Fort Edmonton Park is a giant multi-building museum which shows Edmonton’s past. The park lays out the history in different streets so that you are able to visit different times. By the time you are done at the park, you will have visited the earliest days at the fur trading fort in 1846 all the way to the more modern days of the 1920’s! Each era has its own unique attractions as well as shopping and food.
I would definitely recommend popping by here on a nice summer day and really diving into the past! You will learn so much and be able to feel history coming alive. Fort Edmonton Park also puts on special events throughout the summer months and other times of the year. We attended a couple of these which were a lot of fun. One of the events we attended the children got to work for money that they could buy snacks with around the park. It was a fun way to learn how life really way in each of the different eras.
Like everywhere we visit we do tend to find some favourites. One of the things at the park that we love the most are the Midway with the antique rides and games. The carousel is made up of the most fascinating hand carved poneys. They have a building behind the carousel where they make the animal carvings and its honestly such an amazing thing to see! We also really like the living farm, the period actors are all really nice and the animals make the whole place come alive! The Street Car is by far the best way to get around the park and really lets you see all of the areas you might have otherwise missed!
If you are interested in educational programs Fort Edmonton Park also has summer camps as well as school and homeschool programs for children. We have participated in two of the educational programs that they run and found them very interesting. In one we got to see the working of the fur trading fort and even got to make a bannock treat. The other program was a tour through time showing how children were taught in each era. All of the educational programs are very hands-on and make for a very special learning experience.
Pros:
- Family friendly; stroller and wagon accesable
- Bathrooms with flushable toilets throughout
- Pently to do and see, full day
- Resturaunts and cafes for refreshments
- All included (except the Midway games)
- Live animals to visit
- Fun and interactive activities
- Season passes incase you want to visit often
- Plenty of picnic spots
Cons:
- Closed in the winter months
- Midway games cost extra
- Short “open” hours
I grew up in Calgary, so we visited Edmonton often (although the rivalry and all . . . haha) but I have never been to Fort Edmonton! I always thought it looked like fun though!
It’s similar to Heritage Park, just a bit smaller I think. Although still a really awesome place to spend the day!