Museums & Historical Sites | Canada's Alberta

Discover our history and learn how it shapes modern-day Alberta.

The Royal Tyrrell Museum is a paleontologist’s paradise in the scenic Badlands.

People look at a dinosaur display in a museum — Get face-to-face with dinosaurs at the Royal Tyrrell Museum.

Where the bonebed is a hotbed of science

Drumheller is known as the dinosaur capital of the world. It only makes sense to build a museum where the fossils are found. The Royal Tyrrell Museum opened in 1985 and is home to, among other things, the most complete tyrannosaurid skeleton in the world, the best-preserved armoured dinosaur and the largest fossilized marine reptile ever found. In short, it’s a pretty cool place to spend a day.

Explore the Royal Tyrrell Museum

The Neon Sign Museum in Edmonton — Edmonton’s Neon Sign Museum sheds a little light on the city’s history.

Looking over a child's shoulder watching a piano player on stage. — Make a joyful noise at Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre, in Calgary.

Discover the treasures of Alberta’s museums

Alberta has a rich and varied past. For proof, just head for our museums.

Woman looking at framed artwork at the Glenbow Museum in Calgary

Glenbow Museum

Calgary’s premier museum is currently undergoing an extensive renovation and will reopen in 2024. Until then, shows drawn from its eclectic collection of art and historical artifacts are showing at its temporary gallery, Glenbow at the Edison.

Couple leaving the Royal Alberta Museum in downtown Edmonton

Royal Alberta Museum

This Edmonton institution recently moved into a new building in the city’s downtown core. The collection runs from stone tools to military uniforms and equipment to airplanes, so it’s no wonder they needed a little more room.

Horse drawn carriage pulling group of visitors down a gravel road with tress on both sides.

Remington Carriage Museum

Hitch your wagon to a star at the world’s largest museum dedicated to horse-drawn transportation. Visit in July or August and you can complete the experience with a horse-drawn wagon ride.

Reynolds-Alberta Museum

This unique museum in the central Alberta city of Wetaskiwin celebrates “the spirit of machines.” The machines in question include 500 cars, 130 aircraft and 5,000 pieces of agricultural and industrial equipment. With such a vast collection, it’s no wonder they offer warehouse tours.

A wood building with mountains in the background.

Banff Park Museum National Historic Site

Western Canada’s oldest natural history museum showcases 5,000 vintage botanical and zoological specimens. It’s also something of a time capsule that preserves the way natural history was understood in Victorian times.

Interior birds eye view of guests looking at military items on a museum floor.

The Military Museums

The name is plural for a reason. Calgary’s Military Museums consist of eight separate museums, including the Naval, Army and Air Force Museums of Alberta and the Alberta Cold War Museum. Together, they give an overview of 200 years of Canadian military history.

Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies

The legacy of local artists Peter and Catherie Whyte lives on at this Banff museum. The collection includes their work, contemporary works, an Inuit collection and more. Temporary exhibitions round out the offerings.

History comes alive when you visit the places where it happened

Get a contemporary take on history by visiting one of the many historic sites around the province. These include archeological sites, buildings and sacred spaces. They offer a sweeping view of Alberta history. What’s more, when you get out into the fresh air, there’s no way history can be stuffy and boring.

Woman walking past a tipi in a meadow at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Alberta is home to six World Heritage sites. These include the Rocky Mountain Parks, the otherworldly landscape of Dinosaur Provincial Park in the Badlands and Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump.

An old train car rolling by a fort hotel in a historic park.

Historic settlements

Your feet become time machines when you stroll through an attraction that preserves history in fascinating detail. Check out Fort Edmonton and Fort Calgary for a look at the history of our major cities from settlement to more modern times. Fort Victoria offers a look back at the fur trade and early missionary activity.

Ukrainian Cultural dancers in uniform preforming on a stage in a park.

Cultural sites

Alberta was shaped by the many people who settled here. The Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village is an open-air museum (complete with costumed interpreters) that shows the lives of Ukrainian settlers. Calgary’s Heritage Park features a paddlewheel ship, an old-time candy store and a working steam train among its 200 exhibits.

Historic buildings in a heritage park on a sunny day. — Heritage Park preserves a slice of the past in modern-day Calgary.

A man and woman chatting and smiling with the tour guide while they ride in an old mine cart at a historic Coal Mine — The Atlas Coal Mine gives visitors a chance to go underground.

The museum is housed in Medalta’s former production facility.

Featured historic site

Medalta in the Historic Clay District

This museum and Medicine Hat community hub is located in the former production facility of Medalta Potteries. It turned out all manner of ceramics from 1916-1954 that are now valued by collectors. The museum features a breathtaking array of these works and sits alongside a production facility that is home to an artist-in-residency program.

Explore Medalta in the Historic Clay District

Become a time traveller

Volunteers gathering sheaves of barley grain cut by horse-drawn vintage farm gear in preparation for threshing.

Bar U Ranch National Historic Site

Saddle up and discover ranching life as it was in the late 1800s. Learn to rope or hike the trails. But whatever you do, be sure to visit the cookhouse for some fresh baking.

Historic bridge over flowing river in a park.

Dunvegan Provincial Park

There’s something for everyone at Dunvegan Provincial Park on the banks of the Peace River in northern Alberta. Visitors can hike and canoe. They can also visit Historic Dunvegan, which features the house of a Hudson’s Bay Company Factor and St. Charles Church.

Rocky Mountain House National Historic Site

A historic fur trade post on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River offers hands-on history with interpretive experiences and heritage presenters. The truly adventurous might want to try Heritage Camping and sleep in a teepee, Métis trapper tent or a trapline cabin.

Man and women holding hands and smiling as they walk up to an Interpretive Centre.

Fort George and Buckingham House

These rival fur trading posts in east-central Alberta are now one fascinating attraction that gives unique insights into the lives of explorers, cartographers and trappers.

Frank Slide Interpretive Centre

In April 1903, 110-million tonnes of limestone thundered down Turtle Mountain and destroyed miners’ cottages on the edge of Frank, Alberta. Those 90 seconds and the more than 90 lives that were lost are commemorated at this site.

Leitch Collieries

In the early 1900s, Leitch Collieries was a very technologically sophisticated mine. Today it is an intriguing outdoor museum that features the ruins of the processing plant, weigh scale and coke ovens.

Explore Indigenous historical sites

You can’t get a complete view of Alberta history without considering the contributions of First Nations, Métis and Inuit Peoples. Their fascinating stories are on offer at sites across the province.

Siksika Blackfoot dancers standing in front of the Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park Interpretive Centre

Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park

The Siksika people showcase their culture and history at Blackfoot Crossing. The museum is built on the site of the signing of Treaty 7 in 1877. Beyond the exhibits, Blackfoot Crossing offers a range of experiences, including teepee camping.

Indigenous women sewing at a desk.

Métis Crossing

Alberta’s first major Métis cultural interpretive centre was completed in 2020. You’ll find it in Smoky Lake, a town in the central part of the province. It sits on land owned by Métis settlers who came to the area in the 1800s and offers cultural experiences and a range of traditional workshops.

Scenic shot of a tipi in a grass meadow.

Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump

This UNESCO World Heritage Site is built on the site of a cliff that the Plains People used to hunt buffalo for some 6,000 years. The museum provides fascinating insights. Wandering the land gives visitors new perspectives on an ancient way of life.

Learn about Indigenous Culture

Visit Alberta’s built history

Turns out walls do talk. Drop into one of our buildings of significant historical value for an informative tour. At a few of them, you can even stay for dinner.

Interior of a historic restaurant.

Deane House

The house was built in 1906 at Fort Calgary for Captain Deane, a North West Mounted Police Superintendent. Today, it is an acclaimed restaurant with curated rooms and beautiful grounds.

Group of people in a circle standing outside of a legislation building with a fountain in front.

Alberta Legislature

Since it opened in 1912, the “Ledge” has been wowing people with its marble pillars, carved oak and Beaux-Art architecture. Get the full picture on a free tour led by a knowledgeable guide.

Staff in historic costumes standing in from of a historic building.

Lougheed House

This handsome mansion was built in 1891 by Senator James Alexander Lougheed. Today, it has been beautifully restored and is a National Historic Site. Be sure to tour the historic gardens and the on-site restaurant.

Steam Boat moving along the water at a historic park. — The S.S. Moyie lets visitors to Heritage Park feel the breeze on their faces.

View of the Fairmont Chateau in front of Lake Louise — It’s hard to beat the views offered by the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise.

View from above an aircraft on display in a hanger at a Aero Space Museum.

Featured stories

People look at a dinosaur display in a museum

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12 Museums and Historic Sites You Can't Miss in Alberta

Did you know Alberta has six UNESCO World Heritage sites? It also has fantastic hands-on museum experiences where you can dig for dino fossils or make your own music.

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A Day Trip to Wetaskiwin Begins at the Reynolds-Alberta Museum

Celebrate the history of vehicles with a unique collection of more than 500 cars, airplanes, tractors and other industrial equipment at the Reynolds-Alberta Museum in Wetaskiwin.

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Adventures at Métis Crossing

At this cultural centre and wildlife park near Edmonton, visitors can participate in interactive Indigenous experiences. As a bonus, you can dine on Indigenous-inspired cuisine and also stay overnight.