Edmonton 
Searching for Family Fun in and around Edmonton or things to do for a day out with friends?
Though COVID-19 has caused the cancellation of almost all summer festivals, there are still many activities you can enjoy this summer in and around Edmonton. Check this list for 80+ activities to do this summer in Edmonton.
- Enjoy a summer day swinging on the River Valley Swing at Windermere – Brandy’s Landing (Directions).
- Find art in unexpected places (online and from a distance) featuring theatre, performance art, film, poetry, music & more during Found Festival.
Walk across High-Level Bridge: Start at the Edmonton Legislature grounds, and walk across the High-Level Bridge to 109 Street. Every night, the bridge is lit with stunning multicoloured lights. Enjoy panoramic views of downtown and the river, and then head to Highlevel Diner or Sugar Bowl for a drink or appetizers.
- You don’t have to leave the city to find great hiking trails. The North Saskatchewan River Valley is riddled with trails, both paved and unpaved, that are perfect for exploring and getting back to nature. Keep an eye out for animals who call the river valley home!
- Can you solve a series of puzzles as a team and escape a locked room within the time limit? Almost all Escape rooms in Edmontonare open.
- Explore Larch Sanctuary tucked away in the middle of the city. Find it on the south side of 23rd Avenue in the Whitemud creek ravine. It’s an important wildlife corridor for animals moving in and around the city.
Credit: Pembina River Tubing
Go tubing at North Saskatchewan Riveror Pembina River.
- Walk Whyte Ave. From award-winning restaurants to unique shopping opportunities, there is plenty to do and see.
- Visit Alberta Beach, on the banks of Lac St. Anne and spend the day basking in the sun, paddling in the water, or stopping into local eateries for a delicious lunch.
- Go berry picking at Prairie Gardens & Adventure Farmfrom July 15th. In order to disperse crowds, only people who have reserved online will be permitted to pick their own strawberries. So book your tickets online.
Explore the living Ukrainian history museum that depicts life in Canada’s oldest Ukrainian settlements. Learn how life was once and tour historical buildings including a sod house and three churches of Eastern Byzantine Rite at Ukrainian Cultural Village.
- Fish for free on Alberta’s free fishing days!
- Join Edmonton’s Masters of Improv Donovan Workun (Just For Laughs, The Irrelevant Show) and Mark Meer (Mass Effect’s Commander Shepard, Tiny Plastic Men) as they create a dazzling show, based on your suggestions, right before your very eyes. Enjoy big laughs, cabaret-style seating, a full restaurant and bar service.
- Enjoy an art-house movie at Princess Theatres.
- Go on an art walk. Whyte Avenue Art Walk returns with a COVID-19 twist.
- Have fun getting lost at the creatively designed maze and create unforgettable memories. Ride the grain train, pet the farm animals, test your muscle power through the pedal car race and have an aMAZEing summer at Edmonton Corn Maze.
- Explore interpretative boardwalk built on the marsh next to Big Lake. A perfect family hands-on wetland education destination: see a variety of birds, mammals, plants, and insects.
- Play glow in the dark mini golfat Monster Mini Golf, Dragon’s Tale Blacklight Mini Golf, or Professor Wem’s Adventure Golf.
- Experience the beauty of native plants and enjoy a day at the garden delighting in the arrays of roses, lilacs, daylilies, Asiatic lilies, peonies, and lilacs at St. Albert Botanic Park.
- If you are looking for incredible food, and frothy goodness, then visit these exceptional brewers that craft locally-grown grain.
- Eat some tasty treats from local businesses along Alberta Avenue during Dine the Ave.
- Visit U of A Botanic Garden. Have an idyllic time in the Kurimoto Japanese garden and Native Peoples garden. See the fluttering butterflies in the tropical green house, and take a relaxing walk along the meandering paths lined with rose, peony, lilac and lily collections. Or join for the themed Twilight Picnic Experience.
Photo Credit: Snow Valley Aerial Park
Have fun at Snow Valley Aerial Park built on the theme of Edmonton’s River Valley. Elements include a ski bridge, snowboard balance bridge, picnic table, bicycle, plus a few surprises.
- Experience Alberta’s capital city with a view unlike any other by booking a hot air balloon ride with Sundance Balloons.
- Cool off at Edmonton spray parks.
- With splash buckets, and a medieval-themed spray park, Woodlands Water Play Park in St. Albert is true summer destination for kids. (Anticipated to open the week of July 12 to July 19, 2020) No change rooms – so arrive ready to play.
- Discover Mactaggart Sanctuary. You may not have heard of Mactaggart, even if you’ve lived in the city your whole life – it truly is a hidden gem. You’ll forget you’re in the city limits as you explore the 2.3 km loop (more of a hike than a stroll, so make sure your shoes are good). The forest is dense and the wildlife abundant.
- See the curvilinear landmark of St. Albert! Designed by the world-famous architect, Douglas Cardinal, St Albert Place houses the ‘government (city hall) & the people (library, museums & art galleries)’. Visit the Musée Héritage Museum located in St. Albert Place to discover the history of St Albert, and learn how missionaries and Métis contributed to the development of St Albert.
- Play arcade game,video games, redemption games, VRX Car Simulator, ping pong, pool, shuffleboard and fill your tummy at the Rec Room.
- Located 33 km southwest of Edmonton’s city centre, the Clifford E. Lee Nature Sanctuary protects 348 acres of marshland, open meadow, aspen parkland and pine forest. The varied habitats of the Sanctuary attract a diversity of animals, including more than one hundred bird species, and provide excellent opportunities for wildlife viewing.
- Have NERF battles at Foam Fighters.
Credit: Rust Magic
Discovering public art in the cityis the perfect physical distancing activity for the summer. Checkout Crawford Block Mural to the controversial Talus Dome, and award-winning architecture.
- Experience the scenery of Alberta’s Edmonton River Valley on a Segway, an electric, self-balancing scooter. Learn now to maneuver the vehicle from a certified Segway trainer before venturing out into the valley, listening to your guide’s commentary as you travel.
- Explore 4th Street Promenade! Don’t miss the Neon Museum.
- Bird watching, also called birding, is an activity that can be shared by young and old. You can find plenty of places to spot your feathered friends within the city or not far outside of Edmonton, and all it takes is a good eye and a little bit of patience.
- Chase some food trucks. Have Mexican from Calle Mexico, Spanish churros from Churro King, gourmet donuts from Jackie O’s Street Treats, cold treats from Mishmash Parfait, or BBQ food from Smokehouse BBQ.
- Nurture your inner Katniss at Combat Archery.
- Go indoor go-karting at SPEEDERS Indoor Prokarts or Fast Track Indoor Karting.
- Follow the ‘Red Brick Road’ and do the heritage trail from McDonald Hotel (SE corner of Jasper Avenue and 100 Street Centre) to Alberta Legislature grounds. There are four heritage tours/ walking tours that you can do own your own to explore downtown Edmonton.
- Join for some outdoor fitness programs offered by city of Edmonton. The weekly schedule offers something for everyone, in a variety of greenspaces adjacent to four Community Recreation Center Sites and four Major River Valley Parks
- Go shopping at a thrift store. You never know what you’ll come across when you shop at a consignment store – and that’s half the fun! Whether you’re looking for an outfit or a home décor that’s new to you, Edmonton has lots of unique shops to check out for second-hand treasures.
Credit: Jurassic Forest
Take a trip back in time and discover the world of dinosaurs. Dig for fossils, ride a triceratops and learn about the land before time at Jurassic Forest . Details
- Go on a self-guided walking tour of Alberta Legislature grounds.
- Step inside 1920’s themed Cabaret and let the beautiful performers of The House of Hush Burlesque transport you to another time as they tastefully celebrate the female form. These luscious dancers will make you laugh, cheer and marvel at the flair of their alluring dance numbers and glimmering costumes.
- Spend some time along the pathway of poems: How many poems can you relate to as you walk alongone of the Meadows Community League’s Poetry Pathways! Around 100 poems by Edmonton poets have been sandblasted into sidewalks of the Meadows Community!
- Play tennis.
- Discover historic Strathcona.
- You’ve got to check out House of Wheels! It’s the largest indoor sports riding facility open to all skill levels in Alberta. At 32,000 square feet, it’s filled with scooter ramps, box jump runs, pump tracks, BMX biking areas, skateboard areas, flow track, and so much more. Bring your own ride, or rent while you’re there.
- Lining 124 Streetare a unique group of businesses and stores that create a shopping community you won’t want to miss. Visit coffee shops, boutiques, art galleries, and shops that make this area an exciting neighbourhood to explore and discover what makes it oh-so-Edmonton.
- Get a workout at the many staircases of Edmonton.
- Strathcona Wilderness Centre offers another venue for exploring nature.
- The 194 sq. km Elk Island National Park is a nature enthusiast’s paradise, and is one of the best spots in Alberta for wildlife watching. The trails ranging from 300 m to 16 km offer something for every member of the family. Campfor the night with kids and find the Great Bear in the sky at Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserve.
- Now is the best time to support local. When it’s time to pick up something new, don’t just head to the usual department stores. Instead, spend some time browsing some of the unique shops found all over the city.Edmonton has stores that will surprise and delight, so what are you waiting for?
- Have a burger.
- Visit Alberta’s premier art gallery.
- Enjoy a traditional English high tea at The Art of Cake. Finger sandwiches, sweets, pastries, scones, strawberry preserve, and bottomless pits of Earl Grey tea…all that’s missing is you.
- Hike Beaver Hills Biodiversity Trail: Beaver Hills Biodiversity Trail is located within a protected natural reserve of over 1500 square kilometers of aspens meadows and boreal forest.
- Explore Royal Alberta Museum — Western Canada’s largest museum, bringing you more than 82,000 square feet of exhibition space, and housing a large and wide-ranging collection of artifacts to foster wonder, inquiry and understanding about Alberta.
- Explore the Healing Garden in St. Albert, a place of reflection, peace, understanding and learning: a place of truth and reconciliation. it is located in the centre of our community, in this natural setting where earth, sky, water and air meet and where the spiritual plants and medicines of the First Nations and Métis people can thrive.
- Experience what rural pioneer life was like in the 1900’s. Strathcona County Museum and Archives features exhibits set up to resemble a “Village Square” including an old school, post office, and general store.
- Walk from the 71 feet high clock tower built in 1995 in the honour of Fleuri Perron (1866– 1931) to Father Lacombe Chapel in Mission Hill, following the cultural history of St. Albert.
Credit: Putting Horse Ranch
Go on a guided trail ride or a date night ride at Putting Horse Ranch in Spruce Grove.
- Take part in incredible consciously curated activities and workshops including, drumming, yoga, forest walks, meditation, talks, dance, live music and more during WUB in the WOODS.
- Get fresh eats for a backyard BBQ from an Edmonton area farmers’ market.
- Visit the beautiful man-made Broadmoor Lake Parkcomplete with a walking bridge, boardwalk, fountains and playground.
- See animals at Edmonton Valley Zoo.
- Visit Elk Island National Park located just 35 minutes east of Edmonton. Hiking, canoeing or kayaking, picnicking, stargazing in the dark sky preserve, and more… There’s no shortage of outdoor activities – and animals to watch for.
- Explore Reynolds-Alberta Museum, an award-winning museum that is all about celebrating machines.
- Marvel at intricate micro-sculptures so small, they fit in the eye of a needle. See a calf with two faces, a megalodon shark jaw, a Rolls Royce made of matchsticks, and a portrait of Einstein made of toast. Celebrate the life and legacy of Robert Ripley, the explorer and adventurer and more at Science of Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
- Hike Sherwood Park Natural Area.Appreciate art by Canadian & local artists through and explore galleries on 124 Street.
- Enjoy a beautiful summer day at an Edmonton patio.
- Spend a day in the field and fill your buckets with strawberries, raspberries and Saskatoon berries at Creekside Saskatoon Berry Farm in Sherwood Park.
- Drive across St. Albert for a public art tour and see unique public artworks from murals to public benches.
- Canoeing and boating provide another opportunity to explore Edmonton. Edmonton City straddles North Saskatchewan River, and offer unique ways to become one with the nature. – See here for regulations and canoe launching pads.
- Watch an Imax movie at TWOSE.
- See a wide variety of ferns, several wild orchids, carnivorous plants, and mosses. Insects, amphibians, and birds and larger mammals such as white-tailed deer and moose at Wagner Natural Area.
- Plan a trip to Happy Acres U-Pickfor a variety of fresh fruits, berries and vegetables.
- Enjoy some solitude at Gallagher Park with Edmonton Skyline as your company!
- Browse some artworks by Edmonton artists at the art galleries in Edmonton
- Go on a day trip to discover some giants of the Prairies.
- There are so many activities in and around Edmonton you can do as a family. Check out this list for a fun-filled summer.
- Go on a day trip. Within 2 hours from the city, there are plenty of places you can discover.
Have fun getting lost at the creatively designed maze and create unforgettable memories. Ride the grain train, pet the farm animals, test your muscle power through the pedal car race and have an aMAZEing summer at 
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Why you written about beaches if they not working. Sandy beach is close, lake are overgrow grass, No bbq …:(
sadly out of date and offered no information for the upcoming season