There’s so much rich history in the Land of the Mighty Peace to uncover and some truly unique places to soak it in. From picturesque historic parks to gorgeous museums, you will be transported back in time and experience the cultures, stories and history that shaped our region. Be sure to check out these great edu-vacation spots in the Mighty Peace:
Smoky River Historical and Genealogical Society
Step back in time and discover the rich history of northern Alberta at the Smoky River Historical and Genealogical Society. Perfect for kids and parents, this cultural hub brings Francophone and Métis heritage to life through engaging archives, photos, and artifacts. Learn about early settlers, explore family histories, and uncover stories that connect communities across Canada and beyond. It’s a fun and educational way for the whole family to experience the region’s vibrant history.
Peace River Adventures Tours & Campground
Turn your family vacation into an unforgettable learning experience with Peace River Adventures. Their guided tours along the Peace and Smoky Rivers let kids and parents discover the region’s history, wildlife, and natural wonders firsthand. From canoeing and kayaking to jet boat tours and hiking tours, every adventure is filled with hands-on learning. Explore the river’s ecosystems, spot local wildlife, and hear local stories that shaped the area. Peace River Adventures makes education exciting, interactive, and full of adventure for the whole family.
Mother Earth Book: Boreal Beauty of the Peace Country
Pick up a Mother Earth Book before you embark on your Edu-Vacation. Sharon’s bestselling Mother Earth book is a “book of wonders,” featuring 1,200+ breathtaking images, playful stories, and species IDs in Latin, French, Beaver, and Cree—part field guide, part art piece.
This experience is perfect for curious explorers who want to deepen their connection to the landscape while discovering the beauty and biodiversity of northwest Alberta.
Valley Bee Cafe
At the Valley Bee Cafe, learning and delicious food come together in a unique and buzzing experience for families. Located right on a working bee farm, the café lets kids and parents watch the magic of honey-making through an observation window as bees are carefully tended and honey is extracted. Inside, interactive displays, fun games, and fascinating pictures turn a visit into a self-guided educational adventure. Pair your discoveries with tasty treats, drinks, and fresh honey products, and you’ve got a sweet, hands-on experience that’s perfect for curious minds of all ages.
Kimiwan Bird Walk
Step into a world of wings and wetlands at the Kimiwan Bird Walk in McLennan, Alberta’s Bird Capital of Canada. Perfect for families, this scenic boardwalk winds through the rich marshlands of Kimiwan Lake, offering incredible opportunities to spot trumpeter swans, pelicans, herons, and countless other migratory birds. Along the trail, interpretive signs provide fun and educational insights about the local ecosystem, making it an engaging self-guided adventure for kids and parents alike. Bring your binoculars, snap some photos, and experience the wonder of nature up close at this one-of-a-kind birding destination.
Grow North Gardens
Explore 90+ seasonal flowers, pick your own blooms, and join hands-on workshops in this family-run Fairview flower farm. Kids enjoy interactive activities, while visitors learn sustainable gardening and floral design—making it a colorful, educational stop on any edu-vacation tour.
Canadian Wildlife Adventures
Experience the ultimate summer fishing adventure at Canadian Wildlife Adventures, a remote fly-in lodge in the Northwest Territories. Surrounded by pristine wilderness, guests can fish for northern pike and lake trout, hike untouched trails, and enjoy the peace and beauty of Canada’s north, all from the comfort of a cozy lodge.
Fairview Fine Arts Centre
The Fairview Fine Arts Centre offers kids and parents a chance to explore their creativity through hands-on art classes and workshops. From painting to pottery, visitors of all ages can try new skills, engage with local artists, and learn about different art techniques, all in a welcoming, interactive environment that makes learning fun.
Mighty Peace Berries & Blooms
Enjoy a unique u-pick adventure in the Mighty Peace! Wander through vibrant flower gardens, harvest fresh berries, and soak in the natural beauty all around. Enhance your visit with weekly bouquet subscriptions or hands-on workshops to craft your own floral arrangements. As part of an edu-vacation tour, guests can learn about seasonal growing, sustainable gardening, and floral design, making it a fun and educational day outdoors.
Fairview Pollinator Garden
Wanham Plowing Match
Experience the spirit of rural Alberta at the Wanham Plowing Match, held every year in June. Since 1971, this beloved event has showcased the region’s farming traditions with tractor pulls, horse plowing, local food, live music, and family fun.
As part of an edu-vacation tour, guests can dive into Alberta’s agricultural heritage—learning traditional skills, exploring local history, and connecting with the community that keeps these traditions alive.
Peace River Art Hub
The Peace River Art Hub is a family-friendly destination for hands-on learning and artistic exploration. Perfect for an edu-vacation, it offers workshops and interactive experiences where kids and parents can try painting, sculpture, and other creative projects. Visitors also learn about local artists and art techniques, making it a fun and educational stop that inspires imagination and creativity for the whole family.
Dunvegan Market Gardens
Located on the Peace River near Dunvegan Provincial Park, Dunvegan Market Gardens is a perfect destination for families seeking hands-on learning and fun. Kids and parents can enjoy strawberry U-Pick, explore the on-site barn store filled with flowers, plants, fresh produce, and more, or test their skills on the mini golf course. After a day of activities, visitors can dine at the restaurant featuring bison from their farm, connecting food to local agriculture. Just steps from the river and provincial park, it’s a stop that blends learning, play, and delicious local flavors into a full-family edu-vacation experience.
Linden Tree Apothecary
Just north of Peace River, Linden Tree Apothecary invites you to slow down and connect with nature. This charming flower farm offers u-pick experiences, bouquet bars, and stunning floral arrangements surrounded by lush gardens and forest views.
Falher Honey Fest
Celebrate the Honey Capital of Canada at the Falher Honey Fest, held every June in the Town of Falher. This family-friendly event offers a hands-on look at bees and honey production, along with opportunities to learn about the region’s Francophone culture. With activities, demonstrations, and tasty treats for all ages, it’s the perfect way for kids and parents to combine education, culture, and fun in one buzzing celebration.
Peace River Gold Cup
Experience the thrill of jet boat racing at the Peace River Gold Cup, where teams from Mexico, New Zealand, the USA, and across Canada compete in high-speed action. Some of these incredible boats reach over 160mph, making every turn and straightaway a heart-pounding spectacle. Perfect for families on an edu-vacation, visitors can watch the races up close, connect with the teams, and ask questions about the engineering, skill, and strategy behind these powerful machines. It’s an unforgettable way to combine adventure, learning, and family fun.
Peace River Pow Wow
Experience the vibrancy of Indigenous traditions at the Peace River Pow Wow, held every year in June. Enjoy drumming, dancing, fiddling, jigging, and the thrilling hand game competition, with opportunities to join intertribal dances. Sample traditional foods like bannock, explore handmade goods from Indigenous artists, and immerse yourself in a rich cultural celebration. As part of an edu-vacation tour, this event offers a hands-on introduction to Indigenous heritage, music, dance, and artistry—an unforgettable cultural experience for all ages.
The Green Goddess
At The Green Goddess, families can explore natural wellness through interactive, hands-on workshops. Learn how to create food and medicine, make tinctures, and discover the benefits of plants for health and well-being. Perfect for kids and parents on an edu-vacation, these workshops turn curiosity about nature into practical skills, knowledge, and fun, all in a welcoming, interactive environment.
Peace River Museum & Archives
Located on the Mighty Peace Riverbank in the Town of Peace River, the Peace River Museum and Archives is a fun place to learn about the region. From various interesting exhibits to the gift shop that carries local handi-crafts, there are lots to see and learn here, and in the summertime, they offer walking and interpretive tours.
Historic Dunvegan Provincial Park
Provincially and nationally designated as a historic resource, the Historic Dunvegan Park is the perfect place to spend the day experiencing Alberta’s history. Four original authentically restored and furnished buildings are located in this stunning park area nestled in the Peace River valley 26 km from Fairview. Be sure to stop for some fresh fruits and veggies or ice cream at the local market gardens before you leave!
End of Steel Museum
There is so much rich history to be uncovered at the End of Steel Museum in the Village of Hines Creek. Take the family and check out the train caboose, historic houses, the Hines Creek School, the trapper’s cabin, agricultural equipment and machinery. If you are there on a Saturday, be sure to stop at the historic Lubeck Hall, where the community now holds their Farmer’s market – they have the most delicious cinnamon buns and coffee.
Manning Brownvale Museum
Step back in time (and maybe try to hang on!) at the Brownvale North Peace Agricultural Museum home to the famous mechanical bull that once carried a fiberglass Brian Mulroney at Expo 86. Beyond this quirky piece of history, visitors can explore the restored Grey Eagle School, Brownvale Post Office, and an impressive collection of vintage tractors, tools, and horse-powered machinery.
Battle River Museum
Discover the Battle River Pioneer Museum, where history and wildlife come together. See rare artifacts like a 1,500-year-old arrowhead and a mounted albino moose, explore heritage buildings, and enjoy Heritage Day demonstrations from wood-working to flour-milling. With everything from grizzlies to timber wolves on display, it’s an educational stop just 1 km east of Manning on Hwy 691. Open May 15–Sept 15, 10am–6pm. Appointments: 780-836-0734.
Brownvale North Peace Agricultural Museum
Have you ever seen agricultural equipment dated back to horse-powered days or Brian Mulroney riding a mechanical bull? You will be at the Brownvale North Peace Agricultural Museum! You can also check out the historical school, post office and a restored 1929 Chevy Landeau Convertible (there are only 16 left in existence).
St. Isidore Museum and Cultural Centre
Learn about the history of the francophone community who left Quebec years ago to make the Mighty Peace home. Their stories are uncovered at the St. Isidore Museum and Cultural Centre with costumes, photos and artifacts that shed some light on their journey and establishment in the Mighty Peace region.
Dixonville Museum
It may be one of the world’s smallest museums, but the Dixonville Museum proves that size doesn’t mean quality. There’s so much history infused in this restored authentic 20th-century trading post cabin. The cabin is one of the first log buildings in the community and was transformed into the museum thanks to the heart and hard work of passionate local community members. It’s a must-see!
Fairview Pioneer Museum
A walk through the Fairview Pioneer Museum is like stepping into the history of days gone by. On this ten-acre site, you will walk through a schoolhouse, a cabin, a house, and other incredible historical buildings that will leave you feeling like you are visiting Fariview way back in the day.
Lac Cardinal Pioneer Village Museum
Want to know what it was like in the 1930s? Head over to the Lac Cardinal Pioneer Village Museum – it is literally a village. There’s a school, four fully furnished houses, a blacksmith shop, general store, fire hall, municipal office, carpenter shop, church, barn and a library. If you are looking for the best time for a visit, go during Pioneer Days in August and see some of the village in actual operation. You won’t see butter being churned or a blacksmith shop in operation in many other places!
