Lacombe’s
flatiron building
LocaL Getaway
Grand Central
they may be in the middle of the province, but red Deer
and Lacombe are anything but middle of the road
and you’ll find the Blacksmith Shop
Museum, Alberta’s oldest operating
blacksmithing business. In the summer
and fall, you can make an appointment
to tour the space. Even the town’s bowl-
ing alley, Ambassador Bowling Centre
has a nostalgic vibe—many visitors
snap photos of its original wood sign
hanging outside.
But the past is past; today the buzz
in Lacombe focuses on food. Locavores
flock to Cilantro and Chive restaurant
for duck wings and juicy burgers. They
also frequent Sweet Capone’s for melt-
in-your-mouth Italian cannoli in more
than a dozen flavours, from vanilla
custard cream to double chocolate to
toasted coconut.
Out-of-towners can also pass some
time off the beaten path. In the Wolf
Creek Industrial Park, Blindman
Brewing’s pocket-sized taproom is one
of the central Alberta’s superlative
spots for craft beer. Next door, Old
Prairie Sentinel Distillery fills an even
tinier space with handcrafted spirits,
including a single-malt vodka and its
barrel spice distilled gin, which is
based on a moonshine recipe.
Just outside of Lacombe, stop in
at the Lacombe Corn Maze at Kraay
Family Farm. The six-hectare property
is famous for its labyrinth, but it also
boasts 40-plus attractions, including a
pumpkin cannon, grain train, jumping
pillows and adventure course.
muCH ado in red deer
The stereotypes that tend to plague
small cities (“There’s nothing to do!”
“The restaurants are all the same!”)
the foresight to save its stock of
definitely do not apply to Red
Edwardian-era structures.
Deer. In recent years, the
An easy stroll down 50
downtown core has been
Avenue presents one of
praised for its street art,
the best-preserved his-
outdoor patios, craft beer
toric streetscapes in the
and lively restaurant
province, highlighted by a
scene that unites Red
flatiron building erected in
Deer’s diverse citizens.
1904 by the Merchants Bank
The most visible sign of
of Canada. The wedge-shaped
this revitalization is Art Alley,
Kombucha at Wild
building is now home to the
a collaborative project that
Brewing Co.
Flatiron Museum and Inter-
showcases murals by nine local
pretive Centre, a must-stop for visitors
artists. Poke your head behind the John
seeking to discover Lacombe’s history.
Howard Society building on 50 Street
Turn the corner onto 49 Street
for a peek at several of the colourful, »
by TraCy HyaTT
Surrounded by rolling farmland
and sweeping river valleys, central
Alberta is a picture-perfect part of the
province to explore this fall. Two desti-
nations in particular are ripe for a road
trip—on which you’ll find great food,
unique history, urban parks and even
a few local craft brews.
PaST meeTS PreSenT in laCombe
One of Alberta’s great small towns,
Lacombe is known for its inventory of
heritage buildings. In the 1980s, while
other towns were razing century-old
edifices, Lacombe’s urban planners had
AMA INsIDer
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