When Heritage Park opened on July 1, 1964, it had a handful of exhibits and was originally intended to be a children’s pioneer theme park. Today, Heritage Park has grown into Canada’s largest living history museum with more than 182 exhibits, and over 55,000 artifacts, all of which have been carefully selected to share a story from our past. Park staff and volunteers are trained with knowledge and insight of the people and places they are representing and the programming is carefully curated to provide an accurate and fulsome experience.

We also offer some of the most innovative and memorable field trip experiences available in Southern Alberta. Our variety of Alberta curriculum-based school programs provide options for Kindergarten to Grad 9 and beyond! Students experience a unique day away from the classroom. These adventures in education have been popular with students, teachers, and parents for over 35 years due to their interactivity and capacity to inspire curiosity and wonder. Our attendance numbers continue to grow each year due to the quality and variety of experiences.

2019 Highlights:

Visitors                                                                       547,382

School Programs for pre-K to Gr. 12                             30+

Educational Program Attendance                           64,373

Annual Pass Holders                                                  14,500

Historic Buildings & Exhibits                                         182+

Artifacts                                                                        50,500

Volunteer hours committed                                      72,000

• Heritage Park celebrated National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21 with free programming in the Heritage Town Plaza. Heritage Park is proud to have built regular programming around the Encampment area that acknowledges the importance of Indigenous peoples and the direct connection they have to the land occupied by the Park.
• Heritage Park celebrated the Tenth Anniversary of the Montefiore Institute (Little Synagogue) with special presentations throughout the Park season. The Montefiore Institute has returned to its past as a place of faith, education, and celebration and countless visitors have spent time with interpreters learning the faith traditions, stories and songs of the Jewish people. Its warm and inviting atmosphere draws visitors in and gives them an opportunity to engage in fascinating conversations about a different religious tradition and culture with the knowledgeable interpreters.

 Each year Heritage Park welcomes over 600,000 guests through the gates, providing authentic memorable experiences in many different ways.

Our educational programs currently reach over 60,000 school children every year, connecting them to the people and places from the early days of western settlement. All of Heritage Park’s programs have a carefully created education component that is innovative, interactive and memorable, making it easy for school children to forget they are learning as they live, breathe and enjoy the past!

The park provides immersive education for adults as well, ranging from brewing workshops to historical cooking classes, weekends spent working with a team of heavy horses, to learning how to garden for bees. Since 2009, Heritage Park has placed a greater emphasis on its adult education offerings, and this continues to grow each year.

Keeping Alberta’s Story Alive

The Natural Resource Area of the Park, including the replica Dingman No. 1 Discovery Well, coal tunnel, and other exhibits depicting Alberta’s oil, gas and mining legacies, have been off-limits to the public for years due to their deteriorated state of repair. The Park’s Master Plan approved in 2014 included a complete renewal of this area, with a twist.

In addition to restoring the existing infrastructure, we will add a whole new dimension — an interpretive centre dedicated to the past, present, and future of the energy industry. This centre will use advanced technologies that corral the power of solar, wind, geothermal, and hydro. Visitors will be able to witness these renewable sources of energy being converted to useable green energy.

By presenting the history and diversity of energy in all forms, we hope to inspire visitors to understand how their actions and decisions today will play an important role in energy tomorrow.

The Indigenous Nature Trail will link all of the refurbished exhibits to the new Interpretive Centre and a new feature will be the addition of an outdoor amphitheatre sized for a class of elementary school children. In addition to providing access to th exhibits, the pathway will allow a unique view of the Elbow River Valley, and include interpretive signage to educate people about the plants and animals that live and grow on the banks of the Glenmore Reservoir. The amphitheatre will be paired with the Park Warden’s Cabin exhibit.Please help us continue to teach and delight children like Hayley and their families, preserving the past while building a bright future. With your contribution, we can keep history alive and continue bringing families together to make lasting memories. As a charitable organization, Heritage Park relies on the generosity of individuals, corporations and foundations to make the preservation of the past possible.

HELP KEEP HISTORY ALIVE

Financial support for Heritage Park can be provided in a variety of ways: annual gifts, sponsorships, donations for special projects, exhibits or programming, fundraising events, capital projects and legacy gifts.

1. Did you know – we will soon feature a Vintage Veterinary Exhibit with a traveling veterinarian in period costume via horse and buggy? We’re almost halfway to our target and donations between $1,000 and $10,000 can really help bring this exhibit to life!
2. Did you know – we are well on our way to launching a state-of-the-art Natural Resources Interpretive Centre? Phase I wilol include many of our restored exhibits including the Dingman #1 Well from Turner Valley. Phase II will include the new Interpretive Centre featuring green technologies. Donations over $5,000 are still needed to support the curriculum development for new school programs.
3. Did you know – as part of the Natural Resources Area, there will be an enhanced Indigenous Nature Trail and newly-built Amphitheatre sized for elementary-school-aged children? The cost to build the amphitheatre and restored trail is $60,000. Could you see yourself making a gift to help us build this special area overlooking the Glenmore Reservoir?
4. Did you know – we take students back in time through our School Programs to experience the challenges of pioneering and First Nations peoples. Students may debate women’s right to vote in the Famous 5 Centre of Canadian Women or they may do water sampling in the Bissett Wetlands or examine the ways of life of Blackfoot, Métis and Voyageurs. To sponsor a program costs approximately $10,000 or you can support program and transportation subsidies with a gift of $5,000.
5. Did you know – we will host the Anne Frank touring exhibit from Amsterdam from June 1 to August 31, 2020? the international travelling exhibition consists of 34 bilingual panels in English and French that focus on the life of Anne Frank, as well as the history of the Holocaust and the Second World War in Europe. Heritage Park will train youth and adults to be guides through the exhibit. Gifts of $500 or more will help to fund staff and training costs for the season.

All donations to Heritage Park make a difference. With your support, we can build new experiences based on the stories from our past, and ignite the imaginations of future generations.