The West Edmonton Mall is located in Edmonton, the second-largest city in Alberta, Canada, approximately three hours drive north of Calgary. At first glance, you may think this mall is just like the hundreds of thousands of other malls across North America.
Until you realize that it's the largest mall in all of North America spanning a whopping forty-eight city blocks. This mall is no ordinary mall. This one building encompasses shopping, dining, entertainment, accommodation and attractions that can entice visitors for hours or even multiple days!
The West Edmonton Mall was designed by Maurice Sunderland Architects and Abugov & Associates. Building commenced in 1981 and was finished in 1998 across four phases. About 32 million people visit the mall each year with between 90,000-200,000 coming on a single day!
World Records held by West Edmonton Mall
From the day it opened until 2004, West Edmonton Mall was the largest in the whole world. It has the world's largest amusement park where the world's largest indoor roller coaster is. The mall is also home to the world's largest indoor lake and the second-largest waterpark in the world (the largest in North America) which is home to the world's largest indoor wave pool. And, for fun, it also happens to have the world's largest parking lot with 20,000+ spaces with over 10,000 in overflow parking.
Things to Do at West Edmonton Mall
1. Go shopping
Over 800 stores, from big brand-names to one-of-a-kind boutiques, await you. Each store is the biggest and best version of itself with hundreds of deals, thousands of products and enough square footage to keep you going all day. View the complete directory listing here.
2. Grab a bite to eat
Take your pick of over fifty fast-food options from the three food courts in the mall, or head to BBRN Street where fifteen acclaimed restaurants light up this 'indoor street' until the wee hours of the morning to satisfy all your cravings. View the complete dining listing her.
3. Hit the water slides
Home to the world's largest wave pool in the world's second largest indoor waterpark, the World Waterpark is a fantasy land in and of itself. Entrance to the pool is $40.50 before taxes. We spent a good few hours in the five-acre waterpark enjoying some of the park's twenty slides and attractions, unlimited soft drinks from the Coke Freestyle vending machines, riding the two-metre-high waves in our rented tubes ($6.30 rental fee) and relaxing in the hot tub. There's children's play areas, slides of all kind, a zip-line across the pool and private cabanas available for rental. Check out all the incredible features of this insane place here.
World Waterpark map by WEM.com
4. Ride a roller coaster
Galaxyland is the mall's very own indoor amusement park, the second largest in the world. There are 24 rides and attractions all tightly packed inside including the world's largest indoor roller coaster, the Mindbender. You can purchase a pass that gives you unlimited access to all the rides, or buy points to go on just a few rides - whatever your fancy is!
5. Explore a pirate ship
In the heart of the mall is a massive pirate ship in a real lake, complete with pirates, treasures, sunken cages and rowboats. The pirate ship is a replica of the Santa Maria on which Christopher Columbus sailed to San Salvador Island in 1492. You can book the boat for private functions.
6. Watch the sea lion shows
Alongside the penguins and petting zoo creatures that live at the mall, the famous WEM sea lions live at Sea Lions' Rock and perform interactive shows while teaching viewers about preserving the ocean and recycling.
7. What else could they possibly put here!?
In case you needed more to do, there's a massive movie-theatre, a casino, a nightclub, a black-lit mini-golf adventure land, an internet cafe, a chapel, three radio stations, a huge ice-rink, a mirror maze, an antique photo parlour, a 'Chinatown', a Lamborghini, multiple virtual reality and video-gaming stations and two hotels including the epic Fantasyland Hotel featuring luxurious one-of-a-kind rooms.
Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
