Well folks, I got my day trip yesterday and let me tell you, I couldn’t be happier. I know, most people read the word museum and think, “boring”. Honestly, I used to be one of those people. Not this time. The reason; DINOSAURS! I love dinosaurs. I’ve seen all the Jurassic movies multiple times and love anything dinosaur themed. So, we went to the Royal Tyrrell Museum.
Picking Our Destination
We knew we wanted a day trip. My mom didn’t want to drive in snowy mountains, and we didn’t want to spend money on a hotel for a longer getaway. I remember going to a town called Drumheller on a previous visit and so I suggested we go there again. In my mind, I wanted to go to this place called Reptile House, or something along those lines. Unfortunately, I was told that the place shut down. Then my dad mentioned the Royal Tyrrell Museum and said that they had dinosaurs there. That sealed it. We attempted to go to bed early because we wanted an early start to the day for our day trip. Unfortunately, my brother had to work and was unable to join us.
Off to Drumheller
We woke up at 7:30 in the morning and got ready. Then we headed into town to fill up on fuel and grab coffees before beginning the hour-long drive from Calgary to Drumheller. We were headed in the opposite direction of the mountains, so the scenery wasn’t as great as it could be. Well until we got closer to Drumheller. The town is by the hoodoos and they look pretty cool. Now, let me tell you, Drumheller loves their dinosaurs. There are dinosaurs everywhere around the town, and even the streets are named after dinosaurs. It’s home to the world’s largest dinosaur, which you can pay to go inside and climb to the top. You end up in the mouth and there are speakers which play dinosaur roaring sounds as you climb. It’s pretty cool, but we didn’t do that this time. I remember we did it the last time they took me to Drumheller.
Royal Tyrrell Museum
After making a quick stop at the gift shop/info centre where the largest dinosaur is, we headed off to the Royal Tyrell Museum. My mom paid for our tickets and we headed inside. When I say I was like an excited little kid, I’m not exaggerating. I was taking pictures of almost every single fossil and dinosaur statue or painting. My parents couldn’t help but chuckle at me. It was the greatest. When you first walk in, there are speakers playing the sounds of dinosaurs roaring and you’re greeted by some dinosaur fossils. There are different areas around the museum, even a lab area. This one I found interesting.
We couldn’t go into the lab, but there were large windows that you could look through and watch archaeologists work on fossils. My mom thought it looked boring, but I was fascinated.
Royal Tyrrell Museum Continued
One of the other neat aspects they had were stations with touch screen tables that acted like virtual desks. You touch the screen to move things around, make them bigger, and take notes. My recommendation; only one person at a time touches the table. My mom and I both were at the table and it just didn’t work with both of us trying to “work”, but we had a good laugh about it anyway. There was also a room that was like walking through a rain forest; the humidity hit you as soon as you walked in. After we walked the entire museum, checking out fossils from dinosaurs, prehistoric creatures, such as mammoths and sabertooth tigers, we hit the gift shop before leaving.
Lunch Time
We were hungry and knew the few snacks we had brought with us would not be enough, so we googled some restaurants and ended up at Bernie and the Boys. It’s a small diner, and one that I will highly recommend. Outside is a statue of a dinosaur with a bunch of jackets on it. There’s a sign saying that if you need a jacket, just take one. I thought that was pretty cool. Then you go inside and it’s a neat little place. You go to the counter to order your food and then head to your table, where your food is brought to you. The staff was incredibly friendly and the food was absolutely delicious. And filling. My mom and I were not able to finish ours. I tried the Volcano Chicken Burger and my mouth was on fire, but I enjoyed every bite.
After we were finished eating, I checked out a shelf with some locally made items that were for sale and I bought some freeze dried skittles. We thanked the staff and all of us said we would highly recommend this place to others, which they were thankful for. Another fun fact about Bernie and the Boys; they were in an episode of the hit show, “You Gotta Eat Here.” My dad was asking about it and we found out they were in season two, if you want to check it out.
Final Thoughts
What else can I say? After lunch we headed home with full bellies, happy hearts and fond memories of our trip. If you ever find yourself in Alberta, I highly recommend going to check out Drumheller, even if you’re not a fan of dinosaurs. The people are incredibly friendly, the food is great, and there are walking trails all over that you can take. I would love to go back in summer and check out some of those trails. They must be beautiful in the summer. Plan a trip there and enjoy your stay, be it a day trip or a longer getaway. You won’t regret it. Who knows, maybe I’ll go back and write more blogs about my experiences there. Anything can happen, if I try.
