Page 32 - Vacation Country Travel Guide

Spock’s home world in Star Trek. Capitalizing on this
coincidence, Vulcan has built a wonderful 3000-square
foot Star Trek–themed tourist station, which in
addition to providing tourism information about the
area, also has a large display of Star Trek memorabilia
and offers unique photo opportunities in costume on
the starship bridge with life-size character cutouts. The
Galaxy Gift Shop carries a fun array of collectibles,
including Spock ears. Nearby, a 31-foot long replica of
the Starship Enterprise from Star Trek V, mounted on a
pedestal with greeting plaques in English, Klingon and
Vulcan is a must see for any Star Trek fan. Downtown,
check out Spock/Leonard Nimoy’s bronze bust and
handprint memorial, and the many fun space-themed
murals and signs. Vulcan holds an annual Spock Days
festival in June and the deluxe Sci-fi convention Vul-
Con in July, attracting hundreds of fans from around
the world (as well as Star Trek actors and authors).
Calgary
Location: Southern Alberta on Trans-Canada
Hwy 1 and Hwy 2; l50 miles north of the
Montana border, l75 miles south of Edmonton.
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump Population: 1,000,000. Calgary Visitor
photo by: Information Centre located at the airport and
Matt MacGillivray dowtown at the Calgary Tower; Phone: (800)
66l-l678 or (403) 263-85l0; Website: www.
Taber The site is among the oldest, largest and best visitcalgary.com
Location: On the Oldman River in southern preserved of hundreds of buffalo jumps across the A cosmopolitan city bursting with energy and
western Plains and was used continuously by aboriginal
Alberta, at the junction of Highways 3 and 36; youthful vitality located less than an hour away from
98 km (60 miles) north of US border; 52 km (32 peoples for more than 5,500 years. Designation as the Canadian Rockies, Calgary offers visitors the
miles) east of Lethbridge; 117 km (73 miles) a World Heritage Site by UNESCO places Head- best of two exciting worlds: bold big-city life and
west of Medicine Hat; 258 km (160 miles) Smashed-In in the company of other world attractions outstanding wilderness adventure.
southeast of Calgary. Population: 8400. Visitor such as the Egyptian pyramids, Stonehenge and the Calgary’s history as a city began in 1875 when a
Galapagos Islands. The Interpretive Centre documents
Information: Taber and District Chamber of detachment of North West Mounted Police established
Commerce, 4702-50 Street; Phone: (403) the buffalo hunting culture of the Plains Indians. Fort Calgary at the confluence of the Bow and the
223-2265; Email: taberchamber@gmail.com; Elbow Rivers - a site that can still be visited today. The
Website: visittaber.com or growingintaber.ca Granum local climate creates an enjoyable atmosphere for busy
Location: At the junction of Highways 2 and summers and action packed winters. Canada’s sunniest
Taber is a vibrant community surrounded by rich 519, 25 km (15 miles) north of Fort Macleod. major city averages over 2,400 hours of sunshine per
farm land in the heart of southern Alberta, recently Population: 447. Visitor Information: www. year. In winter, strong warm Chinook winds blowing
named the 6th friendliest community in Canada by albertasouthwest.com from the west commonly raise temperatures by 70
Expedia.ca. The area was originally homesteaded degrees Fahrenheit (almost 40 degrees Celsius) or
in the late 1890s. Mormon settlers arriving in 1903 Claresholm more in a matter of hours.
established the railroad hamlet generally believed Location: Hwy 2; 90 km northwest of Lethbridge, Calgary is well-known for its western hospitality,
to be named after Mount Tabor in the Holy Land, 104 km south of Calgary. Population 3,758. chef-driven cuisine, classic and quirky theatre, lively
although it may derive from the first portion of the Visitor Information: Claresholm & District music events and outdoor festivals. The Calgary
word “tabernacle.” Coal was mined near the town, Museum on Highway 2; Phone: (403) 625-3131. Stampede is a 10-day western extravaganza of rodeo,
then shipped to Medicine Hat on steamers and narrow chuck wagon-races, free pancake breakfasts, square
gauge railway. While the 1920s saw a dramatic Stavely dancing, Native exhibition dancing and extensive
decline in mining activity, major economic recovery Location: Hwy 2, 96 km northwest of Lethbridge, agriculture displays that always kicks off with the
occurred in the following decade due to extensive 115 km south of Calgary. Population: 500. Stampede Parade on the first Friday in July.
development of irrigation in the formerly dry region. Visitor Information: www.stavely.ca or www. Calgary’s world famous zoo has been home to
albertasouthwest.com endangered species such as Giant Panda, Red Panda,
Fort Macleod Whooping Crane and Snow Leopard. A large section
Location: Hwys 2 and 3; 32 miles west of Nanton of the zoo consists of an interactive outdoor Prehistoric
Park with realistic full scale dinosaurs. Visitors looking
Lethbridge; 31 miles east of Pincher Creek, Location: Highway 2 midway between Fort to stay indoors can visit one of Canada’s leading
38 miles north of Cardston. Population: 3,200. Macleod and Calgary. Population: 2,132. Visitor museums or science centres. The Glenbow Museum
Visitor Information: www.fortmacleod.com Information: www.albertasouthwest.com houses one of the most extensive ethnology collections
in the country and an impressive permanent fine arts
With an historical background dating back to Vulcan
1874, Fort Macleod is the oldest settlement in Location: On Highway 23, 125 km south of collection, while Calgary’s Telus Spark Science Centre
showcases award winning interactive science displays.
southern Alberta. This crossroads of travel that once Calgary. Population: 1,917. Visitor Information:
hosted Indian encampments, wagon trails and buffalo Vulcan Tourism and Trek Station, 115 Centre Alberta Badlands/Dinosaur Trail
grazing grounds offers all the amenities of a modern Street East, Vulcan, AB T0L 2B0; Phone: (403)
One of the Province’s premiere traveling
city, providing complete visitor services. 485-2994; Email: info@vulcantourism.com; adventures, this dinosaur-specific route covers all the
Website: www.vulcantourism.com highlights. Starting at Calgary, head north on Hwy 2 to
Head-Smashed-In Crossfield, then east on Hwy 72 (which becomes Hwy
Although Vulcan was named by a railway surveyor
Buffalo Jump in 1910 after the Roman god of fire, with original 9). Be sure to stop at Horseshoe Canyon, Canada’s
Location: Located 18 km north and west of Fort streets designating other gods and goddesses of the mini Grand Canyon, a picturesque pocket of badlands
cutting through the prairie exposing more than 70
Macleod on highway 785; Phone: (403) 553- classical world, the town’s name has inspired tourism million years of natural history. Branching south from
2731; Website: www.head-smashed-in.com interest for many years because it is also the same as Hwy 9, Secondary Road 840 leads to the charming
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