Family
Visiting the Reynolds-Alberta Museum with kids
You know when you go somewhere without expecting much and are pleasantly surprised? That’s exactly how I felt when we visited the Reynolds-Alberta Museum with our kids last weekend—I couldn’t stop saying how much I loved the place!
I had never thought about visiting the Reynolds-Alberta Museum until my kids received an Edmonton Attractions Pass as a Christmas present. It’s one of the 13 participating attractions and it’s great for the entire family. A quick look at the museum’s website before going was enough to pique my interest.
If you like vintage cars, motorcycles, airplanes, tractors, machines, and signs, you’ll love the Reynolds-Alberta Museum. It’s world-renowned and has won international awards for good reasons. It has an impressive collection of machines and is super well set up. The displays are beautiful and there are many interesting signs to read along the way. They give you information and tell unique stories of the times when the machines were used. You can watch videos to see how cars were made, learn about grain elevators, and even sit in vintage cars at the indoor Starlight Drive-In.
What’s in it for kids at the Reynolds-Alberta Museum?
When planning your visit, give yourself 2-4 hours to tour the exhibitions and displays. It took us a good 3 hours but we saw a family with younger kids walk through the main gallery at a much faster pace. They were looking for hidden beavers—an entertaining activity for kids to do while visiting the museum. As a bonus, you get a prize if you find the right number of beavers!
Another fun way to visit the Reynolds-Alberta Museum with your kids is to play one or both of the scavenger hunts with your cell phone. Once again, you get a prize if you complete them.
When I asked my kids what their favourite part of the tour was, they said:
- Going on the different machines and interacting with them
- Making rope
- Launching air rockets (one of the activities in the Aviation Display Hangar)
Their least favourite thing was having to wait for us while we were reading the signs!
It might have been different if they had been able to go to the Play House to hang out and make a craft to take home. I assume it was closed at the time of our visit because of COVID-19…
We finished our tour by looking at the agricultural machines and vintage trucks in the outdoor field. Then we headed to the Museum Store, where they sell a variety of retro items and locally-made products, among other things.
Photo opportunities at the Reynolds-Alberta Museum
I’m a big fan of vintage stuff so I was very well served at that museum! I was super excited to look at all the machines and signs and take tons of photos along the way.
While visiting the museum’s website, I also discovered you can rent their facility for your wedding or special event photography.
Or if you simply want me to tag along and take photos of your family while you enjoy your visit, we can certainly do that!
Location
The Reynolds-Alberta Museum is located in Wetaskiwin, less than an hour away from Edmonton. Visit their website for directions, hours and admission.
Have you ever thought about vacation photography?
When you hire a documentary family photographer (hint—me!) to photograph you on vacation, you get to enjoy your trip to Alberta or the Reynolds-Alberta Museum without hiding behind your phone or camera the whole time. As a bonus, you get to bring back wonderful vacation memories where everyone is in the photos!
I'm Marie-Pierre, an easygoing mother of two and a documentary family photographer. I believe we can all learn and grow from other people's experiences. Real life stories help us relate to each other, open our minds and feel better about ourselves.
this blog is a collection of featured client stories, tips, and articles on various family related topics. I hope you will find some inspiration!
