Discover 8 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Drumheller (Canada). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Royal Tyrrell Museum, World's Largest Dinosaur, and Star Mine Suspension Bridge. Also, be sure to include Drumheller's Little Church in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Drumheller (Alberta).
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Royal Tyrrell Museum
Exhibits devoted to dinosaurs and fossils. The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology is a palaeontology museum and research facility in Drumheller, Alberta, Canada. The museum was named in honour of Joseph Burr Tyrrell, and is situated within a 12,500-square-metre-building designed by BCW Architects at Midland Provincial Park.
Efforts to establish a palaeontology museum were announced by the provincial government in 1981, with the palaeontology program of the Provincial Museum of Alberta spun-off to help facilitate the creation of a palaeontology museum. After four years of preparation, the Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology was opened in September 1985. The museum was later renamed the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in June 1990, following its bestowal of the title "royal" from Queen Elizabeth II. The museum's building was expanded twice in the 21st century. The first expansion was designed by BCW Architects, and was completed in 2003; while the second expansion was designed by Kasian Architecture, and was completed in 2019.
The museum's personal collection includes over 160,000 cataloged fossils, consisting of over 350 holotypes, providing the museum with the largest collection of fossils in Canada. The museum displays approximately 800 fossils from its collection in its museum exhibits. In addition to exhibits, the museum's fossil collection are also used by the museum's research program, which carries a mandate to document and analyze geological and palaeontological history.[1]
Address: 1500 N Dinosaur Trail, T0J 0Y0 Drumheller
World's Largest Dinosaur
Tourist attraction in Drumheller, Alberta. The "World's Largest Dinosaur" is the name of a roadside tourist attraction in the form of a model Tyrannosaurus rex located in the Town of Drumheller, Alberta, Canada. The World's Largest Dinosaur is one of several dinosaur-related attractions in the Town of Drumheller and the surrounding areas, which includes Dinosaur Provincial Park.[2]
Address: 60-1 Avenue West, T0J 0Y0 Drumheller
Star Mine Suspension Bridge
Suspension bridge in Drumheller, Alberta. The Star Mine Suspension Bridge is a 117-metre-long pedestrian suspension bridge across the Red Deer River in Drumheller, Alberta, Canada. Constructed in 1931, it was built for the coal workers of Star Mine. In 1958, the Alberta government rebuilt the bridge to "commemorate part of the colourful mining history of the Drumheller Valley."[3]
Drumheller's Little Church
Church
Address: Murray Hill Rd, T0J 2C0 Drumheller
Midland Provincial Park
Provincial park in Alberta, Canada. Midland Provincial Park is a provincial park located in Alberta, Canada.
Once the site of the Midland Coal Mine, it was designated as a provincial park on June 5, 1979. It now hosts the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology. The Midland Coal Mine was the site of a large mining disaster in the mid-1920s; many men lost their lives in a mine explosion.
It is located 6 km west of Drumheller on Highway 838 (North Dinosaur Trail).
Activities in the park include canoeing, kayaking, fishing, wildlife viewing and hiking through willows and cottonwoods along the Red Deer River. Points of interest are fossil beds, a mine site and the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology.[4]
Address: Site of the Midland Coal Mine, T0J 0Y0 Drumheller
Bleriot Ferry
Ferry. The Bleriot Ferry is a cable ferry in Alberta, Canada. It links the two sections of the North Dinosaur Trail as it crosses the Red Deer River from Kneehill County on the west, to Starland County on the east.
Originally known as the Munson Ferry, it was commissioned in 1913 with Andre Bleriot, brother of aviator Louis Blériot, as its first operator. In addition to providing an essential transport service, it acted as a major social hub in the Drumheller area.
The ferry operates from late April to November.[5]
Address: Red Deer River, Drumheller
The Fossil Shop inc.
Museum, Gift shop, Shopping, Jewelry
Address: 61 Bridge Street, AB T0J 0Y0 Drumheller
Horseshoe Canyon
Region in Alberta. Horseshoe Canyon is a region of badlands surrounded by prairie in the province of Alberta, Canada. It is located about 17 km west of the town of Drumheller, Alberta, along Highway 9.
The canyon gets its name from its horseshoe shape, defined by two coulees that flow into the Kneehill Creek, a tributary of the Red Deer River. The canyon's two arms are approximately 5 km long each, extending from Highway 9 to Kneehill Creek, at two former mining communities of Dunphy and Gatine. In turn, it gives the name to the Horseshoe Canyon Formation.
In 2020, a boy named Nathan Hrushkin discovered a dinosaur fossil at the canyon dating back to 69 million years.[6]