Museums & Theatres
Museums
Camrose & District Centennial Museum is located on the former 1940s' army base. Our village takes you home to the Norwegian pioneer family house of 1898. Go to school at the 1907 Likeness School where early school teachers were paid $50 for a six month school term. Browse through several other village buildings including the replica newspaper office of The Camrose Canadian. Also discover the many exhibits and historical resource materials within the main museum gallery. Phone: 780-672-3298
Camrose Railway Station & Park - The site includes the original Canadian Northern 3rd Class Extended Camrose Station, a 1918 Watchman’s Shed, a 1919 Bunk House with displayed archival tools, a G-Scale Garden Railway with model historic buildings, a historic Station Garden & Cottage Gardens with heritage flowers, and a Children’s Garden with a large wooden creative play train. The Freight Shed Tearoom offers tea and goodies. Events are scheduled throughout Saturdays including an Old Fashioned Garden Party and Chocolate Festival. Phone: 780-672-3099
Coronation Heritage Park Museum Phone: 403-578-2286
Castor & District Museum depicts life in this region. The earliest days of settlement is via an eclectic collection of household, mining, automotive and agricultural artifacts, including the original 1910 grain elevator. http://www.galileo.org/schools/district-clearview/farm/museum.shtml
Diplomat Mine Interpretive Site is located 8km west and 8km south of Forestburg on Highway 855. See the Marion 360 stripping shovel, the star attraction in Canada's only museum devoted to surface coal mining!
Tel: 780-582-3668.
Wainwright Museum is located in the former CNR station on its original site at 1st Avenue and 10th Street in and is a class facility. 18 rooms depict Wainwright’s pioneer days, CNR and buffalo history. There is local general history collection dealing with Wainwright Buffalo Park, agriculture/pioneer life, military, oil industry and a CN Railway display. They have a radio and phone exhibit and a model of the Battle River Trestle. Tours can be booked by calling 780-842-3115.
Wainwright Rail Park is operated by the Wainwright Railway Preservation Society and interprets the history of Canadian National Railways and its predecessor lines in Western Canada, with emphasis on the Wainwright area. The park is built to depict a working rail yard. Our collection includes several rail cars and two unique locomotives. Several railway related buildings display rail memorabilia and stories. They also have a library and archives available for railway research. Phone: 780-842-3138
Paradise Valley Climb Thru Time Museum situated in a picturesque valley, the Paradise Valley grain elevator museum displays numerous objects and art portraying the birth of agriculture and rural life in Western Canada. The settlers suggested the name of Paradise Valley because of the rolling prairie and poplar and willow trees surrounding the community. Paradise Valley is located 50 km southwest of Lloydminster or 50 km northeast of Wainwright. Phone: 780-745-2412
Irma Museum is the childhood home of internationally renowned Company's Coming cookbook author, Jean Paré. This 1928 house along with the 1928 Catholic and 1934 Anglican churches forms the centerpiece from which Irma history unfolds in our museum. Phone: 780-754-2261/3755
Viking Museum - Stroll through our delightful village of restored heritage buildings: the 1907 one-room schoolhouse, 1905 log store, 1938 church, 1919 farm house, and 1921 hospital. Researchers can access our archives of local weekly newspapers spanning the years since 1913. In addition to our large collection of farm tools and implements, take a look at our collection of vintage “International Harvester” tractors.
Phone: 780-336-3066/6050
Holden Historical Society Museum - Our village was named “Holden” in 1906 as a salute to our area's first member of the new provincial legislature: J. B. Holden. What was once the original fire hall built in 1912, complete with jail cell, now houses our community museum and Masonic Lodge gallery. During the 1920s silent movies played in this former town hall. Join us at our heritage celebrations for delicious heritage meals cooked in our outdoor oven. Phone: 780-688-3593/2109/2464
Kingman Regional School Museum - Kingman history and tea is served with hospitality today in the 1938 Farmington country school. Hailed the lutefisk capital of Alberta, Kingman celebrates its Scandinavian Christmas traditions every year at its annual lutefisk supper. Participate in our many heritage and crafting demonstrations and programs throughout the year. Phone/Fax: 780-672-8220
Ryley Museum - By 1909, a newspaper reported that Ryley's large creamery, owned and operated by local farmers, was making an average of 2000 pounds of first class butter per week during the summer. Follow the decades of change for village and farm life within the walls of our museum housed in two country schools joined together. Phone: 780-663-3653/2372/3752
Tofield Museum is located in the Beaverhill Lake Nature Centre facility. Our museum features our community’s history since the time Dr. James Henry Tofield arrived in Fort Edmonton in 1882, serving in the North West Rebellion of 1885. Dr. Tofield eventually settled in the hamlet during the 1890s. Browse through the gift shop, tourist information center and interpretive displays featuring Beaverhill Lake flora and fauna. Guided tours are available upon request. Phone: 780-662-3269
Strome Sodbusters Archives Museum - Memories and roots are the reason our museum was established. Step back into yesteryear with us as we walk through our community's history showing the love, faith, courage and the challenge that our gallant pioneers left us. Phone: 780-376-3688/2223
Sedgewick Archives Gallery & Museum was built in 1906, this former “Merchants Bank” is now a designated Alberta historic site. Of special note is our museum’s access to genealogical research resources. A microfilm printer and reader is available on-site for researchers.
Phone: 780-384-3741/3953/3645
Lougheed Iron Creek Museum - The village of Lougheed was named after Sir James Alexander Lougheed, lawyer, politician, and grandfather of Alberta's tenth premier, Peter Lougheed. Explore our village within a village. Walk on a real boardwalk just as they did in the early 1900s. Visit our Norwegian log hall, lawyer's office, shoe shop, grain elevator, Groveland and Cambridge schools, and Anglican church where we hold church services and weddings to this day. Phone: 780-888-2344
Entertainment & Theatres
The Zinger Brothers have been bringing a variety of music to central Alberta for longer than most of us care to admit. These twin brothers--Claud and Allan Zinger--are highly talented vocalists, as well as accomplished instrumentalists on the piano, guitar, trumpet, saxophone, trombone, banjo, and violin. The Zinger Brother's band has a distinct sound and rhythm that has been perfected by performing at many dances and other special events. Their music is clean and wholesome. The Zinger Brothers are prepared to go to any length to ensure you a great musical experience and a good time. They can also provide musical entertainment and host your special events right in their music barn. If you are looking for a professional, diverse, totally self-contained, and entertaining music show, the Zinger Brothers are for you. Located in Coronation, phone number: 403-578-2189
Something we're very proud of is the resurrection of the historic Palace Theatre in Daysland which is now providing weekly and monthly entertainment in cinema, theatre, musicals and visual art. The works of many Alberta and Canadian artists are being invited to perform in this public space where many residents can enjoy them. Recent entertainment includes silent auctions, catered dinners, dance recitals, music performances and cinematic experiences.
A rural, wood frame "Boomtown" style of theatre, Bashaw's Majestic Theatre was not 
the first of its kind to be built in Alberta but is now believed to be the last remaining theatre of its kind in Western Canada. Never a "grand theatre" by any means, the Majestic is still of historical and architectural significance as part of the overall history of theatre development in Alberta. Built in 1915, the Majestic serves as one indicator of Alberta's early settlement history and has been home to magic lantern shows, local theatre productions, silent movies, and early "talkies". Serving as Bashaw's first Catholic Church for a time, the theatre resumed its role as modern movie theatre in the 1940's when it was renamed the 'Dixy'.
The Castor Little Theatre puts on performances annually in February. For tickets or gift certificates contact Susan at 403.882.4011. All performances are held at the Castor Community Hall.
For a list of other theatres in Central Alberta please visit Travel Alberta.
Tourism Trails
Trails are becoming the summer recreation experience of choice for of all age groups. Trails provide the experience of interacting with nature and offer a peaceful setting for sharing family experiences. Alberta Central is home to a variety of trails, with stunning sceneries.
- Waskahegan Trail, in the western portion of the BRAED region, is a 235 kilometre-long volunteer-managed trail used for day hiking, backpacking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing.
- Just a few kilometers east of Wainwright, Arm Lake offers trails winding through the trees, linking three neighbouring lakes. On this 25 kilometre trail, located near Wainwright, you can mountain bike or hike.
