Here’s a look at some of the weird, wonderful things to do in Edmonton.
Edmonton, the capital of Alberta, is so deeply rooted in the oil industry, it even named its hockey team—the Oilers—after it. But beneath Edmonton’s petroleum-powered reputation is a vibrant city filled with character and offbeat charms.
In Edmonton, you can taste award-winning gin at North America’s smallest distillery, discover a tasty obsession with green onion cakes, and feel the glow of century-old neon signs on the first day of your trip. Stay a little longer, and you’ll quickly become endeared by Edmonton’s eccentricity. It’s an often overlooked travel destination that deserves a spot on your radar.
Here’s a look at some of the weird, wonderful things to do in Edmonton.
Get lit at the Neon Sign Museum
Visiting the Neon Sign Museum is one of the top things to do in Edmonton.
Edmonton’s 4th Street Promenade lights up after dark with its Neon Sign Museum. This free open-air museum showcases 20 iconic neon signs, many of which once hung on businesses in Edmonton during a boom of the light-up displays in the 20th century.
The collection includes the nearly 100-year-old “Drugs” sign, which was the first neon sign displayed in Edmonton. It was hung on Darling’s Drug Store in 1928 and was later rediscovered in the basement of a historic building. You can also see a decidedly 1980s-style neon sign with a paintbrush that once advertised an art supply store and a guitar with neon strings that was produced in the early 1990s for one of Western Canada’s largest music stores: Mother’s Music.
Considering that Edmonton was estimated to have more than 2,000 neon signs in the 1950s, the Neon Sign Museums offers a sense of how the entire city once glowed.
Ride the 100 Street Funicular
Edmonton is home to one of Canada's three funiculars.
Another quirky thing to do in Edmonton is ride the 100 Street Funicular. One of just three funiculars in all of Canada, it became a local landmark when it opened in late 2017. The glass-walled elevator can get you from Downtown Edmonton to the North Saskatchewan River Valley in just 48 seconds, with some gorgeous views along the way. Bonus: It’s free!
Taste green onion cakes
Siu To started Edmonton's green onion cake craze in the 1980s.
One of the most surprising things to love about Edmonton is its affinity for green onion cakes. So how did a staple dish from Northern China become such a key part of Edmonton’s culinary culture?
The history of green onion cakes in Edmonton can be traced back to one man: Siu To. Born in Qingdao, China, To spent time in Hong Kong and moved to Edmonton in his late 30s to reunite with his brother. He struggled to find decent Northern Chinese food in the Alberta capital in the 1970s, so he decided to launch his own restaurant in 1980. Among the items on his menu were green onion cakes—a comfort food from To’s childhood. They were a near-instant hit, and within just a few years, more than 100 other restaurants in Edmonton added the cakes to their menu, too.
Today, the crispy, scallion-studded treats are still a craze at the city’s many festivals, including Taste of Edmonton and the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, and a highlight on the menu of dozens of local restaurants. But if you want the real deal, pop into To’s restaurant—aptly named Green Onion Cake Man—on 118 Avenue, where you might even meet the Green Onion Cake Man himself.
Sip barrel-fermented beer
The Monolith uses spontaneous barrel fermentation to brew its beers.
With more than 20 craft breweries, Edmonton is a craft beer lover’s paradise. You don’t have to look far to find great suds in this city, but if you want something truly unique, head to The Monolith.
Don’t expect to find IPAs or other common styles at this taproom—The Monolith embraces a brewing method called “spontaneous barrel fermentation,” only used by one other brewery in Canada. As the name suggests, the historic Belgian technique lets the beer ferment in barrels with whatever random yeast and microorganisms exist in the air for one to three years. The exact organisms that make the magic happen depend on the season, air quality, temperature, and a range of other factors, resulting in complex, acidic beers with intriguing flavor notes that are different every time.
Get an in-depth look at the process on a weekend tour of the brewhouse, barrel rooms, and cool ship. It’s a lot of information to take in, but your study will be well-rewarded with a guided tasting in the taproom at the end of the tour.
Taste award-winning gin from a pint-size distillery
Edmonton is home to North America's smallest distillery: Strathcona Spirits.
Strathcona Spirits Distillery, the first distillery in Edmonton, proves you don’t need a large footprint to produce amazing spirits. Located in a bubblegum pink building that spans just 740 square feet, the smallest distillery in North America has earned global recognition with its award-winning gins and vodkas.
The chance to see how such a tiny distillery can produce such well-regarded spirits is reason enough to swing by the facility in the bohemian neighborhood of Old Strathcona. But tasting the spirits gives you a deeper appreciation for the flavors of Edmonton and Alberta at large. Strathcona Spirits Distillery plucks seaberries from shrubs that line Edmonton’s streets, uses chaga extract made from wild mushrooms in the province, and forages juniper from the Alberta Badlands to infuse its spirits with uniquely local flavor. Go for a tasting to try some of the latest experimental concoctions the distillery has come up with this season.
Tour street art by scooter
More than 200 murals add color to Edmonton.
Edmonton’s decked out with more than 200 murals, so you’ll need a bit of speed to see even a fraction of all the cool art that colors the city.
Hence why it’s smart to hop on an e-scooter and take the guided mural experience with YEG Scoot. The fast-paced tour helps travelers see dozens of the city’s most diverse and controversial street art, and offers context on how the murals tell the story of the community.
One of the most fascinating stops on the tour is the Tawatinâ pedestrian bridge. The 853-foot pathway is crowned by hundreds of art panels that represent the Métis indigenous culture. While the e-scooters make it easy to zip around quickly, this is one area worth pausing for deeper observation.
Ride a century-old steam engine
Ride a century-old steam engine at Fort Edmonton Park.
One of the most memorable things to do in Edmonton is ride a steam train that dates back more than 100 years. A main attraction at Fort Edmonton Park, the 1919 Baldwin Steam engine is an authentic representation of what you would’ve seen as a traveler in the prairies in the 1900s, when rail lines were popping up all across Canada. Hearing the distinctive train whistle blow as you feel the breeze in your hair from the open windows might make you feel nostalgic for earlier eras of travel.
The train is just one draw of Fort Edmonton Park, though. The open-air attraction takes visitors back through the history of Edmonton. Walk through the 1846 Fort, which was once “the most significant trading post west of the Red River Settlement at Fort Garry.” Kick up dust on a recreated street from 1885, complete with recreated hotels, blacksmiths, and a drugstore. Ride the Ferris wheel and get lost in the outdoor maze of the 1920s-themed carnival. And be sure to visit the new Indigenous Peoples Experience. The 30,000-square-foot space offers thoughtful, interactive exhibits on First Nations and Métis peoples in their own voices.
