Father’s Day is tomorrow and you may still be looking for ideas on where to take dad on his big day. Last year, my family and I were looking for somewhere appropriate to take our dad. He has Alzheimer’s dementia and it can be difficult to find places to take him that are easy to access with mobility issues and have something interesting to engage him and hold his attention. We decided the Reynolds Museum near Wetaskiwin, Alberta might fit the bill. 

This museum has really just gotten better and better over the years.  As they state on their website, they celebrate machines. The museum is filled with historical cars, trucks, and all manner of vehicles. You’ll also find airplanes and a dedicated aviation hangar.

Vintage starts with cars and paraphernalia dating from the 1890’s to the present and the displays are very well done with lots of information about the pieces. There are carriages, classic cars, motorcycles, vintage trucks, old gas pumps, farm equipment and even a section of vintage hearses. Their pieces are beautifully restored and some you can even sit on/in. They have a viewing area into their automotive shop to see what restorations they are currently working on. 

There’s a huge outdoor space in addition to the vast indoor museum. That’s where you’ll find some super large wartime planes and the indoor hangar with lots of great aviation pieces and fun experiments for the kids (and adults) to test about the science of flight. You can also take a lift in a classic car where a chauffeur will take you through a tour of old mining vehicles (think early Syncrude and Suncor bucket wheels and diggers) and then take you back to the main museum. For an additional fee you can even book a short flight in an open cockpit biplane! 

There is a restaurant/cafe at the museum, gift shop, plenty of washrooms and although it’s a large museum, it was easy to navigate. The whole family had a great time, and we aren’t even really big gear heads. My dad and my father-in-law both really enjoyed reminiscing about bygone days. 

If you have a car/truck/plane person on your family, or if your dad would like a little walk down memory lane, I think you’ll enjoy it here. There are lots of interactive displays for all ages and even though we went on Father’s Day last year, it wasn’t nearly as crowded as I would have expected. Give dad a treat this year and if you haven’t been for a while, or haven’t ever been, head out the the Reynolds-Alberta Museum. You can find them online and on social media. Have you been here recently? What did you think?

Thanks for stopping by. Happy travels and stay tuned for the next adventure!