Cranbrook is truly an explorer’s paradise. In fact, just this past weekend I took a trip around the area to see what Cranbrook has to offer. I have to say I was very impressed with how my weekend turned out.

Let’s backtrack to the beginning of the weekend for a quick debrief.

On Saturday morning I got up bright and early to take a tour of Cranbrook’s Historic Downtown.  I thought this was neat because it is a self-guided, self-paced tour so I didn’t have to wait for a tour to start.

While I was walking through the historic area of town I was in awe of all the buildings and how old they were. I think it is so impressive that some of the houses are still standing. What was especially nice about this tour was that it goes right through the downtown area so I was able to stop and grab breakfast and a coffee from one of the local cafes downtown. It was cool to see the town start to wake up while I was walking as well. Lots of the locals were very friendly and told me plenty of extra tidbits about their own heritage homes.

By the time I got back home I was ready for a nap but decided to head to Fort Steele Heritage Town instead.

When I arrived at Fort Steele, 14 km from Cranbrook, I was practically shaking with excitement.

I had read lots online about the heritage site but couldn’t believe I was seeing it live. When I walked into the reception area I was happy to see all the welcoming faces that were eager to assist me.  They gave me a few options for the kind of park pass I was looking for.  In the end I chose the Steele of a Deal, which gave me access to the park, a wagon ride, a train ride, and a ticket to the live play in the afternoon.

I spent the rest of my morning walking through the park, snacking on my baked goods from Mrs. Underhill’s Bakery, and exploring the park. In the afternoon I toured the park from an old time wagon and then took a steam train ride, which let me see the beautiful view of the area.

When the wagon ride was over I headed to Nugget Norm’s to do some gold panning, I even found myself some gold! Then it was time for the live theatre show.

When the show was over it was almost time to go but I was able to sneak in a quick bite at their International Hotel Restaurant. As I drove away from park I promised myself I would visit again soon.

The next morning I woke up, a little later than the morning before, and headed to the Canadian Museum of Rail Travel. I was the first there so I got my own private tour of the train cars.

I was so interested by the restoration process that the cars had gone through. I was also impressed by the fact that you could choose your own tour, so you can take a tour that is almost two hours long or you can just have a quick 15 minute visit.  Overall I was very impressed with the Train Museum.

That afternoon I drove out to the Kootenay Trout Hatchery, located off the Wardner-Fort Steele Road 20 minutes east of the city, for another tour.

The staff were so friendly and I was surprised to learn about all the ‘Learn to fish’ programs they host for children and adults alike.  I was able to borrow one of their rods and a tackle box for the afternoon and go fishing at a local lake.  They even taught me how to fish before I went out!

When I came to return my rod they took me on a tour of the building.  I learned much more about the process they go through to stock the lakes with fish and also the work they put in to help endangered species of fish.  I even got to check out the turtles they have!

After an action packed weekend I am ready to rest but I am so glad I took the time to explore my very own surroundings.

Cranbrook has so much to offer!

Cranbrook Tourism

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