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• Visit the world's largest entertainment centre and mall, the West Edmonton Mall (website: www.westedmall.com), which boasts theatres, restaurants, nightclubs, a miniature golf course, ice rink, swimming pool, water park and amusement park, aviaries, aquariums and museum.
• Explore Alberta's oldest-surviving structure, the historic log cabin of Father Lacombe, in the town of St Albert, 30km (19 miles) northwest from downtown Edmonton. At one time it was the centre of a thriving French-speaking Métis settlement (native peoples of mixed heritage).
• View an abundance of wildlife at Elk Island National Park (website: www.pc.gc.ca). This completely fenced park, established in 1906, is home to over 44 different kinds of animals (including elk, moose, coyote, bear and beaver), as well as massive herds of plains bison.
• Tramp through vast expanses of boreal plains at Wood Buffalo National Park (website: www.pc.gc.ca) (Canada's largest national park, bigger than Switzerland), granted World Heritage status by UNESCO in 1983. It provides the perfect habitat for many rare species of wildlife, including the world's largest free-roaming bison herd.
• Glimpse at a heritage of ranching at Cochrane Ranche, established in 1881, west of Calgary. Country-and-western-themed shops pepper the downtown area and genuine cowboys still live and work in this area. Pop into a saloon and savour the unique atmosphere.
• Be gobsmacked by those characteristic Canadian views: stunning lake scenery in Waterton Lakes National Park, joined to Glacier National Park in Montana to form the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park; and Banff National Park in the heart of the Canadian Rockies.
• Study dinosaur remains on the banks of the Red Deer River, on the 48km (30 mile) Dinosaur Trail near Drumheller. Also near the downtown area is the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, with hands-on exhibitions and one of the world's largest collections of dinosaur remains.
• Ignore the horrific-sounding name and take in unparalleled prairie views at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, south of Lethbridge. This cliff-top is an ancient jump site, used for 10,000 years to drive buffalo to their deaths, thus providing native people with food, shelter and clothing.
• Look up at (or look down from, depending how brave you are!) Calgary's most recognisable feature. The Calgary Tower's 191m (626ft) height offers panoramic views of the city, local towns and the Rocky Mountains. Then eat in the rotating dining room at the top.
See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.
• Explore Alberta's oldest-surviving structure, the historic log cabin of Father Lacombe, in the town of St Albert, 30km (19 miles) northwest from downtown Edmonton. At one time it was the centre of a thriving French-speaking Métis settlement (native peoples of mixed heritage).
• View an abundance of wildlife at Elk Island National Park (website: www.pc.gc.ca). This completely fenced park, established in 1906, is home to over 44 different kinds of animals (including elk, moose, coyote, bear and beaver), as well as massive herds of plains bison.
• Tramp through vast expanses of boreal plains at Wood Buffalo National Park (website: www.pc.gc.ca) (Canada's largest national park, bigger than Switzerland), granted World Heritage status by UNESCO in 1983. It provides the perfect habitat for many rare species of wildlife, including the world's largest free-roaming bison herd.
• Glimpse at a heritage of ranching at Cochrane Ranche, established in 1881, west of Calgary. Country-and-western-themed shops pepper the downtown area and genuine cowboys still live and work in this area. Pop into a saloon and savour the unique atmosphere.
• Be gobsmacked by those characteristic Canadian views: stunning lake scenery in Waterton Lakes National Park, joined to Glacier National Park in Montana to form the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park; and Banff National Park in the heart of the Canadian Rockies.
• Study dinosaur remains on the banks of the Red Deer River, on the 48km (30 mile) Dinosaur Trail near Drumheller. Also near the downtown area is the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, with hands-on exhibitions and one of the world's largest collections of dinosaur remains.
• Ignore the horrific-sounding name and take in unparalleled prairie views at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, south of Lethbridge. This cliff-top is an ancient jump site, used for 10,000 years to drive buffalo to their deaths, thus providing native people with food, shelter and clothing.
• Look up at (or look down from, depending how brave you are!) Calgary's most recognisable feature. The Calgary Tower's 191m (626ft) height offers panoramic views of the city, local towns and the Rocky Mountains. Then eat in the rotating dining room at the top.
See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.