A Local’s Guide To Grande Prairie 

Locals can help you discover a destination in a way that deviates from the tried-and-true tourist spots, and Mel Friesen is no exception. She runs  Mel Friesen Holistic Nurition + Health in Grande Prairie, where she lives with her husband and three young sons.

Friesen and her husband moved to Grande Prairie in December 2020 after spending two decades living in Calgary, and over the past two years they've explored the community’s abundant green spaces, restaurants and shops. Keep reading to find out some of Friesen's top picks.

Where is your favourite place to meet up with friends?

I'm a mom of three boys, so I have lots of spots to go with my kids. There’s a really fun spot that me and my son discovered called  Card's Board Game Café. My son [who's six] really loves to play card games, like crib and whatever else he can learn how to play. I took him there and I think it would be such a fun place to go and meet up with friends, grab a drink and have a snack. They’ve probably got 300 board games, and ones we'd never even heard of. The staff is really friendly and helped us pick one out because they'd tried a lot of them themselves.

I ran into one of my mom friends and she was there for a grown-up's birthday party, so I think that would be one of my favourite spots to check out to meet up with friends.

Where's your favourite place to go as a family?

We love to do a happy hour. I feel like with kids it's nice to go out early and get them home early. We'll hit up Earls' happy hour, and the kids will sit there and have some French fries and we can have some good appies, so as a family I think thats great. It's a really big restaurant, and they have a huge patio.

As for family activities, the boys and I just went to the  Grande Prairie Activity & Reception Centre. It's an indoor biking and skateboarding place with pickleball as well. My son loves pickleball, so we'll go there and play, and my other son loves bringing his little scooter or his bike and whizzing around.

Where's your favourite place to spend time outside?

I think that's one of the best things about Grande Prairie. It's like a small town, so you don't really have to go too far to get a great experience outside. I love spending time exploring with my boys in nature. We have a trail system that runs within the city, and the  South Bear Creek Park is where we like to do a lot of exploring. It's right in the city and it's got pathways—some are paved, which is great. But if you want to go a little bit off the beaten path and still have a pathway there are some little loops that'll take you down by the creek and you're right out there in the forest. It changes every season, so it's somewhere you can get outside and enjoy a beautiful space any time of year.

Where's your favourite place to shop local?

There's a great little spot downtown called the  Glow Collective. It's a boutique run and operated by women who support local business and small shops — some which are also local to Alberta. You can get specialty foods, little honeys and special teas, clothing and cute stuff for your home and kitchen, which is right up my alley. They also share their space with  Rocky Mountain Chocolate.

Another great thing about Glow is they offer a workspace in the back, so you could come there if you needed an office space or a collaboration space. I've hosted quite a few nutrition workshops there and it's been a great place to gather.

What's your favourite hidden gem in Grande Prairie?

The  Fresen Bros. grocery store. It's got the best bakery inside – the Mother Dough Bread Company is there. I've tried a lot of different sourdoughs, but their sourdough bread is the best in the city. They use organic, whole grain, Alberta-grown flour, and I think that makes a big difference. The bakers are super friendly, too.

Where would you tell a first-time visitor go to?

I would say come in the summer. The summers in Grande Prairie, there's nothing else like them. The sun sets at midnight and rises a few hours later, so you get those really long evenings. You've got to check out  Muskoseepi Park. It's a great year-round space, especially for families. Last year, we were there and they had the  Bear Creek Folk Music Festival. It happens every year in August.

Anything that's happening in the city, a lot of times it's happening at Muskoseepi. It's also got an outdoor pool with a waterslide, and we've done that in the summer a ton. If time permits, we try to squeeze in a round of mini golf and some ice cream.

Is there somewhere you haven't gone yet, but would like to?

My Christmas present to my husband was signing him and I up for some two-stepping classes. It's through the  Peace Country Western Dance Club. We're both small-town people, so I grew up listening to country music and did a little two-stepping myself. I think it'll be a fun way to to get some date nights in.