Your perspective on “the Mall” depends on whether you are a consumer, who benefits from its amazing – and sometimes overwhelming – selection, or if you are a merchant (often in other parts of Edmonton) who is weakened by its presence. Over the past two decades West Edmonton Mall (“WEM”) has expanded in four phases from one small isolated mall on a large plot of land in a new suburb of Edmonton into the Worlds Largest mall, and become a full-fledged tourist as well as shopping destination for consumers across the western half of North America.
West Edmonton Mall is located in the western suburbs of Edmonton, at the junction of 87th Avenue and 170th Street, and is easily accessed from all directions:
- From Calgary or Edmonton International Airport: Take Highway 2 north, and head west on Whitemud Expressway to 170th Street and then head north.
- From the Yellowhead Highway #16, head eat or west until you reach 170th Street and then head south.
“West Ed” is HUGE!
The mall can superficially be described by its many superlatives and world records, which quite ably describe the variety inherent in the “West Edmonton Mall experience”:
- Guinness Book of Records’ World’s largest shopping mall, encompassing 493,000 sq. metres (5.3 million sq. feet), which is equivalent to 104 Canadian football fields (115 American)
- World’s largest parking lot, with over 20,000 parking stalls and 58 entrances to the mall (seep track of where you came in!), complete with RV and trailer parking available while shopping
- World Waterpark, world’s largest indoor wave pool, holding 12.3 million litres of water (2.7 million gallons) with 23 slides and attractions, the highest slides are 26m high (85′)
- Galaxyland Amusement Park, world’s largest indoor amusement park, with 25 rides and attractions covering 37,160 sq. metres (400,000 sq.ft.)
- Open 365 days per year, even Christmas and New Year’s
- Over 800 stores and services and 6 major department stores
- 110 eating establishments
- 26 movie theatres
- three theme streets
Many Things to See & Do
West Edmonton Mall is particularly popular with shoppers for several reasons: the low Canadian dollar, the GST rebates (for out of country visitors) and the lack of provincial sales tax (for visitors from other parts of Canada). Many Americans visit the Mall on their Alaskan vacations (Mile 1 of the Alaska Highway is west of the city at the Junction of Highway 16 and 33).
Many out of town visitors make it a 2 or 3 day visit, staying at the Fantasyland Hotel (with its theme-decorated guest rooms and the West Edmonton Mall hotel. You can spend a day just shopping, and another day checking out the malls amusements and attractions: the World Waterpark, the Deep Sea Adventure, Professor WEM’s Adventure Golf, the Ice Palace, the Galaxyland Amusement Park, the Palace Casino!
There are many options for nightlife as well – take in a movie at one of the Mall’s 26 movie theatres, including an IMAX 3-D Theatre, Rick Bronson’s The Comic Strip comedy club, Jubilation’s Dinner Theatre, or one of the many nightclubs on Bourbon Street.
The WEM has three theme streets, Europa Street with its designer boutiques, Chinatown with its marketplace, and Bourbon Street with its nightlife and eateries. The mall hass number of smaller attractions and distractions while you are shopping: aquariums, a bingo hall, a chapel, works-of-art, and bungy jumping.
For the kids, there are five mascots for the mall: Deep Sea Adventure mascot named Deep Sea Danny, World Waterpark mascot named Sharky, Galaxyland Amusement Park mascot named Cosmo, Professor Wem’s Adventure Golf mascot named Professor Wem, and Sea Life Caverns’ mascot named Fisher.
Popular Features
Sea Life Caverns
Sea Life Caverns (780-444-5300) has over 200 species of fish, sharks, penguins, even a Giant Pacific Octopus! Watch and learn from our marine biology experts, and from the interactive touch pool exhibit to get up close and personal with exotic sea life.
Galaxyland Amusement Park – World’s Largest Indoor Amusement Park
Experience (or just watch) 25 rides and attractions 37,160 sq. metres (400,000 sq.ft.)
“Mindbender” is a fourteen storey, triple loop rollercoaster. “Space Shot” launches you 120 feet (12 storeys) in less than two seconds and then experience the negative Gs when driven down again. “Galaxy Twister” is a mind-numbing, gravity defying thrill ride. For the kids there is also “Galaxy Kids,” a space-themed, four-storey play park and “Cosmo’s Party Launch Pad.” a three-tiered birthday party complex for bookings and a further 18 wall games of skill. 780-444-5300
Ice Palace
WEM has its own NHL – size ice arena, 58m x 26m (190′ x 85′), which is the second home of the Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club as well as the Ice Palace Figure Skating Club, and the Senior Skating Club . The Ice Palace (780-444-5290) offers skate rentals, and hockey and exclusive rentals as well.
World Waterpark – World’s Largest Indoor Wave Pool
This wave pool has 23 slides and attractions over 2 hectares (5 acres), the highest slides are 26m high (85′) in this two hectare (five acre) park, and has a capacity of 12.3 million litres of water (2.7 million gallons) with a downright tropical average temperature between 26° – 30° C (79°F – 86°F). There is a new Sun Runner Family Tube Slide, a raging rapids inner-tube ride, and the world’s only indoor bungy jump, as well as three children’s play areas and three heated whirlpools, a “Palm Cove” private meeting area, as well as changing facilities, wheelchair access, and snack bar. World Waterpark is ranked #10 in attendance for waterparks in North America. 780-444-5300.
Deep Sea Adventure – Submarine Voyage And The World’s Largest Indoor Lake
This attraction has four real submarines, self-powered and propelled, take 24 passengers on a 35 minute ride in a lake approximately 122m (400′) long and up to 6m (20′) deep where you can see 250 different types of marine life. The coral is real, with some parts over 2,000 years old. The submarines were built in Port Moody, British Columbia and are capable of reaching a depth of 46m (151′), and for many years formed a larger submarine fleet than the Canadian Navy’s! The Mall also has 12 marine life exhibits containing over 250 gallons of salt water. 780-444-5300
Santa Maria Ship
This exact replica of Columbus’ ship was built at False Creek, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and was hand carved and painted, and then transported in flat-bed trucks across the Rocky Mountains to Edmonton. It is also available for receptions and special functions ie: weddings, etc.
Professor Wem’s Adventure Golf
This is an 18 hole, par 46 miniature golf course, complete with sand traps and water hazards.
Fantasyland Hotel
This hotel, right on the mall, has 354 rooms including 118 theme rooms- Hollywood, Roman, Polynesian, Truck, Victorian, Coach, Arabian, Canadian Rail, Igloo, Western and African Safari. The hotel also has two dining rooms: Cafe Europa and Fantasy Grill, meeting rooms, and ballrooms that can accommodate 1,200 people.