GIBBONS
Directions: Exit Edmonton on Hwy 28A, north.
Distance: 39.7 km, or about 38 minutes, from Edmonton.
Info: 780-923-3331; www.gibbons.ca.
Gibbons, a town of 3,030 people located along the Sturgeon River, is named for William Reynolds Gibbons, the first pioneer to settle here in 1895. Travelling from Orillia, Ontario, to Calgary, Gibbons decided to continue on to the Edmonton area. William, his wife, Susy, and his three sons took the first train to travel from Calgary to Edmonton. Unfortunately, the railway was incomplete and passengers had to help the crew lay the final ties and rails needed to reach Edmonton. Gibbons came to serve as the first stop on the Athabasca Landing Trail, which connected Edmonton to Athabasca. Today, the Gibbons Municipal Library sits on the land where the Gibbons family homesteaded.
Gibbons Museum,
Location: 4709-48th Avenue, Gibbons.
Info: Open daily from Victoria Day weekend to Labour Day weekend, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. You can explore independently or arrange a tour. Wheelchair accessible. Tables available for picnicking. 780-923-2148; 780-923-3331.
Visit the Gibbons Museum for a look at buildings dating from the town’s settlement, including an original log home, a settler’s home, a barn, a working windmill, and the McLean Brothers Store, as
Prairie Gardens & Adventure Farm,
Location: 56311 Lily Lake Road, Bon Accord. Travel north on Hwy 28A and west on Hwy 28 about 4 km.
Info: Open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., April to October. Admission is charged. 780-921-2272; 1-888-921-2270; www.prairiegardensadventurefarm.com.
Five kilometres of twisting, turning trails wind through 2.8 hectares of corn at the Great Prairie Corn Maze. In addition to three corn mazesthe Mega Maze, the Mind Bender, and a smaller maze for younger childrenyou will find 50 family-friendly farm attractions, including a short maze adventure, Straw Mountain, a petting farm, play areas, a straw-bale maze, tractor-driven wagon rides, gem mining, a haunted house, and a trackless train to take you around the farm. Children will love gem panning at the Lost Lemon Mine in the ghost town of Boo’n Accord. You can explore 14 hectares of gardens (including 40 varieties of pumpkins), pick your own strawberries and vegetables in July and August, and visit the gift shop featuring farm-fresh produce and flowering container gardens. Call ahead to find out what’s available in the u-pick, and remember to wear sturdy shoes for trekking through the corn maze. Special events at this fully operational farm include magical themed festivals and events from April to October.
Jurassic Forest
Location: 2-23210 Township Road 564, Gibbons. Outside of town, 3 km north, and 1 km west of Hwy 28 on Township Road 564, close to the Goose Hummock Resort.
Info: Open daily, 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., from the last week of April to mid-October. Admission is charged. Wheelchair accessible. 780-470-2446; www.jurassicforest.com.
Jurassic Forest offers guided safaris along two kilometres of trails that take visitors past more than 45 life-sized animatronic dinosaurs. Find out what it’s like to dig for dinosaur bones, learn about local flora and fauna, visit the indoor interactive learning area, and enjoy a picnic. Set in an old-growth forest, the park is designed to use the natural setting in ways that minimize environmental impact.
Tyrannosaurus rex, on the North Trail, Jurassic Forest
GIBBONS MAP Photo Gallery
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