|
Lloydminster
|
|
|
Some 140km northwest of the Battlefords you hit the Alberta-Saskatchewan border, and the drab city of
LLOYDMINSTER
, which was founded in 1903 by a group of two thousand British pioneers known as the Barr colonists. A major attraction is the
Barr Colony Heritage Cultural Centre
, located in Weaver Park beside the Yellowhead at 44th Street and 45th Avenue (mid-May to early Sept daily 10am-8pm; early Sept to mid-May Wed-Fri noon-5pm, Sat & Sun 1-5pm; $3.50), and even this is scarcely pulse-racing - a small display on the founders, together with a couple of art galleries and a wildlife exhibition. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the city is its
geographical location
: the 4th Meridian runs right down 50th Avenue, the main street. Thirty-metre-high metal border markers, shaped like the survey stakes used by the original surveyors when they laid out the border between the two provinces, line Hwy 16 on the north and south sides, and smaller markers line the main street.
Yet Lloydminster is a popular town for a break in the journey, and has lots of hotels and motels along its two main streets, 44th Street (the Yellowhead) and 50th Avenue (Hwy 17). The pick of these are the Imperial 400 Motel , 4320 44th St (tel 825-4400 or 1-800/781-2268; $60-80) with an indoor pool and cable TV; and the Wayside Inn , a sprawling complex just west of the city on Hwy 16 on the Alberta side (tel 780/875-4404 or 1-800/658-4404; $60-80). For camping , Weaver Park Campground (tel 825-3726 or 825-6184; mid-April to Oct), next door to the heritage centre, has sites from $12 and a full range of facilities, including showers and a playground. There are limited options if you're eating out, but the less mundane establishments are David's Steak House , 5501 44th St; Grainfield's , in the West Harvest Inn , 5620 44th St; or any of the pizza chains around town.
The Lloydminster Tourism and Convention Authority has a
tourist office
at 5001 50th Ave (Mon-Fri 8am-5pm; tel 825-6180 or 1-800/825-6180). Both Tourism Saskatchewan and Alberta Tourism run seasonal
visitor reception centres
on either side of the border. The bus station is on the Alberta side at 50th Street and is served by four buses daily from Saskatoon. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
|
Canada,
|