Wem on a Wim (cont)

It was long overdue. The first phase of the mall was completed in 1981. Two years later the Ice Palace skating rink and Galaxyland’s amusement park were all the buzz. Bourbon Street and Europa Boulevard were next online in ‘85. Phase IV (1998) saw the mall expand to cover a total of 121 acres (and the addition of an IMAX screen). But we’d never spent more than a few hours exploring WEM’s charms... until now!

Checking into Fantasyland’s African Safari theme room, we scampered across the leopard-spotted carpet. My daughter immediately claimed the top, cane-sided, curtained bunkbed. I held out for the double bed with a Serengeti Plains-style, wall-length mural for a headboard. Oohs turned to aahs as we spied the red-rock jacuzzi in the corner (complete with waterfall!).

Slipping off our coats, we raced back out the door, ready for adventure. In between shopping forays to WEM’s 800 stores, we submersed ourselves in a Deep Sea Adventure. Four real subs take turns touring 24 passengers and a captain around a 400-foot long and 20-foot deep indoor lake holding 12 marine life exhibits. Just make sure you know your "port" from your "starboard" or you’ll miss Donatella (a 27-year-old, 250 lb sea turtle) and the sea lions straight from Scotland.

In keeping with the water theme, we dutifully check out the frozen variety, but I just couldn’t convince my cohorts to don skates as we circled the NHL-sized Ice Palace. Instead we watched hardy skaters twirl around the ice from the second level viewing area, sipping steaming cups of gourmet coffee and agreeing "maybe next time!".

Up early the next morning, we walked quiet streets... umm corridors... to Café Europa for a streetside buffet breakfast. We worked through fresh fruit and croissants as joggers pushing baby strollers raced by and workers hurried to open shops. Europe or Edmonton?

Replete, we strolled the festive, art-strewn corridors until the surf was up! The wave pool was a much easier sale than skating. WEM’s five-acre World Waterpark cooks along with temperatures average 79 - 86 degrees Fahrenheit. Yes!

With more than a dozen waterslides to choose from (the highest towering 85 feet), we took our time picking the ultimate ride. Sun runner? Too easy. Howler? Beyond my fear factor. We all agreed on the Blue Bullet, not a screamer, but not a wussy kid’s slide either. Enclosed tunnels and double-riding status made this one a blast. Time to go again... and again! Not that we neglected the wave pool. A warning horn had us running for the pool, body-surfing until hunger forced us to call it quits.

We had just enough time to squeeze in a quick round of golf -- at Professor’s WEM’s whimsical mini-golf course before heading home. Watch out for those water hazards, they’re tricky!

Wait a minute, we didn’t even take a single ride in Galaxyland; we missed the sea lion show; we didn’t get to see a quarter of the stores; and we didn’t view an IMAX show. I guess this means we’ll just have to come back again!

If You Go:

For general information on visiting Alberta, visit Travel Alberta’s website at www.travelalberta.com. City of Edmonton Tourism information can be found at www.edmonton.com. Sky Shuttle (www.edmontonskyshuttle.com) offers hourly door to door transfers from Edmonton International Airport to the WEM. Fantasyland Hotel offers "Wet & Wild Adventure" packages including attraction passes, overnight accommodation and buffet breakfast. For current rates and details visit www.fantasylandhotel.com/. West Edmonton Mall can be experienced virtually at www.westedmontonmall.com.