Dino’s Guide To Drumheller: Local Food & Things To Do
This article is part of a four-part series – the dinosaurs are on vacation in their own backyard! Read the other articles in this series: Dino’s Guide to Family Fun, Dino’s Guide to Popular Attractions, and Dino’s Guide to Free Spirit Adventures.
So, you’ve been to the Royal Tyrrell Museum. What next? You’re not the only one wondering. Four dino pals have been cooped up in there a long time, and they want to get out and explore the town! This Dino has been here a long time, so he knows what’s up. Go with him and he’ll definitely show you the best places around Alberta’s Badlands!
Food!
Dino hasn’t had anything to eat in about 70 000 000 years, so he’s feeling a little peckish. His first stop is going to be Bernie and the Boys Bistro. They sell the Mammoth Burger, something so big, only a tiny handful of humans have ever eaten the whole thing. But Dino is no human, and he’s going to chow down! And there’s plenty of other options too, like The Blair Wing Project, wings so hot that you need to be over 18 and sign a waiver.
If you like breakfast food, WHIFS Flapjack House has plenty of it. Waffles, french toast, pancakes, bacon and eggs, but also hamburgers and dessert!
Local food? Last Chance Saloon is as local as it gets. Located just outside Drumheller in the town of Wayne, they’ve been around since 1913. They’re the ideal place to go for a bison burger.
Explore!
There’s a lot to see in Drumheller. So many towns and cities in the prairie provinces have the world’s largest something – sausage, perogy, bee, prairie chicken, oil lamp… there’s so many! But the World’s Largest Dinosaur is something else. Take the 106 steps up and gaze out its open mouth! Dino is easily dwarfed by this guy, but luckily, this one’s only a statue, so nobody’s getting eaten.
Dino is going to want to go to the Fossil World Discovery Center at some point. There are 10 animatronic dinosaurs there for him to socialise with! He’s a pack animal, so he loves his herd.
Not just a summer destination!
The Badlands are such an incredibly unique place, and it’s a shame that most people only ever see them in summer. Catching the beautiful fall colours cover the Badlands and watching the snow fall over their massive dunes is stunningly beautiful. Barneys Adventure Farm has some great fall fun and you can’t miss out on getting lost in the corn maze at The Sunny Spot If you go to Midland Provincial Park, you can enjoy the interpretative trail and have a fall or winter picnic. What’s more, if you come in November, you’ll see Drumheller’s Festival of Lights which is the start to the holiday season with the annual Christmas tree light up! There are activities too, including live entertainment, wagon rides, fire pits, smore stations, and Santa. Shops often stay open later during the festival, so you can even spot some shopping too.
Culture!
Dino is no swine! He loves cultural attractions, and he has three favourites. The first one is the Atlas Coal Mine National Historic Site, a bite of Alberta’s history. Go on various tours, from a train ride to working like the miners did, climb the last wooden tipple in Canada, see the mining tunnels, or regale yourselves with stories of Drumheller’s history and a venture into areas not normally accessible by the public.
Drumheller’s Little Church is up next! As the name implies, it’s super small. There are six one-person pews and a pulpit. It’s free to enter and use, and wedding ceremonies can be held here at any time. They won’t book it for you, as the church remains public, but they can put your notice on the door. If you do get married here, Dino is all-in for being your best man or maid of honour. He doesn’t care which – he’s a dinosaur! As locals like to say, it fits 10 000 people – 6 at a time.
The Badlands Amphitheatre is absolutely majestic. You think a wide open plain with a stage is a great place for a concert? You haven’t seen anything until you’ve seen this. It’s nestled in the nooks of the hills. It makes Dino want to get up as high as he can and roar at the moon over the music. You don’t even need to go for a concert, just go and look at it!