kids area that the line was out the door for so lots to see when I do return. I'll wait till the new Viking exhibit opens up and head back for more.

    Sign outside the museum
    Susan W.

    She's a pretty girl, with not much to say! The PROS and CONS of this newly built museum are so polarizing that she's getting 3 stars from this mom. This building is gorgeous and located on prime downtown real estate. Easy parking in the many lots around town - or use the LRT! I managed to find street parking less than a block away. 19 bucks gets you through the door. I highly recommend getting the yearly pass at 35 dollars. It's a steal! Kids under 7 are free. There is a cafe located on site and lots of space dedicated to eating and people watching. The cafe is yummy and reasonably priced. We did BYO, but there are many obvious signs forbidding food and beverages inside the museum. Worried about bathrooms? Don't. Lots of bathrooms including private bathrooms everywhere you turn. Family bathrooms too - thank you for that! Also...a big sigh of relief for mobility issues. Huge sidewalks, walkways, elevators etc. PROS The building is gorgeous! The style of the building is impressive and thoughtful in layout. The meseum itself has 2 main exhibit areas....designed impeccably. The displays are a visual dream. The visual TV screens in the exhibits took my breath away. I loved the choreographed videos and audio. The museum has so much space and light streaming into the open areas. My kids loved, loved, loved the bug rooms and kid spaces. We spent 2 hours on just those two areas alone. CONS Is this a museum? Or an office building? I expect for a museum to be brimming with content. Comparatively, museum content is not even half of the total building square footage. While the displays are truly lovely, I saw Newfoundland represented by a Styrofoam Mary Browns container. Another display had knit gloves dating back to a whopping 2013 - - A room filled with retro jeans, etc. Did the museum really represent our Alberta and Canada in the best way possible? My expectations of this being a museum were not met. We will be back here. No doubt. My kids had an epic time and the museum made me have an adventure with them. Getting there was so easy. I really will only come here as this is a glorified playground.

    The Children's Gallery at Royal Alberta Museum
    Daisy Y.

    The brand new space is bright, beautiful, and airy, which is the total opposite of their old location..although some of the rooms got pretty stuffy when it was chockful of people (ie) the bug room). Upon entering the museum, you are in a large, open space, greeted by a large mammoth statue, and an old airplane model hangs in the ceiling. The lower level houses the bug room (one of the highlights of my visit, and probably something the kids will love to check out), the children's gallery (I didn't venture in, being childless and all, but it looks like an awesome space; my brother had a tour of the facility and has raved about it), and two Feature Galleries (no access during the grand opening, but it's where they'll hold any travelling exhibits). My favorite part of the old museum - the awesome wildlife dioramas - are still here, and located on the second floor. It remains my favorite exhibit. I really enjoyed seeing the ice age fossils too. (who would have known that we had gigantic sloths and small, weird-looking camels in Ice Age Alberta!). My friend and I did a quick walk around in just under 2 hours, but if you really want to delve into the meat of things and take your time to read/learn a little bit more about the exhibits, this is easily a full day activity. The Human History Gallery itself would take at least an hour to discover. (nerdy Daisy loves learning about life during the war, and just about how life in general was decades ago) There is a small little cafe; it looked well stocked with sandwiches, baked goods, and various drinks - hot or cold. Plenty of seating available. Lots of elevators, seating, and bathrooms galore here. Admission is $19 for adult, $10 for kids, kids 6 and under are free, or $48 for the family. (no idea where my coworker got $35 from, as she complained about how expensive admission prices were). Bonus: there is a permanent exhibit that will be free to check out on the 2nd floor. There was nothing there when we went up, other than a cool, "reflective space". Free wifi available. The only issue I had with this place is the lack of parking. I get how they want to encourage visitors to take public transportation, but c'mon, don't force it on people. It would have been a much wiser choice to have heated, underground parking for visitors. Luckily, the museum is connected via pedway from the Churchill LRT station. Just follow the signs, and you'll be at the museum in less than 10 minutes. I can see the pedway being deserted after office hours though, as it was already pretty quiet even during work hours. All in all though, this is an amazing space that I hope will bring joy and learning to many for years to come. The old museum sits fondly in my childhood memories, and I hope the new one will do so for future generations too!

    Carmella L.

    I went twice in the opening week, and both times I loved it. The museum is well thought out and I love that they were able to keep the dioramas. The new ones they added were great too. Obviously, this is my favorite area but there are some other cool places too. I especially love the old party line phone switchboard which is interactive and really puts you back in the olden days. The Oilers section is a huge win and will be either loved or hated by most Edmonton's. I suspect most will love that it's in there but hate some of what it shows. Definitely make the trip and learn about what makes us tick here in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. This museum is top notch!

    Tavis P.

    I love it! I have never been here so my first time was great! I could have spent hours just looking at everything and reading the info! Currently the viking exhibit is pretty sweet. The new building is nice, big, open and clean. The pricing isn't terrible but I would spend a few hours there to get your moneys worth. A wicked way to spend a day with family

    Vicki M.

    $70 for an annual family membership - that's incredible!! We took advantage of this killer deal mostly because my (almost) 3 year old loves the insect room and of course the giant interactive play area for kids next door. This is and of itself is worth coming to visit frequently for. The other exhibits are interesting and updated from the previous museum. But to be honest, once I've seen them once, I don't feel the need to go again anytime soon. We do look forward to whenever the new exhibit arrives as this will give us even more reason to go back.

    Lobby
    Veronica W.

    We have visited RAM a couple times and one thing that stands out to me is it's impeccably clean/new and the exhibits are well organized. It's a bit on the smallish side compared to some other metropolitan museums we have been to, but there are still some captivating exhibits like the natural gemstones (if you love color theory you MUST visit) and the bug exhibit. Alberta has a rich history and there are a suitable number of exhibits to give it some color in this museum. There's also a large gift shop and a clean, modern coffee shop which you can visit wether or not you then pay to enter the exhibits.

    Kids area, so much to touch and see!
    Donna B.

    Wow! Museum is gorgeous and spacious! You walk in and the depth of the galleries is amazing! Loved the kids explore area- one friend commented it's like a super amped up Daycare with so much sensory and play stuff. Really great spot! The bug gallery was probably my favourite, even though I'm so not a creepy crawly person, the displays were well set up and we could actually find the little critters! There is also the human history gallery and a nature/ natural science one. Both were immense! You would get lost in the maze of displays and just keep following the natural flow of people but wouldn't find the exit- in a good way! Very cool history and I can see this being a hot spot for school trips. And the walking room in each of the galleries was pretty spacious considering the massive amount of people that were there when we went. The cafe there looked pretty good too and had some nice selections for food from chilli and sandwiches to salads and fruits. The long await of the museum opening is over! Go check it out! Take your kids, they have lots for them there, and stroller parking was definitely a thing when we went! A really cool art feature is the Alberta section that wraps the centre part, so hard to explain but it's pretty cool and something you might not spot!

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    Page 1 of 2

    Review Highlights - Royal Alberta Museum

    There are bug, sea life, animals, gemstones, scientific, pop culture, Native history and mythology and much more!

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    Telus World of Science

    Telus World of Science

    3.9(75 reviews)
    5.3 km

    Fun for kids and adults. Amazing imax theater. Good food at cheap prices in cafeteria. Nice clean…read morefacilities. Always entertaining. I have a annual pass to this place to watch movies and enter exhibits. It's totally worthwhile because If you go during the weekdays you almost have the place to yourself or just before closing too. I like the space exhibit which actually has a peice of the moon on display. But there are tons of interactive games and puzzles that most adults play too (some are still challenging for me for the first time). There is a cool body exhibits to explore which is cool if it's your first time there to see how your body works and how healthy you are. There's also a giant play are in 2 parts of the center. One one main floor and second floor. So the kids have plenty of place sto burn off their excess energy. I could stare at the ball thing thatis ancient for hours bc that's what I used to do as child mesmerized by the journey that little ball takes. I would highly recommend watching the imax movies here because usually the only last 2 rows are sold out so there's alot of space in between people. Staff are friendly and there's alot of areas to just eat if you pack your own lunch. Annual members get a 10% discount which is really nice too! I personally think the roving exhibits are a perfect date night since there's alot to do or talk about. And situated in west downtown there's alot of good places to eat nearby. I think edmontons telus center is better than the over busy and crowded ones in vancouver or calgary. With alot more to do. I think edmontonians take this place for granted.

    Took our 8 year old son here. It was good, but could have been a little better…read more The people who did the science experiment were amazon - 5 stars to them. But other than that there is wasn't that much for boys his age. He walked pretty quickly through the other areas. We spent maybe an hour and a half there. They had a huge play area but it was for 6 and under.

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    Telus World of Science
    Telus World of Science
    Telus World of Science - Indigenous exhibit

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    Indigenous exhibit

    Alberta Aviation Museum - Museum entrance on far right. Event hall/tradeshow space on left

    Alberta Aviation Museum

    4.1(15 reviews)
    2.8 km

    This museum is a great spot, especially for your airplane loving ones. I love how much effort they…read morehave put into making it more interactive with kid designed scavenger hunts and activity sheets available for your visit. As well as having a cockpit or 2 open for kids to climb into and explore. The restored planes are phenomenally done and set out as full display alongside fitting decor and learning material like flight suits, tools and equipment, and even a little tractor. I loved that we got a tour, it brought some of the Alberta and Canadian history of flight to life and more connection. And then we got an informative and very intimate back area tour of their restoration garage where so many volunteers were working on multiple plane restoration projects.

    I can't say that I'm an aviation expert, but I am fascinated by planes. And visiting Edmonton I…read moreknew I had to see this. And it did not disappoint. The weather was nice out and the museum wasn't busy so we got to explore everywhere we wanted. I got to see some planes I've only seen on historical documentaries. This museum being Canadian had their own arsenals and equipment to assist in allied efforts during world conflicts. So it's nice to see what other countries had. All planes had a informational board to read about some well known pilots that used them and the impact they made with their equipment. We saw there was an attendant that was giving information as well. The one that I liked was the plane of the infamous Red Baron. Legendary for being an ace in dogfights during WW1. This place is a must see for aviation enthusiast! They have a small gift shop but they didn't have much compared to the one back home. But then again, we came to see planes!

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    Alberta Aviation Museum
    Alberta Aviation Museum - Large parking lot. Lots of handicap stalls. Planes as landmarks for museum

    Large parking lot. Lots of handicap stalls. Planes as landmarks for museum

    Alberta Aviation Museum

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    John Walter Museum - Sun setting over the third house (c.1901)

    John Walter Museum

    4.8(4 reviews)
    2.3 km

    A real YEG gem, hiding near the river banks off of Kinsmen Sports Centre. That means free parking…read moreand great views. I love this little museum, it's run by some of the most dedicated and enthusiastic interpreters in Edmonton. Esther, Jeff, Christina to name a few, all dressed in period attire and chock full of information about the history and the era. Ask them about anything! There are 3 houses to visit, from a log cabin to their last house, almost mansion-like by comparison. They bake in a wood stove, offer meeting venues, birthday parties and summer camps! Plan a short trip, bring a picnic if you plan to spend a bit of time there enjoying the grounds and pathways. The city website says they are open Saturday and Sunday during summer holidays from 1pm to 4pm. As far as I know, it is open on Sunday only and they continue right up to November. On their last opening day last fall, they had cinnamon buns and Apple cider. Spool yummy! His entire business was washed out in a flood in 1915, 5 years before he passed. He did a lot for the community through public action, carpentry, employment and philanthropy. Worth a trip, and did I mention that it's offered by the city... for FREE? Yes the baked goodies and hand-made lemonade is also pro-bono. Love, love, love this place. Thank you YEG for providing this to Edmontonians every year.

    I'm going to start off by saying that this is a FREE Museum. And they say you can't get something…read morefor free anymore. But that's not the only reason that this place earns my five star rating! Very culturally and historically significant for Edmonton, it seems that without this little highly accessible gem, some people might not know about many of the conditions that Edmonton was founded on, or about the flood of 1915 that forever reshaped our city. If you find yourself in need of a crash course in these matters, take yourself on a self-guided tour using their graphic and detailed information panels. These panels are outside of the three buildings which comprise the museum, so they can be accessed any day of the week, any season of the year, at your leisure. If you have questions, would prefer a much more immersive experience, or would like to see inside the houses, drop by between 1 and 4 on a Sunday (March-December) and the staff and volunteers would be more than happy to share their vast banks of knowledge with you, and maybe even ask you to help them finish some of the mounds of cookies they've baked (again, *free*). They are occasionally open on other days and times, check their website or follow them on Facebook for upcoming programs and events. The houses themselves are a treat to visit as well, as with other well curated living history museums, these also offer the sense of time travel, with the sights, sounds, and smells of a bygone era. Some things they just don't make like they used to, like washing machines, and toilets. So, if you have a curious little one that you want to impress, this is a wondrous place to show them something old, but new to them. Located in scenic Kinsmen Park, a visit to this museum can easily be incorporated into a larger outing. Perhaps a walk through the river valley, a day at the Queen Elizabeth pool, or it can be a magical rest-stop on a long bike excursion. And did I mention it's free to visit.? Not even a guilt trip 'admission by donation' sign.

    Photos
    John Walter Museum - Enjoying some Edmonton fun

    Enjoying some Edmonton fun

    John Walter Museum - This is interpreter Fay, and she was so much fun. Super nice.

    This is interpreter Fay, and she was so much fun. Super nice.

    John Walter Museum - Old timey sock washing

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    Old timey sock washing

    Alberta Railway Museum - Northern Alberta Railway steam locomotive #73

    Alberta Railway Museum

    3.3(3 reviews)
    18.3 km

    It is located so very far northeast, that it is almost hard to believe the Alberta Railway Museum…read moreis actually located in Edmonton. But, it is, and is worth every minute of the drive. Numerous historical railway cars are on display, and visitors can climb on up and check out what is inside. It is a train buff's heaven. The museum is only open on summer weekends, and the steam train only runs on long weekends. So the place is somewhat elusive, but it is also heavily dependent on the involvement of volunteers. The only downside to the museum is that anyone with mobility issues will not be able tof ully enjoy it, as a lot of walking and climbing is required to fully appreciate everything it has to offer.

    Lived it, loved it. This was a surprising museum in the U didn't expect it to be as entertaining as…read moreit was! I like a good museum, but I must say this was inexpensive and fun, and you could get add involved as you wanted in examining the trains and other vehicles and buildings on site. The are some tiny train stations preserved so you can get an idea of the feel of it. I got a sense of urgency, like I had to be somewhere myself, it was interesting. Some of the trains you were allowed to climb into the conductor's chair and touch so the buttons and levers, it was both claustrophobic and freeing at the same time. The dining cars on some of these trains are very nice, you can see how some people really got to live it up on the rails, criss crossing the country. I even saw a commuter train that I used to ride on back in Montreal public transit. I would definitely recommend a late afternoon trip here, ride the working stream train and cars, let them offer you a ticket, which they punch for you based on the destination you choose. The was a good truck outside in the lot, and a small shop with touristy things to buy. Overall it was a win, I'm glad I went and I would go again for sure. If you decide to walk through all of the opened trains and cars, expect it to take you a couple hours, easy. kids who like to look and touch will enjoy most of this museum but may not last through ALL of the cars and trains, they are quite long, but they'll have fun.

    Photos
    Alberta Railway Museum
    Alberta Railway Museum
    Alberta Railway Museum

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    Royal Alberta Museum - museums - Updated May 2026

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