Free Admission at the Royal Alberta Museum for Alberta Culture Days
Alberta Culture Days wraps up the month with one of the best deals in the city: free admission to the Royal Alberta Museum on September 26 and 27. If you've been meaning to check out RAM but keep putting it off, this is the weekend.
The museum is one of the largest in Western Canada, and it's easy to lose an afternoon there without ever feeling like you're rushing through. A few highlights worth carving out time for:
Natural History Gallery — millions of years of Alberta's landscape, from dinosaur fossils to the ice age mammals that once roamed the province. The mammoth and mastodon casts are a favourite for good reason, and the gems and minerals section is worth a slow walk-through if you're into that kind of thing.
Human History Gallery — the people and cultures that shaped the region, including the Indigenous stories woven throughout the building rather than confined to a single room. It's a thoughtful counterpoint to the natural history side, and gives the museum a fuller sense of what "Alberta" actually means.
Bug Gallery — live insects and arachnids on display, not for the squeamish but genuinely fascinating if you give it a chance. It's a smaller gallery, so it makes a good palate cleanser between the two bigger ones.
Changing Exhibitions — smaller, rotating displays tucked into the Human History and Natural History halls that shift throughout the year, so there's usually something on view even between major feature exhibits.
Here's what you should know before you go:
Pre-booked tickets and walk-ups are both welcome, though booking ahead is the safer bet since free days draw a crowd. Time slots tend to fill early, especially midday on the Saturday.
Friday through Sunday, 10 am to 4 pm
The Museum Café and Museum Shop are both open during regular hours if you want to make a full afternoon of it.
Book Tickets for Alberta Culture Days at Royal Alberta Museum
