Explore Northern Alberta With the New & Innovative History Check Mobile App

If you’re planning a vacation to Northern Alberta this summer, be sure to check out the new and innovative History Check Mobile App. It combines history, vacation planning and searching for local amenities to make your trip easier.

Smith’s Sheila Willis is working on getting regional chambers of commerce to support the app. Willis has a contest lined up with prizes for nine winners.

History & Adventure

If you're planning a road trip across Northern Alberta, you might want to look into the new & innovative History Check Mobile App. It's a map-based app that helps you discover nearby historical sites, attractions and businesses in a matter of seconds.

The app also has a feature that lets you create a personalized "travel book" with a selection of your favourite sites, photos and maps. You can even share it on social media.

Sheila Willis, founder of the Friends of Historical Northern Alberta Society, has spent the past several months developing the app. She has a vision to turn history into an educational tool for travellers.

Willis is also a champion of collaboration, so she's reached out to chambers of commerce and tourism boards throughout the province. She's kicking off a mini contest between May 1 and 15 for students to enter, with a grand prize of a family experience Alberta history pass.

Activities & Attractions

Discover Northern Alberta with the new & innovative History Check Mobile App, a collaborative project by the Friends of Historical Northern Alberta Society (FHNAS) and Impact Tourism. It's designed to showcase historic photos from Alberta's diverse regions and put them in the hands of visitors to show how they have changed over time.

The app features more than a dozen towns and cities in Alberta, and has a section dedicated to history tours. Explore the area's most significant sites with an interactive map.

A must-see for wildlife enthusiasts, Wood Buffalo National Park was established in 1922 to protect the largest bison herd in Canada. Watch the Salt Planes rise, hike along a lake or river, stake out a campsite, and learn about conservation efforts at an interpretive center.

If speed is your thing, Calgary's WinSport has you covered with a zipline tour starting from the top of an Olympic ski jump facility that has become North America's fastest and longest single zipline. The experience is a perfect blend of education and fun.

Food & Drink

Alberta's restaurants are among the most diverse in Canada, bringing a world of cuisine to cities and well-trod tourist destinations like Banff and Jasper.

The farm-to-fork philosophy is a key part of the Alberta dining experience, with farmers and ranches providing restaurants with first-class game meats (bison, elk, caribou) and garden-fresh vegetables. A good number of local dishes are centered on berries, honey, and other natural ingredients, including the taber corn that is a favourite in southern Alberta.

A recent survey found that despite a slower economy, sales at food and beverage establishments in Alberta were up 2.3 per cent in May. "Per capita spending on restaurants and bars has remained high in Alberta, even as the economy flirts with recession," said ATB Financial chief economist Todd Hirsch.

Shopping & Nightlife

Throughout the day and night, Alberta offers a wide variety of shopping experiences from the malls to local boutiques. Edmonton’s downtown revitalized 4th Street Promenade district is a great place to get your fill of the hottest fashions, while Calgary’s trendy Kensington Village district has something for every taste.

The History Check app has a few different features that may be able to help you plan your trip and take in all that our province has to offer. These include a searchable map, community menus and even an interactive travel guide to help you make the most of your trip.

Sheila Willis, the brains behind History Check, wants to do more than just change the way tourists plan their trips. She is trying to bring her innovative mobile app to schools across the province. She is partnering with chambers of commerce and tourism boards to run a mini contest between April 1 and May 31.