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Travel Western Provinces

Top 150 Unusual Things to See in Alberta

by (author) Debbie Olsen

Publisher
Firefly Books
Initial publish date
Aug 2022
Category
Western Provinces, Pictorials
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9780228103721
    Publish Date
    Aug 2022
    List Price
    $29.95

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Description

Have you ever wanted to dine in a water tower, explore the site of a former beaver ranch or take a scenic potty break in a mountain-top outhouse? Top 150 Unusual Things to See in Alberta is the ultimate guide for travelers looking for the quirky, unique and inspiring side of Alberta. Travel writer and author Debbie Olsen, a proud Albertan who's visited nearly every corner of the province, has assembled a list of over 150 unusual places, things to see and events that make Alberta one-of-a-kind -- from its dozens of roadside attractions and surprising landforms to its fascinating historical sites and off-beat museums.

Organized into four regions -- South of Calgary, Edmonton to Calgary, the Alberta Rockies and North of Edmonton -- this guidebook takes you on a journey across the province, with lively text that sheds light on each location's interesting history, as well as maps, contact information, fact boxes and color photographs that bring the spots to life. Here are just a few of the unusual, obscure and intriguing things you'll read about:

  • The Fort Museum, Fort Macleod: the birthplace of the RCMP Musical Ride
  • Maggie's Diner, Tack and Feed, High River: the set of the hit TV show Heartland
  • Donalda and District Museum, Donalda: the world's largest collection of oil lamps
  • World Famous Gopher Hole Museum, Torrington: Alberta's first gopher museum
  • Abraham Lake's Ice Bubbles: the world's most beautiful ice bubbles
  • Lake Minnewanka and Minnewanka Landing: the site of Banff's sunken ghost town
  • Fort Chipewyan Ice Road: the winter road that connects Fort McMurray to Fort Chipewyan and Fort Smith
  • Wood Buffalo National Park's Beaver Dam: the world's largest beaver dam, which can be seen from space.

The book also features themed entries, such as museums that celebrate Alberta's energy production, unusual roadside attractions, unusual bathrooms (for regular people), unusual festivals and events, and unusual foods invented in Alberta. Top 150 Unusual Things to See in Alberta is a fun and entertaining jaunt for armchair travelers and road trippers alike.

About the author

Debbie Olsen is an award-winning Alberta-based travel writer who loves to explore natural areas around the world. She is the coauthor of 200 Nature Hot Spots in Alberta, the editor and main contributing writer of 150 Nature Hot Spots in Canada and has written for nine Fodor's guidebooks about Alberta. She also writes a regular travel column for the Calgary Herald.

Debbie Olsen's profile page

Editorial Reviews

This ultimate guide for travellers looking for the quirky and inspiring side of Alberta takes readers on a journey across the province to shed light on the interesting history and unique facts of such locations as the World Famous Gopher Hole Museum, Wood Buffalo National Park's Beaver Dam, and the Fort Museum in Fort Macleod.

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