The little mall on the prairie

The West Edmonton Mall is a monument to consumerism.  It has 800 stores.  It is the largest mall in North America.  If the story ended there, I would not have had the slightest interest in seeing it.  But there is more.  It is also the leading tourist destination in Alberta and for me that made it worth a visit.

If you've ever been to the Mall of America in Minnesota, you should have a pretty good idea of what the mall here is like.  The same people own both.

Knowing the Minnesota mall only through the stories I've heard, I can only speculate that both malls share a lot of the same features and that here they are simply bigger and badder.  What is unique to this mall I can not say.

In addition to 2 large food courts, the Edmonton Mall features several "streets" with sit-down restaurants.

There is an amusement park with a variety of rides including at least 2 different roller coasters.

There is an ice rink, 2 miniature golf courses, a rec room, sea life shows, and a replica of Columbus's ship, the Santa Maria.

There is also a hotel in the mall and a very large aquatic park.  That last one was my personal favorite.

Day 8
Edmonton, Alberta

Daily Mileage:  21.5
Total Mileage:  1,992.6