Take a historical tour through Alberta

What better way to embrace Alberta's heritage than to tour the province and stop at these key sites of historical interest?

Alberta was the site of so many grand historical events that a heritage tour is surely in order. Hop in your RV and embark on a province-wide journey to see some or all of these 20 intriguing attractions.

1) The Brooks Aqueduct

Located eight kilometres southeast of Brooks, the Brooks Aqueduct is a national/provincial historic site that once played a major role in Alberta agriculture. When it was built 90 years ago, it was the largest concrete structure of its kind in the world.

2) Father Lacombe Chapel

Open May 15 to Labour Day, the Father Lacombe Chapel in St. Albert is the oldest building in the province. It was once the centre of a prominent French-Canadian Métis settlement, and today guests can take guided tours of the restored chapel.

3) Fort George and Buckingham House

This provincial historic site is situated 13 kilometres southeast of Elk Point. Fort George and Buckingham House were once the locations of two competing fur trade posts. Guests can take a walk through the gallery and learn about explorers and Indigenous peoples, and the respective roles they played during the fur-trading days. Also, visitors may walk down the interpretive path to the actual archeological sites where the two forts were located. Bring your camera as the view is glorious.

4) Frank Slide Interpretive Centre

Along the Crowsnest Pass on Highway 3, you can see the site of Canada's deadliest rockslide—the Frank Slide—that devastated an entire town in 1903. The interpretive centre is open all year round, and visitors can experience the dramatic history of Frank Slide through engaging programs, exhibits and presentations. 

5) Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump

This famous attraction can be found 18 kilometres northwest of Fort Macleod on Secondary Highway 785. It is home to one of the world's oldest, largest and most well-preserved buffalo jumps, and it was designated a World Heritage Site back in 1981. You can browse through educational displays and exhibits and learn more about Alberta's First Nations history.

6) Historic Dunvegan

Historic Dunvegan is 26 kilometres west of Fairview. Touring the grounds will lead you to the St. Charles Mission Church and a Hudson's Bay Company factory, giving you a glimpse of daily life during the fur trade's expansion into the West. Then you can take a break and sit by the Peace River to enjoy a picnic or go for a hike in this scenic area.

7) Leitch Collieries

Another attraction in the Crowsnest Pass, Leitch Collieries is the site of a sophisticated yet failed coal mining operation (known as the "bad luck mine" for this reason). Take a guided tour with a local storyteller, who can tell you more about the facility's history, why the mine failed and the effect it had on the community.

8) Lougheed House

Lougheed House is a 14,000-square-foot sandstone prairie mansion in Calgary, and many educational and cultural events are held there. Tour the gorgeous garden, take guided interpretive walks through the house, and wrap up a day of awe-inspiring history with a meal at Isabella's Restaurant or a souvenir from the Treasures Gift Shop.

9) Oil Sands Discovery Centre

This educational centre is situated at the world's biggest single oil deposit: the Athabasca Oil Sands. You can come here to learn about science, technology and history all at the same time. Admission includes film viewings, an oil sands extraction demonstration and access to the exhibit hall. 

10) Provincial Archives of Alberta

At 8555 Roper Road in Edmonton, you can find a vast amount of information archived from Alberta's past. Look through photos, articles and other records that are available to the public.

11) Remington Carriage Museum

Cardston's claim to fame is its fabulous carriage museum, which has interactive exhibits that bring you back to the days of horse-drawn transportation. The museum also has a working stable, a theatre, a cafeteria and a gift shop.  

12) Reynolds-Alberta Museum

Wetaskiwin's Reynolds-Alberta Museum highlights the technological history of transportation, aviation, agriculture and industry. Take a look at the vintage cars, motorcycles, bicycles, tractors, trucks, agricultural equipment and aircraft, to name just a few things you can see there.

13) Royal Alberta Museum (opening 2018)

This vast Edmonton museum is known for its touring exhibits, geological displays, live "bug room" and other interesting topics of past and present. Currently the museum is closed, as it is being relocated to an exciting new downtown venue. Keep checking the website to find out when you can visit.

14) Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology

Six kilometres northwest of Drumheller, the Royal Tyrrell Museum can give you the adventure of a lifetime. Look at the fossils and other specimens on display, and find out what Alberta may have been like when ohter species dominated the Earth.

15) Rutherford House

Once home to Alberta's first premier, Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the Rutherford House is a brick mansion that is now open to the public. It is located in Edmonton, and you can book guided tours of the Edwardian-era venue with costumed interpreters who show you around.

16) Stephansson House

Half an hour's drive southwest of Red Deer, the Stephansson House was home to the famous poet Stephan G. Stephansson. Guides in 1920s costumes will take you on a tour and regale you with tales of what happened here so many decades ago.

17) Turner Valley Gas Plant

The Turner Valley Oilfield was Western Canada’s first commercial petroleum producer. Guests can now tour the Turner Valley Gas Plant and learn about the industrial discovery that changed Alberta's economic future.

18) Field Station/Dinosaur Provincial Park

Take a hike along trails where dinosaur fossils have been discovered. This park doubles as a summer research location for the Royal Tyrrell Museum. There is a campsite, visitor centre and tons of exhibits and interpretive information to take in. It can be found 50 kilometres northeast of Brooks off Trans-Canada Highway 1.

19) Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village

A 25-minute drive east from Edmonton will bring you to this quaint little heritage village. You can take guided tours on foot or get a ride on a horse-drawn carriage and hear true stories about the oldest bloc settlement of Ukrainian pioneers in Canada. 

20) Victoria Settlement

Located off Highway 855 near Smoky Lake, the Victoria Settlement is the site of a former Methodist mission and Fort Victoria, which was established by the Hudson's Bay Company to trade with local First Nations people. Visitors can take guided tours of a 1906 Methodist church and see exhibits that tell engrossing historical tales.