Normally we are a family that doesn’t shy away from a little cold weather, but with the so called “Polar Vortex” that crept into Calgary, it definitely put a hamper on our outings, more because of our little guy then anything else. It didn’t take too long for the cabin fever to settle in and for our preteen’s attitudes to become volatile, so we decided it was time to brave the cold and take the kids on an adventure. It was time for us to take the trip to Drumheller and check out the Royal Tyrrell Museum.
The drive wasn’t too long, only about an hour and a half, and the museum was worth the trip. Our oldest has a huge obsession with dinosaurs of every shape and era, so he absolutely loved the trip, though I’m sure he’d deny it if asked. He was also a fountain of information, though I did try to trip him up as I tested him on our journey through the museum. The museum its self is large and full of interesting exhibits, including a view of their preparation lab where you can get a look at what they are currently working on. It was a relief that the exhibits were shown in a way that allowed our toddler to explore without fear that he would wreck whatever it was he was interested in, especially since he had some built up energy from the car ride and refused to sit in a stroller for very long.
Cretaceous Garden
The museum was a lot bigger then we had thought it was going to be, but it was divided nicely so we didn’t miss out on any of the displays or feared getting lost. Their Journey Through Time section showed us what our world was like 505 million years ago and brought us all the way up to the Ice Age. My favourite area was the Cretaceous Garden, it was a beautiful greenhouse full of plants that would have been around 72 million years ago.
As we made our way around the museum I was surprised by the quality of the exhibits and how informative they were. I was also happy to find that the place wasn’t too busy when we went, the benefits of sight seeing during the off season, which meant that we didn’t have to worry about the kids getting too far in front of us, we could all look around at our own pace.
The trip was well worth venturing out into the cold for. We spent around two hours walking around the museum, and we will definitely be making our way back to Drumheller to explore the Badlands once the snow has melted and we can finally journey into the outdoors without fear of frostbite. We even saw a place to do a little camping on our way to the museum, so I think we will have some plans for when the sun starts heating things up again.
What are you looking forward to once it starts to warm up?
What are some of your favourite places to go?
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