Whyte Museum
A dose of mountain history & culture.
The Canadian Rockies are not really a place to come to for culture or history, but the Whyte Museum has both, helping to complete the national park experience and providing a good rainy-day option.
The museum gathers together an incredibly broad range of Rockies-related material and presents it in themed temporary exhibitions. Topics are disparate but have included Women in the Rockies, The Evolution of Wildlife Art and Weaving.
If you’ve got the time, a browse through the open museum archives can be just as rewarding. They include the massive holdings of the Alpine Club of Canada. There is no better place to navel-gaze at the evolution of tourism in Banff than with the help of the black and white photo collection here.
As well as exhibitions of wildlife art the museum also hosts lectures and other events. Check whyte.org for details.