Summer Adventures in Drumheller for the Whole Family

** We were given passes to the Royal Tyrrell Museum and received a complimentary tour for my daughter from Wild West Badlands**

We drove from the Fraser Valley to Drumheller. We left on a Sunday, stopped in Golden for the night, and arrived in Drumheller Monday evening. We stayed at the Econo Lodge Inn. It had been recently renovated so the rooms were really clean and the staff was very friendly. The location was ideal for us because as walking distance to the downtown shops and many attractions. Our hotel offered a continental breakfast and we were across the street from a Shopper’s so we didn’t have to eat out as much.

The Dino Art Association has purchased 20 dinosaurs that can be found on many of the street corners in the downtown area of Drumheller. They are a fantastic addition to the ambiance of the small town. The photo ops were an attraction in itself for us. There were many cute shops in the area but unfortunately had very limited hours. Most opened at 11am and closed by 5pm. I would love to see summer hours introduced to the area or have a few nights where stores were open later.

    

My daughter and I visited the World’s Largest Dinosaur. It was located within walking distance from our motel. The inside of the dinosaur was beautifully decorated with murals and molds of fossils. I was pleasantly surprised that the hike up didn’t feel as daunting as it did from the parking lot. The price is fantastic because you can journey up and down the dinosaur as many times as your legs will allow.

FACTS ON VISITING

  • $4/person
  • Ages 11+ can go up to top alone
  • 86ft tall
  • 106 stairs to top (not wheelchair accessible)
  • 4.5x times bigger than real T-Rex

We had a family member meet us for lunch so we decided to try Café Ole. I had ordered two grilled cheese sandwiches with soup and three waters. We never received the bottled waters. My cousin had ordered a panini and coffee. The dishes were on the expensive side for what they were. I went back up to the counter mid-meal to order coffee and at that point we still hadn’t received the first coffee we had ordered. The employees could clearly see me standing at the counter and yet I still had to be ask to order. Lack of customer service would make me skip this place next time.

We started the next day at the Royal Tyrrell Museum. This is the only museum dedicated exclusively to the science of paleontology. I hadn’t been to the museum since I was a child and had so much fun re-visiting. We really enjoyed that there was so many interactive exhibits. My favourite was the “Grounds for Discovery” exhibit. It allowed us to learn the personal stories about the discoveries that the Museum has made with various industries. We collect fridge magnets of the cities we visit and were impressed with how many options the gift shop carried. The museum is surrounded by beautiful hills that had trails that you could explore and tours that you could sign up for. For more tips on visiting the museum click here.

         

We decided to get dinner from Pizza 249. They offered a 2 for 1 deal so we were able to make it our dinner and lunch the next day. They had a large menu and the counter person was friendly and let us know different food substitutes that could easily be made. Food was delicious.

Our favourite part of our trip was the Wild West Bandlands Tour. The bus has air-conditioning and seats 14. Our tour guide, Don, has lived in Alberta for our 40 years. He was able to provide a ton of historical facts as well as insider tips and stories. Don took the time to answer all questions we had and happily offered to take photos of the group. We were so impressed that he had cold waters and fresh treats for all. There was a TV on board that had facts about the attractions we were at, list of things that had been filmed in Drumheller and a very funny Canadian music video. We were also provided with “I Made It” certificate for successfully crossing the suspension bridge. They will be offering a Murder Mystery Tour starting in October.

PLACES WE VISITED ON TOUR

  • Canadian Badlands Passion Playsite
  • Horse Thief Canyon
  • Drumheller Hoodoos
  • The Little Church
  • Bleriot Ferry
  • Rosedale Suspension Bridge

If you have a dinosaur lover in your family or just want a quick getaway I recommend visiting Drumheller this summer. The one thing that I would want to do that we didn’t get the chance was to see a play or performance at the Canadian Badlands Passion Playsite.

If you would like to see more of our trip please visit our Facebook or Instagram page.

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