My boyfriend had not been back to Drumheller and its famous museum since he was a child. So, we decided we should change that. When he told his brother and sister-in-law about our plans, it became a family trip! We opted for a mid week trip down in October when the tourist crowds would be minimal. Drumheller is in the Dinosaur Valley and the region is a unique geological area. The weather was phenomenal for the middle of October in Alberta. Who can complain about 20oC in October!
Cozy Cottage Stay
Who can say no to staying in a newly renovated super cute cottage, from the old coal mining days? We lucked into a beautiful 2-bedroom cottage on Airbnb which was perfect for the 4 adults and the toddler. Ample parking nearby and lots of room to relax in the evening. We ate dinner in the house each night, which worked way easier with a toddler. We cooked one night and got take away the other night. Although the bedrooms were small, not unexpected given the age of the house, we made it work. I’m so glad we picked the location that we did, so it was within walking distance to downtown. Being able to have all of us stay together in a house was way better than staying in 2 hotel rooms. The toddler could be put to bed in the one bedroom while the adults enjoyed watching movies and hockey in the living room. If you even want to plan a trip to Drumheller, I highly recommend some of the old historic homes turned into Airbnb.
A Trip Back In Time
It’s not called Dinosaur Valley for nothing! This is the site of many dinosaurs remains, as well as many other fossils from various pre-historic era. The Royal Tyrell Museum of Paleontology is a World-renowned site for the discovery and preservation of fossils found around Canada. The museum is very well done and takes you on a journey of discovery of ancient Alberta. It has changed some since we were children, but all the additions have simply made it a better family friendly experience. We took our time walking through the many exhibits and reading all the information boards on our museum adventure. It’s laid out in a pathway that leads you on a journey through the different geological periods. Even though it’s so well presented, it’s hard to imagine Alberta as a tropical land full of dinosaurs roaming around. The museum is a mix of original fossils and some casts made to supplement the originals, especially where the originals are too heavy to display. It takes a couple of hours to go through at a decent pace as to not miss anything. Thankfully there are a few locations along the way to rest the weary feet if needed. There is an interactive section popular with children and even the adults. Be sure to check out the Cretaceous Garden exhibit. It gives you an idea of what the vegetation was like during that period, using living relatives to the plants that existed millions of years ago. It was a nice little journey through a warm, tropical green space within the museum. The museum has a cafeteria and a gift shop, but as with most tourist places, they tend to be overprice. I found admission price to be fair but the gift shop and food to be expensive. There are nice walking trails around the museum and are well worth taking time to explore. There is also a set of stairs leading up to the top of a hill, right in front of the museum entrance, that if possibly, I recommend taking the journey up because the views of the valley are amazing. It can be quite windy up there so be prepared for wind, and have the appropriate clothing choices.
It’s not a trip without trying a brewery
One of our favourite breweries to get beer is in Drumheller. We have always loved their beer in cans from the liquor store, so it was no surprise that we really enjoyed the beer on tap in their tap room. Valley brewing is worth checking out if you’re a fan of craft beer. Probably the best sours I’ve ever had. They do not have a restaurant, but sell bags of chips and allow outside food to be brought in. Another local restaurant does a lot of deliveries to customers there. Its heartwarming to see local businesses supporting each other like that. My boyfriend would have liked to buy one of the baseball caps, but it was unfortunately overpriced. We did buy some off sales to bring home and enjoy later.
https://www.valleybrewing.ca/home
A new coffee discovery
As you know, if you read my post about Morning Brew coffee, you’ll know that I’m a big fan of trying out local coffee shops. Not only did I find a coffee shop, but it was also a roastery – Black Mountain Roasters. I’m so glad they were within walking distance from our Airbnb! Delicious coffee and other beverages. I highly recommend trying the Drumheller Fog. The breakfast sandwiches are very good and reasonably priced. We had to buy some of their delicious coffee beans, because who can resist a coffee label with a dinosaur on it?
https://blackmountainroasters.com/
Downtown Dinosaurs
After we finished eating our breakfast sandwiches, we took our coffee with us for a walk around the downtown core. They have plenty of colorful dinosaur statues spread around town and the toddler in our group enjoyed seeing all the rainbow dinosaurs. Everyone had fun taking photos with the Dinosaurs and what a great way to spend the morning. A leisurely walk, with good company and good coffee is one of my favourite past times.
A visit to the hoodoos before going home
It was a brisk morning when we left but it didn’t stop us from driving out to the famed Drumheller hoodoos for a walk around. The advantage of the cool morning and being there at 9am meant we had the place to ourselves for quite a while. The bright sunshine and clear blue sky made for some great photo opportunities. These are incredible geological wonders and it’s like stepping foot in a different time. A must see stop if you’re in the are. It looks like there are some shipping container food stands in the parking lot, but are most likely only open during the summer, or weekends. This was a nice little stop before we hit the highway for the 3-hour drive home.
This was a great little road trip getaway for us all. Going in the middle of October, after Canadian Thanksgiving turned out to be wonderful. The museum was not busy, the weather was still fantastic, and the highways were not too busy. I cannot wait to return to the Drumheller area with more time to explore the natural wonder of the region. I want to hit up the hiking trails and other sites. Hopefully we will be able to do another trip here in 2023 and add in a visit to Dinosaur Provincial Park. Drumheller is hot in the summer and we were lucky with a beautiful stretch of fall weather, but the mornings were chilly. Layers are important if traveling in the shoulder seasons.
