Alberta Road Trips: Millarville, Marv’s and a Really Big Rock

On a fine fall day, my friend Keoma and I headed out of Calgary for a bit of market shopping, soda sipping and rock climbing.

Millarville Farmers’ Market
Our first stop of the day was the well-known farmers’ market in Millarville. The outdoor market has a good combination of artisans and farmers/producers. My purchases included llama sausage (it was so unusual I just had to try it) and some gourmet soup from the Route 40 Soup Company.


Marv’s Classic Soda Shop
Keoma and I were both looking forward to tasting authentic sodas. I expected my soda to be similar to an ice cream float but it was pleasantly different - lighter and less sweet but still oh soooo good.

The restaurant is decorated in classic 50s diner style with lots of chrome, neon and pink vinyl. Each booth has a tabletop jukebox stocked with classic 50s music. We popped 25 cents into our jukebox and bopped as we were eating our burgers and fries. The highlight was when Marv pulled out his guitar and serenaded the customers.



The Okotoks Erratic
For the longest time I’ve wanted to visit the Okotoks Erratic, known as Big Rock. The idea that a gigantic rock is just sitting in the middle of the prairie with no other sizable rocks near it intrigued me. Although the rock wasn’t in the middle of nowhere (it’s right beside a farm), it was bigger and more impressive than I thought it would be.



The Scenery
An important part of any road trip is the scenery. And on this trip, the scenery did not disappoint. This was the perfect time of year to see the beautiful fall colours. Yellows and golds juxtaposed against the dark green of the evergreens and everything back-dropped by the mountains.



Road trips don’t get any better than this!

Chase the Chills Away with Autumn’s Hottest Drink

I can’t think of a better way to enjoy a cool fall day than by sipping the liquid heaven that is the drinking chocolate from Kerstin’s Chocolates in downtown Edmonton.

Kerstin’s sells two flavours of drinking chocolate – a dark chocolate with a hint of vanilla and a chocolate spiced with chili, cinnamon and other spices. Two very different, but delicious, tastes.

We also walked away with the seasonally-appropriate Chocophilia Pumpkin Pie chocolate bar. Imagine a blend of milk chocolate and pumpkin pie (in my opinion a better combination than chocolate and peanut butter).

So next time a chill is in the air, warm up with a concoction that takes hot chocolate to a completely different level.

For a similarly sublime hot chocolate experience in Calgary, check out Choklat in the Inglewood District.

A-MAZE-ing Sunflowers

Corn mazes are a popular fall attraction, but a maze made of cheery sunflowers offers a delightful alternative.

From the moment you step into the Bowden SunMaze, you can’t help but be happy. Getting lost and turned around on the winding paths seems a lot more fun when surrounded by pretty yellow flowers.


The maze has just the right amount of challenge to keep adults interested while the opportunity to run wild and hide around corners keeps kids entertained.We were a little late to see the maze in its prime (although it was still impressive). The staff suggested that mid to late August is the best time to visit.


In addition to the sunflower maze, there are two corn mazes and other mazes suitable for small children. The kids will also like seeing seeing the pot belly pig, rabbits, donkeys and chickens.

The Bowden SunMaze is Alberta’s only sunflower maze. You can find it west of Bowden, about half an hour south of Red Deer.

High Flying Fun at Edmonton's Kite Festival

Sailing ships, bi-planes, geometric shapes, owls, geckos, and Tigger … not to mention a 30 foot dragon…vied for airspace over Edmonton on the weekend. The annual Kites over Callingwood Festival filled the sky with kites of all shapes and sizes.



Kids were encouraged to construct and decorate their own kites at the family-friendly event and add them to the colourful chaos in the sky. The festival also featured sport kites – kites that can be masterfully maneuvered to perform graceful ballet or acrobatic dogfights. See the video below.