Royal Alberta Museum

Great place to take young kids. We took my son here and he had the best day. He loved the aquariums and the children’s area. There are so many different activities in the children’s area including trains, building blocks, magnet tiles, digging areas, wind machines, foam blocks, and so much more. The orca exhibit was something special and was super interesting and informative. We also love the insect room and the staff who handle the insects are patient and knowledgeable when they answer all the questions kids ask them. The only thing that sucks here is parking otherwise we would visit way more often.

Had a great day exploring the RAM. Went for the Orca exhibit and ended up staying for the whole day. Kids really enjoyed it and found it very interesting. They said the insects were their favorite. I think you'll be able to tell what mine was from the pictures. We spent a decent amount of time in each hall or gallery and still didn't read / experience all there was. We went on a Saturday and I was a little worried it would be overcrowded but there was lots of room in each area. We did not feel crowded or rushed at all. We will definitely be going back to explore more.

Wonderful must visit place if you’re in Edmonton. Lots of things to learn and experience. Cleanliness is amazing. It’s a heaven for the kids to spend time there. I liked the souvenir/gift shop. Recommend to everyone and it’s worth the money.

Infamous museums. How can one be more interesting than other? It was Orcas on display. Heartbreaking to see how humans treat animals for profit. Amazing Haida display, movie and tons of informative content on these beautiful creatures. The rest of the museum has year round exhibits. Great way to learn about the history of our country. I wish that museum had longer hours on weekends because it’s not enough time to see everything. Gift shop was well equipped, as well as the coffee shop. It was really busy considering that Taste of Edmonton was happening just a few blocks away.

Not just history this place has something for everyone!! Live fish and bugs, dinosaurs to colonialism there is a lot to take in. Yearly pass only $35 two visits pays for itself!!love love loved it!

The museum has a very odd setup. Each section has its own room with glass doors that you need to enter/exit and leave your water bottles at before moving on to a different section. The top floor located beside the gift shop did not cost anything to view but there wasn't really much to see when I went there. Entrance fee for the main museum was $21 for adults (non-students). They have a membership you can buy if you plan on visiting the museum at least twice in a year that gives you better rates. The main exhibition (whales) was not that interesting. The other sections of the museum were ok but not very engaging. A lot of the technology/screens they use to allow people to do activities and to learn more about the exhibits were out of order. Other exhibits shown at theuseum were dinosaurs, rocks/gems, bugs, and misc historical items from Canadian history.

A nice museum in Edmonton! It's my first time here and the staff at the counter was nice and gave the information to me with a friendly vibe. The ticket is $21 per person (after GST) If you buy a family or annual ticket will be cheaper, for more than 2 people or 2 times of visit. There are historical sections, animal sections, insect sections, gem zones, kids zones, and temporary zones that change every year. 2-3 hours should be enough if you're not reading for every detail on board. They close every Monday, except on public holidays. Nice and recommend 👌

Great museum. Very clean. Lots of history to see. We love the Alberta aspect of it too. The orca exhibit was so amazing to see. The life sized replica is neat!

It was only last year that I finally visited the Royal Alberta Museum (RAM) in it's "new" downtown location. But since then I've visited 3 times, once for my birthday, once for a friend's birthday, and then again to see an exhibit on Orcas. The RAM is the largest museum in western Canada. There are several permanent exhibits including the Children's Gallery, the Bug Gallery, the Human History Hall, and the Natural History Hall. I didn't visit the Children's Gallery, cause I'm an adult without kids so that would be weird, but I did visit the other ones. The Bug Gallery is really cool if you love bugs, but even if you're not a big bug person the bugs are all in contained closures, and I thought was really interesting. My favourites were the two halls, which if you couldn't tell from the names deal with human history and natural history. The human history one goes through the history of the people who've lived in this area from the Indigenous peoples who have been here since time immemorial to European settlers, modern immigration, and present day. The natural history hall has the history of the different flora and fauna that have been in Alberta. This includes exhibits on dinosaurs, which if you've been in Alberta for any length of time you'll know we have a lot of fossils here. And there is also an exhibit on various minerals in Alberta and in Canada. I like shiny rocks so I liked it. Then there is a feature gallery and a changing exhibit. The feature gallery is smaller, but the changing exhibit (when one is in) is usually quite large. The changing exhibits I saw where the ones on Angkor Wat and Orcas (different times). Both were great exhibits, but I think they've changed now. The museum space is huge, and there's lots to see so give yourself lots of time. My downside to the museum is just that I don't live nearby so it's a bit of a pain to drive downtown and park (especially with construction). The LRT is nearby (I think Churchill is the closet station. The museum itself can also get really busy, especially on weekends or if a school field trip is in. But hey, I have fond memories of school field trips at the RAM in its old location in Glenora so I hope kids get good memories of the RAM in its new home. If you're planning to visit the RAM a few times you can get an annual pass. The other option is buy an Alberta History Pass, which will get you into a few different historic sites for a yearly fee. That's what I did. You can buy the pass at the RAM and it's pretty easy to get your money's worth if you come back for a couple of visits. Not sure when I'll visit again, but I'll definitely be back.

Went here with husband and 8 year old son. It was really cool and I would highly recommend it. We spent about 2 hours and say everything. But, we were with an 8 year old that didn't want to spend time reading everything. You definitely could spend several more hours here. There is a large kids play area for 8 and under, which my son enjoyed, and also a large toddler play area. Definitely worth a visit.

I saw online that the RAM was offering free admission for Family Day. There were a limited number of tickets available for designated times throughout the day. It was important to reserve tickets online prior to coming. I thought it would be a wonderful way to spend quality time with my husband and baby. This was our first time visiting this new RAM location. The Children's Gallery was amazing for our little one! There were so many things to see and do! It's more than a typical playground. There were various activities and exhibits to stimulate and educate. It was a very popular location for families with little ones. Next to the Children's Gallery was the the Bug Gallery. It was cool to see various creepy crawlies from around the world. The bugs were securely contained behind glass. It's a safe place to take a good look at these bugs! I was impressed with the variety of gorgeous displays here. There were so many fascinating things to see! The best part was that a lot of the displays were focused on the history of Alberta. There were dinosaur bones to Oilers displays. From prehistoric to modern times. I believe there is something here that would appeal to almost everyone. This is a high quality museum. I recommend bringing your out of town visitors here. This is a must see while in Edmonton. Time spent here is time well spent.

Quite honestly I didn't expect this museum to be so beautiful. It's quite large and lots of educational interactive tools. It has artifacts for all things a museums I never thought would have in one place. There are bug, sea life, animals, gemstones, scientific, pop culture, Native history and mythology and much more! The price for the ticket was well worth the cost for what the exhibits provided. We spent 3 hours here and we could not finish it all the way due to another engagement. I highly recommend to use a day and absorb it all. The gift shop had many offerings for take home too. It's by far the best museum I've ever been in

This was my first time visiting this museum. It was nicely set up to showcase prehistoric to modern day Alberta. I found a lot of interesting things to see. My favourite was the dinosaur section and wished there were more dinosaurs on display. My kid really enjoyed the bugs and kids play area. The gift store had a nice selection of merchandise. The admission ticket was $21. It might be worthwhile to pay for the annual $35 mammoth pass for those who live in the area. The museum layout was very good. There were restrooms throughout the building and plenty of seating to rest. I think you need 2-3 hours to really enjoy what the museum has to offer. I am not sure how often they can really change their displays to make the annual pass worthwhile. My only suggestion is they should have a section to show a mini-movie and change the movie seasonally.

What a fun museum for all ages - really! I don't have children, but I did see a group of children exploring the museum with wonder. I was in Edmonton for work and decided to explore on my one free day! I found my way to the museum in the picturesque downtown and really enjoyed the exhibit on the Vikings. It was both informational and interactive, and I learned about the origin of Bluetooth! I was also able to enjoy a quiet lunch in their cafe. It was impressive that in spite of how crowded the museum was, I was still able to enjoy lunch in peace and the line at the cafe moved quickly! I had a lovely salad and coffee (needed to both stay away and healthy). They have lots of visiting exhibits that may be worth a gander if/when I'm back in Edmonton. I'm not sure I'm young enough for many of the permanent exhibits, but if you have kids, then I'm sure they'd enjoy the museum!

The Royal Alberta Museum is really quite something compared to the previous location. Everything is so vast and open and they have a ton of space for the exhibits they previously were not able to show. There are still two floors, and they have their standard exhibits, a kids exhibit and space for a changing exhibit. There is also a cafe which is good and a gift shop. However, when we went the cafe was closed and kids area was open but all the fun things were still put away. Altogether, the museum looks nice but I miss the charm of the location, even though it was a bit run down, as well as the ample parking that was once at the old location. Parking can be a bit hard to come by or expensive because it is downtown. They do have some accessible stalls right out front which is great. It is definitely a must see while you are in Edmonton and once the place really is in full swing a great place for the kids.

I was really looking forward to going here as I love museums. As an entomologist student I wanted to see the insect exhibit. However, the lack of ability to find parking and signage directing towards parking made us unable to go. The surrounding area was extremely sketchy and we didn't feel comfortable walking in the area. Not sure where we were even supposed to park?

I've wanted to visit this place since the opening. It does not disappoint. The architecture of the building inside and out is beautiful. The price is also really decent. The feature exhibit Vikings was very cool. First time it has been outside Europe that's pretty amazing itself. Pieces of history are cool to view and learn from. My absolute favourite though was the bug area. So many bugs and details as to what they eat and where they are found, some local bugs too. Worth a visit. I can't wait to go back for the new exhibit in October. Also an area all about rocks!!!

I managed to be among the first people to visit the new Royal Alberta Museum when it reopened in October 2018. Since then I have purchased a membership and returned multiple times. When it comes to value, I highly recommend getting a mammoth pass if you live in Edmonton. It's only $35 for an adult which is less than the cost of two single admissions ($19/visit). The family pass is especially good value: $70 for two adults and up to 6 children. The thing I like best about having a pass is that I don't feel obligated to go through the whole museum every time I visit. I can pop in for 30 minutes to check out a new exhibit and leave guilt-free. The permanent gallery have some real highs and lows. The natural history space is fun to browse. They updated all of the dioramas from the old museum and it's always spectacular to see the massive mammoth skeletons. The bugs are also super fun. They did a great job making the exhibits accessible for both adults and children. Even on super busy days, there's lots of space to view the specimens. The Human History gallery does a fantastic job outlining the early Indigenous history of the province through its Ancestral Lands section. They also built a large round space to showcase Alberta's Indigenous communities. The biggest weakness of the museum are its spaces on Alberta history since 1905. The exhibits are fairly lifeless and bland. There are also some glaring omissions and weird inclusions that I struggle to get past. A few examples: -There is no mention of the famous five. I get that these women are problematic in a 2019 world. SHOW THAT! Show that Nellie McClung was a pioneer for (white) women's rights but also an advocate for eugenics. This is our history. -There is a small exhibit on POWs during WWI and WWII where they show how some of of them played hockey during their internment. No mention of how Japanese-Canadians were sent to work camps and forced to build the national parks of Banff and Jasper that we enjoy today. Don't blatantly white-wash history to imply that prisoners spent their time playing sports waiting for the war to end. -In the small LGBTQ2S+ exhibit, the biggest piece is a large rainbow flag. However, when you read the caption you will find that this is a flag that was brought back to Alberta by someone who attended a pride event in Vancouver. There is so much that could be showcased on Alberta's own LGBTQ2S+ history that is completely non-existent in this exhibit. Overall I believe the Royal Alberta Museum is a wonderful addition to our downtown. However, there is nothing wrong with wanting it to be better.

I made the mistake of going to the Royal Alberta Museum on Family Day. It's free on Family Day - YAY but also noooooooooo! So busy I couldn't handle it. I ended up only really seeing the Natural History exhibit and then left. But I did enjoy my time there. It's really well laid out with lots of interactive elements. My 4 year old loved it. I'll be taking her back another time when it's less busy. The Natural History exhibit doesn't have as many dinosaurs as one would hope for. The Wooly Mammoth is very impressive mind you! And the rocks. Wow! I would never get my geologist husband out of there. They have a lot of interesting info on the province and there was also a kids area that the line was out the door for so lots to see when I do return. I'll wait till the new Viking exhibit opens up and head back for more.

She's a pretty girl, with not much to say! The PROS and CONS of this newly built museum are so polarizing that she's getting 3 stars from this mom. This building is gorgeous and located on prime downtown real estate. Easy parking in the many lots around town - or use the LRT! I managed to find street parking less than a block away. 19 bucks gets you through the door. I highly recommend getting the yearly pass at 35 dollars. It's a steal! Kids under 7 are free. There is a cafe located on site and lots of space dedicated to eating and people watching. The cafe is yummy and reasonably priced. We did BYO, but there are many obvious signs forbidding food and beverages inside the museum. Worried about bathrooms? Don't. Lots of bathrooms including private bathrooms everywhere you turn. Family bathrooms too - thank you for that! Also...a big sigh of relief for mobility issues. Huge sidewalks, walkways, elevators etc. PROS The building is gorgeous! The style of the building is impressive and thoughtful in layout. The meseum itself has 2 main exhibit areas....designed impeccably. The displays are a visual dream. The visual TV screens in the exhibits took my breath away. I loved the choreographed videos and audio. The museum has so much space and light streaming into the open areas. My kids loved, loved, loved the bug rooms and kid spaces. We spent 2 hours on just those two areas alone. CONS Is this a museum? Or an office building? I expect for a museum to be brimming with content. Comparatively, museum content is not even half of the total building square footage. While the displays are truly lovely, I saw Newfoundland represented by a Styrofoam Mary Browns container. Another display had knit gloves dating back to a whopping 2013 - - A room filled with retro jeans, etc. Did the museum really represent our Alberta and Canada in the best way possible? My expectations of this being a museum were not met. We will be back here. No doubt. My kids had an epic time and the museum made me have an adventure with them. Getting there was so easy. I really will only come here as this is a glorified playground.

The brand new space is bright, beautiful, and airy, which is the total opposite of their old location..although some of the rooms got pretty stuffy when it was chockful of people (ie) the bug room). Upon entering the museum, you are in a large, open space, greeted by a large mammoth statue, and an old airplane model hangs in the ceiling. The lower level houses the bug room (one of the highlights of my visit, and probably something the kids will love to check out), the children's gallery (I didn't venture in, being childless and all, but it looks like an awesome space; my brother had a tour of the facility and has raved about it), and two Feature Galleries (no access during the grand opening, but it's where they'll hold any travelling exhibits). My favorite part of the old museum - the awesome wildlife dioramas - are still here, and located on the second floor. It remains my favorite exhibit. I really enjoyed seeing the ice age fossils too. (who would have known that we had gigantic sloths and small, weird-looking camels in Ice Age Alberta!). My friend and I did a quick walk around in just under 2 hours, but if you really want to delve into the meat of things and take your time to read/learn a little bit more about the exhibits, this is easily a full day activity. The Human History Gallery itself would take at least an hour to discover. (nerdy Daisy loves learning about life during the war, and just about how life in general was decades ago) There is a small little cafe; it looked well stocked with sandwiches, baked goods, and various drinks - hot or cold. Plenty of seating available. Lots of elevators, seating, and bathrooms galore here. Admission is $19 for adult, $10 for kids, kids 6 and under are free, or $48 for the family. (no idea where my coworker got $35 from, as she complained about how expensive admission prices were). Bonus: there is a permanent exhibit that will be free to check out on the 2nd floor. There was nothing there when we went up, other than a cool, "reflective space". Free wifi available. The only issue I had with this place is the lack of parking. I get how they want to encourage visitors to take public transportation, but c'mon, don't force it on people. It would have been a much wiser choice to have heated, underground parking for visitors. Luckily, the museum is connected via pedway from the Churchill LRT station. Just follow the signs, and you'll be at the museum in less than 10 minutes. I can see the pedway being deserted after office hours though, as it was already pretty quiet even during work hours. All in all though, this is an amazing space that I hope will bring joy and learning to many for years to come. The old museum sits fondly in my childhood memories, and I hope the new one will do so for future generations too!

I went twice in the opening week, and both times I loved it. The museum is well thought out and I love that they were able to keep the dioramas. The new ones they added were great too. Obviously, this is my favorite area but there are some other cool places too. I especially love the old party line phone switchboard which is interactive and really puts you back in the olden days. The Oilers section is a huge win and will be either loved or hated by most Edmonton's. I suspect most will love that it's in there but hate some of what it shows. Definitely make the trip and learn about what makes us tick here in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. This museum is top notch!

I love it! I have never been here so my first time was great! I could have spent hours just looking at everything and reading the info! Currently the viking exhibit is pretty sweet. The new building is nice, big, open and clean. The pricing isn't terrible but I would spend a few hours there to get your moneys worth. A wicked way to spend a day with family

$70 for an annual family membership - that's incredible!! We took advantage of this killer deal mostly because my (almost) 3 year old loves the insect room and of course the giant interactive play area for kids next door. This is and of itself is worth coming to visit frequently for. The other exhibits are interesting and updated from the previous museum. But to be honest, once I've seen them once, I don't feel the need to go again anytime soon. We do look forward to whenever the new exhibit arrives as this will give us even more reason to go back.

It's not my old familiar Provincial Museum of Alberta of my youth.... it's so much larger! With a lot more interactivity, some new and unexpected exhibits, and an expansive children's area, this museum really is world-class. I look forward to when it will include more feature exhibits but I was impressed on the whole. There's lots of space to expand what is currently on display and some areas like the rock gallery and the clothing factory retrospective are just lovely to see. There's a wonderful cafe along with a great gift shop filled with local things to purchase as well. I was glad that the lockers are inexpensive (25 cents or 50 cents depending on the size) and that the admissions desk staff can provide change. The restrooms are great for people of all abilities and ages (there's a mother's room in the children's museum as well). I was impressed at all the accessibility decisions that were made and the gorgeous architecture totally makes my day. I look forward to visiting each gallery in a lot more depth. I am happy the museum is open late on Thursday evenings as that's most likely when I'll return most often -- after work! And since the cafe has such good food and service, I'll likely take advantage of my Mammoth Pass discount there frequently! I love how the museum incorporates so much indigenous history alongside the other historical elements of Alberta. Some of the exhibits are just fun and amusing (flirt like a hummingbird for example!). Easily accessible via LRT and with lots of parking options in the area (and some accessible parking stalls on site for those with disabilities) this location is well worth a visit. It's definitely one of my two favourite museums!

Went yesterday and it was great. I really appreciated that Danielle took the time to explain everything. She was very educated on the bugs. Even showed us a fainting bug. She really made our adventure yesterday so fun. Creepy look, but fun! Thanks Danielle.

We have visited RAM a couple times and one thing that stands out to me is it's impeccably clean/new and the exhibits are well organized. It's a bit on the smallish side compared to some other metropolitan museums we have been to, but there are still some captivating exhibits like the natural gemstones (if you love color theory you MUST visit) and the bug exhibit. Alberta has a rich history and there are a suitable number of exhibits to give it some color in this museum. There's also a large gift shop and a clean, modern coffee shop which you can visit wether or not you then pay to enter the exhibits.

Wow! Museum is gorgeous and spacious! You walk in and the depth of the galleries is amazing! Loved the kids explore area- one friend commented it's like a super amped up Daycare with so much sensory and play stuff. Really great spot! The bug gallery was probably my favourite, even though I'm so not a creepy crawly person, the displays were well set up and we could actually find the little critters! There is also the human history gallery and a nature/ natural science one. Both were immense! You would get lost in the maze of displays and just keep following the natural flow of people but wouldn't find the exit- in a good way! Very cool history and I can see this being a hot spot for school trips. And the walking room in each of the galleries was pretty spacious considering the massive amount of people that were there when we went. The cafe there looked pretty good too and had some nice selections for food from chilli and sandwiches to salads and fruits. The long await of the museum opening is over! Go check it out! Take your kids, they have lots for them there, and stroller parking was definitely a thing when we went! A really cool art feature is the Alberta section that wraps the centre part, so hard to explain but it's pretty cool and something you might not spot!

I don't really have much else to say that's much different then other reviews haven't mentioned. I think the building is beautiful and they did a good job with their exhibits. I am a little disappointed that they did not bring back as many animals as were in the old wild America exhibit. I also don't like how they have some live animals. Completely not necessary. My two-year-old daughter really loved the kids area. She could've spent hours in there. This is one thing that they didn't have with the old museum that I really like. But all in all I think It is a wonderful place to bring family and friends. I think their prices are good especially the mammoth pass which makes it affordable for large families to visit year round. The café is pretty basic serving things such as sandwiches soups muffins scones etc. I appreciate that they have paper straws rather than plastic. I also appreciated the gift shop is supporting tons of local artist around Edmonton and Alberta. It is a very nice curated gift shop. We bought a mammoth pass and will be back several times this year

It's Grand Opening day and this place is just buzzing with excitement. The space is airy, modern and nerdy all at the same time. I did not realize that this was the biggest museum in Western Canada. There are so many interactive things to do in the children's exhibit. I am very impressed with how much space there is. There's lots of seating throughout the gallery if you need a break to sit. Their feature gallery will be revealed in 6 months. The memberships are super affordable. $35 adult and $70 family.

I was incredibly fortunate to visit the museum during it's free, opening weekend. I will definitely update my review after a return visit (and add photos) in a few weeks. The Children's Gallery is large and bright and everything the opposite I remember museums being when I was a kid. Touching things and making noise is encouraged -- it's about getting involved with learning and creating as you go. There's even a Makers Space at the end of the gallery. The Bug Gallery is large and the tanks are easily viewed from all sides, but the room was quickly filled and uncomfortably hot. There is a large Stroller Parking area outside the gallery, but many people still chose to push their large, 4x4 strollers through, often while carrying their children to see or try something hands-on. This was unfortunate because it made the aisles VERY difficult for those with mobility aids to navigate, (the room is still not huge) and added to the cramped feeling, overall. I didn't last long here and sat out in the corridor, but my visiting partner seemed to enjoy what he could see. The Human History gallery was large and felt like, "a real museum." The kind you go to large cities to visit. The entire history of Alberta is well-covered, but I still would have loved to have seen more Indigenous culture, especially modern history pieces. I did enjoy the use of several Indigenous languages in this part of the museum. (I am interested to see how my Indigenous friends feel about the space though. Obviously, I am there to learn, but it is there culture being represented.) The Natural History gallery is upstairs, (and seems to be the only thing upstairs, other than office and administrative space?) The dinosaur displays were, frankly, too crowded to see, but the diorama displays were a fun throw-back to the old museum. I kind of wish the Natural History area was bigger -- when we were finished, I felt like I must have missed something because it was over so quickly. The Feature Galleries were not open during the opening weekend. The Gift Shop is large and open, featuring beautiful items created by local artisans, as well as the usual "gift shop" fare. I was really impressed by the locally sourced pieces and recognized several names from visiting farmer's markets. A big downside is parking -- 4 accessible stalls are available in front of the building -- but while my partner walked back to our car at the mall parkade to come back and pick me up, I witnessed several able-bodied people using these spaces "for just a minute" to pick up their friends and family, as well as blocking the adjacent bus lane. The museum's website advises people to park at the City Hall parkade across the street, but it was already full during our visit. I would love to bring my parents to visit the new RAM, but know that my dad would not be able to do the walk from a further lot than that... At least I know that if we were to drop them off to find parking elsewhere, they would be able to amuse themselves at the gift shop and huge, open lobby while they wait for us to come back and meet them. Overall, it was a good trip and I look forward to going back once things die down a little bit. My partner is already talking about getting annual passes to cover all of our anticipated trips.

Had so much fun here! I took my 1 year old here thinking he would be too small to enjoy it but he had a blast! They have a "kids zone" which is filled with activities for your littles. All the kids seemed to look like they were having a great time. If you have never been I encourage you to go, grab a coffee and enjoy what the museum has to offer!

This place has really improved. Even thought the building is brand new, it feels like the same museum but only better. The main floor is spectacular with a fantastic kids area. The human history exhibit felt like revisting my own life in Alberta. I grew up on a small farm in rural Alberta with grandparents that were immigrants on one side and great, great grandparents that were immigrants on the other. I could see them and their stories in the displays throughout. The one area that was a little too similar to what was in her previous museum was the natural history section. A lot of what they displayed and how they displayed it was the same but only with more room. I was disappointed that they didn't recreate the waterfall/stream from the last museum. That loss was noticeable.

Really enjoy the new museum. Lots to do with the kids, including a kids area and the big room. Recommend you get a mammoth pass for the year, only 2 visits and it's paid for. Always a nice afternoon of checking out the exhibits

Lots of really good stuff and value for annual Mammoth pass. The big room is not huge but very rich. Impressive new human history gallery, especially the very informative Indigenous peoples exhibits. The GWG gallery is a cool nostalgia trip. Lots of interactive exhibits in all areas. Much more. Good for multiple trips throughout the year.

As someone who didn't visit the old museum, this was a unique edmonton experience for me, so I am not comparing it to anything else. I have been here twice now, once during the free opening weekend and once the week after. The space is big, bright and spacious and the lobby was beautifully filled up with afternoon sunshine both times I visited, it looks gorgeous with the mammoth and edmontosaurus exhibits right up front. I was not expecting how busy it would be at the opening weekend and thought the staff did a pretty good job at corralling everyone in the correct lines, it was unfortunately too busy for me to check out the feature gallery on this occasion though, the lines were just too long. I especially loved the nature/biology and mineral exhibits, but the human history and gallery ones were excellent too. I definitely learnt a lot more about Alberta from these exhibits and I love that Edmonton's history is showcased here. I also toured the facilities, auditorium and meeting rooms here during my second visit and can definitely see myself using these in the future. The view of downtown yeg from the lobby of the auditorium is pretty neat.

Very interesting museum with lots to read and see, only wish better considerations were made to the location of the museum for parking. Avoid going on weekends to not hit the crowds. Great activity with educational learning for both adults and kids alike. There is a canteen available for drinks and snacks. I greatly appreciate that there are hand sanitizer stations around the museum! Bathrooms are spacious and clean, will definitely return mid April once their feature presentation of Vikings is set up.

I'm not sure what I was expecting having been to the old location and getting mixed reviews on the new location. Beautiful building, and the exhibits are really well done. Easy to spend a couple hours here. My only complaint would be that I wish there were more galleries available. You get that "is this it?" Feeling after you finish. That being said, I will be back, even the gift shop had interesting things in it!

Our new museum is finally open! After years of anticipation, waiting and glimpses into the mammoth (pun intended) new structure being built downtown, Edmontonians and visitors alike can finally visit our new Royal Alberta Museum. I loved our old building, in its incredible river valley location, but I'm all for new and improved as well. The new RAM building is in the heart of the arts district. Unfortunately there is no dedicated parking lot, so we had to find a lot a few blocks away and walk. I understand the limited space downtown, but a parkade or other parking options would have been appreciated. The new building is beautiful, full of windows, soaring ceilings and spacious exhibit areas. And the gift shop! So many cool science, art and history related items, alongside locally created gifts and Edmonton memorabilia. There are water fountains and bathrooms everywhere, and I loved that there are locker rentals for 50 cents, meaning I could dump my heavy winter coat and scarf while wandering around. The exhibit spaces aren't totally full yet, and it's obvious that they built larger than they needed to fill in as they years go by. The bottom floor is dedicated to human history, and the top floor has natural history, including the nature dioramas that were brought over from the old museum. My dad and I spent an entire afternoon going through everything, including finding bugs in their tanks in the bug room, and reading all of the really interesting history displays in the human history section. I did find the flow of the exhibits to be lacking, as there was no clear path through and we had to double back on ourselves multiple times to make sure we saw everything. I also did not like that the human history section did not appear to be in chronological order, and some of the display cabinets, although interesting, seemed to be randomly plunked in the middle of the floor. For example, if you walk in the door from one direction you go straight from Indigenous history going back 1000's of years to a cabinet of Oilers memorabilia. I loved our visit and I'm proud of our new museum. I hope that the new facility is able to bring in some new and awesome feature exhibits, and that perhaps as the space evolves things may be rearranged in a more logical order. Overall well worth the visit, and a perfect way to spend a snowy Sunday afternoon.

Annual membership is only $35 or $70 for an entire family! Pays for itself in 2 visits. Great space for kiddies and nice cafe that you can get 10% off with your annual pass.

The new museum building is beautiful. There were many interesting exhibits to see. Lots of interesting Alberta related history to explore. We parked at city hall which is just accross the street. A great place to spend a few hours.

love the gift shop. so many local designers and gift ideas children's area is fun way to explore learnt so much about Alberta's history convenient via LRT downside is no parking lot or parkade on site but there is street parking nearby

Spent three hours there yesterday with family. Purchased the annual family pass, Mammoth pass. Kids loved the WWI exhibit and the Aboriginal exhibits. Us two adults found the exhibits to be nicely done. Perhaps they could have added a bit more text on the displays - perhaps build a smartphone app to go with the exhibits? Had hot dogs and chili for snacks. Recommend their cafe

The new building is gorgeous, it no longer feels like being in some dusty corner no matter where you are in the building. I enjoyed the layout of all the exhibits. All the spaces are big and open, no longer dark, winding, and narrow. I was a bit sad that they didn't bring back that giant slice of tree that was part of the old natural history exhibit, but they've done such awesome work with the place. My only complaint is that the cafe area is always too crowded to actually enjoy. Every time I have been there it's full of stay at home mums letting their bratty kids tear all over the place. But no points lost because that's on them not the museum.

My husband and I took my 4 year old nephew here. My hubs and I wanted to see it, and why not have a day of learning with the nephew! The facility itself is huuuuuuge, spacious and well lit. The kids area was really fun, but a bit busy and a few things were not available to play with. My nephew looooved all the bugs and creepy crawlies so that was fun (for him) lol. We checked out as much of the facility as we could have, but I don't think we got to see everything, as he got tired out. I was really impressed and would love to go back and take more time to look around.

I love the new Royal Alberta Museum! The children's play area is incredible. My girls absolutely love playing with the air machine and the under 3 area is a perfect spot to let them run around. The exhibits are beautiful, and it's a really nice way to see the history of Alberta!

Checked out the new RAM (Royal Alberta Museum) today. I wanted to go on a weekend in the hopes that I wouldn't have to refinance my mortgage to pay for parking now that it's downtown. I ended up parking at the library for $2 and walking to the museum which I would totally recommend as long as it's not -40! The new building is beautiful. It's nice and airy. Even with quite a few people there, you never felt cramped as they have a lot more room. They have a bunch of interactive elements which was awesome for my nephew. He got to do a grouse mating dance, play some different games as well as decide what to learn at many stations. They still have many of the original elements from the previous museum but there's definitely some new ones. They had videos you could play throughout. My nephew loved the bug exhibit (I still feel like something is crawling on me). Kids under 7 are free. It cost $18/adult but you can purchase a mammoth pass for $35 which would get you in for an entire year. I do wish they had more of the original animals/dinosaurs in their natural history section and I miss free parking but in the end, it's a gorgeous facility that I am sire I will visit again.

Great addition to downtown Edmonton...we lacked a world class museum, but now we have one...the place is new and all the exhibits are in top notch condition...natural history, human history, bugs section, and kids area are all very nice and interactive...lots of exhibits are interactive...the dino and mammoth skeletons are cool and the big taruntulas in bug area are must see...however, as the place is still new and needs to mature over time...the museum lacks one dedicated international section and one section where travelling exhibits come...the main entrance gallery is big and has some cool stuff, but still appears somewhat empty and can use some more large exhibits to bring more colour and larger than life look at the entrance...guided tours and opening the research area at the back for kids can be good...the place has no parking, which is a definite and permanent negative especially in winter...over all, i recommend RAM

I hadn't been to the museum prior to renovations. I came here on a first date, and both my date and I were a little underwhelmed. The main exhibit was amazing, but the remaining exhibits left much to be desired.

The new Royal Alberta Museum is from the outside and inside, simply stunning! Her modern architecture make for a good looking building on the outside, and large, open space on the inside, making the older building seem tiny by comparison! The collection is quite vast - something you'd expect from the largest museum in Western Canada - and the natural history part of the museum on the second level is definitely my favourite part with amazing, life sized skeleton and stuffed mock-up displays of amazing creatures of days past and present! The fact that there is also plenty of comfortable cushion/couch seating is also quite a nice touch, that makes for a nice experience when you've been standing and walking around a lot! The World War I section, while small, is well filled with a variety amazing artifacts. However, the lack of any WWII space/exhibits is a bit saddening/disconcerting and is something they will hopefully add in the future! I can't wait for the feature exhibits to begin showcasing, expanding the amount of exhibit space at the museum! Overall, a great museum, with pretty cheap admission (I would recommend getting the annual pass, as for only $39 you can visit the museum an unlimited amount of times for a year which is an excellent bargain!). I would definitely recommend you check this place out!

The museum had lots to see and the layout of the museum created a unique immersive experience for adults and youth to enjoy. Learned a lot about Alberta's history while I was there. I wish the museum was larger for the entry price, but the alternative is paying a few dollars extra for a 1 year pass (but only if it's your first time visiting). It's worth visiting if you got time to kill (2-3hrs). The gift shop is really great too, but a bit pricey!

Definitely more geared towards small children. But they do have an impressive Natural History section with the fossils and gems collection. And the Human History section was very eclectic and unique, very interesting. The insect area, I walked in and it was like a sauna and had to leave, it was way too hot. Skipped the kids area. Definitely worth going once if you're visiting the area.

A promising start to a new era in this museum's history! Depending on how soon they get the rotating galleries going, I could be convinced to buy an annual pass for sure.

Came here during the opening with my coworkers. Loved the children's section - seems quite interactive. I also thought the displays were informative and interesting!

Wow!! 500million dollar facility, new exhibits, fantastic stem learning centre for children!!!! And a payment/admission process and line up older than the dinosaur bones on display!!! Get it together you Archaic set of clown shoes! How come I can roll into a movie theater along with 1000 or more other people 10 mins before a movie starts and still have time to piss and get popcorn?? But when I roll up to the royal alberta museum with the family I have to stand in a 3 hour long line up to finally be greeted by either Barb , Gladice or Gertrude, who gives me a couple stickers to place on our chest and walk in???? Can the museum not put these ol gals on display in one of the rooms and get some punctual help behind the desk? Did you not have a few extra dollars in the half a billion dollar budget to buy a few electronic kiosks like the theaters, water parks, Rex rooms, arcades and any other facility handling long lines have?? Would it kill You to hang a small paper sign that alerts the masses to buy their tickets online rather than have them wait 3 hours for you to tell them?? Are you that ignorant that you can't look past the 3/4"s of an inch glass covering your eyes to see the pain and agony the family's in line are enduring?? For the sake of your paying customers....FIGURE IT OUT!!! Other than that, the gift shop is beyond expensive, What else, Parkings a b!tch and if it's not it's expensive. The line for the cafe is much like the line to get in, I'd suggest splitting up the family and each taking a line, or if you are like the tens of people who still carry cash, eat lunch from the vending machine... The brand new vending machines don't accept tap but they do except your debit card in the atm next to it that charges 3.75 per transaction(like come on royal alberta, it's 2019, that scam worked 10 years ago when the greasy Greek with the dripping Gerry curls pitched you on renting the real estate for the combo atm/vending machine, but it don't work today...we're on to you and it just pisses us off!! Otherwise, beautiful facility, great displays and fun for the whole family.

We love it. By a membership or it really is expensive for a single visit. I liked the old museum more to see but still like it.... know you need to find a long way off parking. You will pay through the nose if you park near.

This is a very beautiful museum. I think they should of added an Imax theatre like Victoria BC. They don't have any Egyptian artifacts. I think the museums in Toronto and Victoria are better though. The rock exhibits were good and the bug exhibits. This will take most of the day to see. Also, they need an area where people can plug in their phones. The free charging station is good, but I would rather watch my phone while it is charging. People were bringing drinks into the exhibits even though it wasn't allowed. At the volcano exhibit children were throwing sand all over the new carpet and wrecking it. The restaurant seems overpriced and the staff don't even know which soups they have. They should ban plastic straws in this place.