So I have a house guest staying with me from Montreal, and she got me thinking about what there is to do around here that might be fun. She’s never been to Lethbridge or even anywhere in Alberta, so everything is new and exciting! I was brainstorming things for her to do, and thought you might be interested in what’s new and exciting (and by that I mean old and exciting)!
Within Lethbridge
Nikka Yuko – The Japanese Gardens here in town were built to celebrate the friendship between the Japanese people and the people of Lethbridge, specifically after the internment camps were closed. (Lethbridge was a major site of internment camps for the Japanese during WWII). You can go to the gardens and walk around, visit the zen rock garden and even take part in different weekend events, like tea-sittings. I got the chance to see it this summer and it’s very calm and quite interesting for a nice summer’s day walk. http://www.nikkayuko.com/
Galt Museum – The Galt Museum use to be the old hospital, but with some renovations and a brand new addition, it’s actually a curious little museum in downtown Lethbridge. I love the Galt, and I always find reasons to stop in. Their exhibitions change quite frequently (my favourite was the Fakes and Forgeries one), and they also have great programs for kids and teens that are really hands on. And for us University students, the really cool part is that they have a huge archives downstairs, and you can ask to see it!! Neat, right!? (Or is that just nerdy teacher Bri?) http://www.galtmuseum.com/
Fort Whoop Up – This is a reconstruction of the original Fort Whoop Up, a notorious whiskey fort. Through this interpretive centre, you can see how people lived during the Robe Era, including the North West Mounted Police and the pioneers themselves. Two highlights of this visit for me were definitely the stuffed/mounted buffalo… those things blew my mind with how huge they are, and the live ponies and goats that you can pet. Yeah, yeah, I’m a sucker for that stuff.
So these are three of the more cultural activities that Lethbridge has to offer. For a less historical activity in town, might I suggest a Bulls game (baseball) at Spitz Stadium, or a ‘Canes game (hockey) at the Enmax Centre, or even a day of water sliding and wave pools at the Holiday Inn on Mayor Magrath Drive South. Of course, you can always take pictures of the High Level Bridge (the train bridge), because this is obviously crucial to Lethbridge Living. You should, of course, check out The Penny coffeehouse downtown on 5th Ave, or some of our other great coffeehouses, like Round Street Cafe, a block down from the penny.
There’s lots of stuff to do within a short distance, too, but we’ll come back to day/weekend trips!!
Bri