We went to the Rec Room to take part in a Paint Nite on the second floor…read more I grabbed a couple of drinks to have during the painting event. In order to dry our painted items, we went to the restaurant part of the Rec Room. My companion had the chicken clubhouse, and I had the sun dried tomato and goat cheese pasta. Service was very good and so was the foods. The ambiance was definitely loud, as there was a big crowd, but otherwise a good place to go for recreation and fun.

This location is bigger than the Burnaby location in BC. It felt less crowded over the long weekend…read moreas there is more space for people to roam around. However, I could not find my child's favourite hot wheel game here. There are some different games we played instead. Claw games are rigged to have no grip strength. Be prepared to spend a lot of money to play the games.

This was a fantastic venue to host Avenue Edmonton Best Restaurants Party. The service was…read moreexemplary along with the beautiful decor. I liked that there was seating for those that wanted to sit and standing tables as well for those that were mingling around the room. The lighting was well suited to the room and I found the temperature just right. I find that for events like this, it's important to have a comfortable room where people don't feel too warm or cold. The bar was situated in the middle of the room and I found that the setup was just well thought out for traffic flow. Speaking of traffic flow, I like that there was ample parking for attendees.

What a stunning venue! I was brought here for a banquet dinner and awards ceremony and needless to…read moresay I was very impressed. There were cocktails in the front area when we arrived where people could mingle and check out the huge fish tank! Once we proceeded in for dinner we found all of the tables beautifully set. The food was amazing, and the room was prefect for the awards presentation. Everything was well decorated, well lit and the stage was set up perfectly. It's also one of the few venues in Edmonton that can hold 350 people! I was extremely impressed with the Oasis Center as a venue and would definitely consider holding events here in the future!

Review: John @ Starlight Casino (Thursday Night)…read more Okay, can we talk about John for a second? Because I hit the Starlight this past Thursday and honestly, finding a bartender who can actually keep up with my energy is like finding a flight deal to Tokyo for $400--rare, beautiful, and slightly miraculous. John is absolute chaos in the best way possible. The man was moving faster than I do when I hear "final boarding call" at the airport. I watched him handle a drink order that sounded like a chemistry dissertation while simultaneously nodding along to some guy's very loud, very wrong life story. The level of "professional hostage-taker" patience he has is truly a gift. (Tru story); At one point, I'm pretty sure he made three drinks, grabbed a fresh bowl of limes, and cracked a joke that had the whole bar wheezing, all without breaking eye contact with the shaker. If that isn't worth a massive raise, I don't know what is. Seriously, pay the man more before I decide to pack him in my suitcase and take him on my next solo trip as a personal hydration specialist. John is the literal jackpot of this casino. 10/10, no notes, give him all the money. See you next Thursday!

Had a great time at this casino. As someone from Las Vegas it felt like home seeing some familiar…read moregames. Buffalo took all my money until I put my last $5 into the video poker and made over $80. What a nice surprise! This place is mellow, cozy, has welcoming staff and easy to navigate around. Table games were a popular spot so we didn't get to try them but still had a great time! Clean place and the best part was not having to smell any cigarette smoke. Great Job starlight!

Really great space - open and large enough for pretty much any occasion, formal or casual. I…read moreattended an event here and really enjoyed it. I can't speak to what it is like actually organizing an event here, but if I was with the group seeking this kind of space, it would be at the top of my list.

I can't speak to organizing an event with the Foundry Room, however we were vendors for a pop up…read morefunction through my work. The space is simple and beautiful! So much natural light in the day and a total blank canvas to make the space your own. I spent half the day imagining all the parties I could throw if I had endless funds. Checked out their website and it looks like the do rent the space for events and weddings for smaller groups. Cool space to check out.

The Santa Maria is another one of those childhood wonders of West Edmonton Mall. The giant…read morereproduction of the famous pirate ship sits right in the center of the mall. I walked its decks when I was about eight, and thought it was just about the coolest things around - next to the dolphins. Today it's still a popular destination, and every once in a while you'll see people getting married on the ship. That's right. You can rent it out for a group function - stagette, wedding, theme party, you name it - although I'm not sure if there's a liquor license. So if the chapel upstairs in the mall doesn't suit you, you can tie the knot at sea. The only way I'd do something cheesy like that is if I'd met my "mate" at the e-town consumer Mecca. But that would be quite sad, wouldn't it?! Although as a press conference gimmick or festive pub crawl, I think a party on the old Santa Maria would be quite cool!

I can remember as a young lass staring up at the Santa Maria in wonder everytime my mother and I…read morepassed by the large pirate ship. Every so often I was allowed to wander on and even though there were no secret rooms to explore or anything really to do in general on the ship besides stand on the deck and daydream I still always enjoyed the experience. Fast forward to now and I usually walk past without paying the big ship much notice. I have to credit the mall though for keeping it so well preserved with almost no signs of wear on the outside. I have seen it used as a staging area for a few charity events and the mall also uses it to store donated toys during the holidays. You can also rent it out for functions like Jennifer had mentioned but due to noise one often finds in the busy mall not to mention a lack of privacy I personally would be reluctant to use it for personal occasions like weddings. It might not be the most interesting part of the mall but it is still a big part of what gives WEM it's identity so for that I give it an a-ok as well as 3 stars.

What a beautiful venue. I was at the country club for a work…read moreevent, and it was awesome. Located on the west end of the city, overlooking the North Saskatchewan River, Edmonton Country Club has a breathtaking view. The banquet hall is big enough to fit quite a few people, and was well lit, and set up perfectly. The view from the huge wall of windows is one of the best in the city. The 3 course menu consisted of salad with Country Club grown tomatoes, chicken breast with mashed potatoes and wild mushroom sauce, and for dessert, a lava cake with ice cream and fruit. Absolutely delicious. The bathrooms are also quite fancy!

We were given tickets to the Egyptian experience as a gift. It was a super fun way to spend 45…read moremins. I've never done anything virtual reality before so this was a first for me. The story was unique and fun to follow along. The large expansive vistas were my favourite part. Incredible views. I have a bit of vertigo, so I had to be careful I didn't get disoriented. But I had hubs with me holding my hand so that helped. Only minor complaint I had was the headset was heavy and you had to have it a bit tight for the picture to be clear. We both had crazy red marks on our foreheads for at least 20 mins after. But it was fun and I would definitely do it again.

It was great fun to explore the ISS virtually through this experience. While they did have to reset…read moremy headset to make it work properly, I really enjoyed the vignettes from the crew on the International Space Station and the views of Earth from Space. It is a bit of a touristy experience but a fun way to spend a bit of time. The NASA ISS one is more adult friendly rather than for kids, though I understand the Egypt one is more family friendly as there is a tour guide rather than you solo exploring. I liked that my group was a different colour than strangers so it was easy to find people while within the experience.