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Discover The Canadian Energy Museum in Devon, Alberta

Oil and Gas pipeline exhibit

I’m going to come right out and say it: Canadian Energy is a controversial topic. And I LOVE that the Canadian Energy Museum owns that fact.

There is a newer film to watch – I strongly recommend doing it as the first thing after paying for admission – that covers a lot of the information in the museum and gets you ready for what you’ll be seeing. I found it very helpful to guide conversations with the kids about the exhibits before I’d had a chance to do any reading.

This land has welcomed First Nations from across Turtle Island, and settlers and visitors from around the world. Alberta lands are part of Treaties 4, 6, 7, 8 and 10, and the homeland of the Métis. Alberta Mamas respects the sovereignty, lands, histories, languages, knowledge systems and cultures of all Indigenous, Métis, and Inuit nations. We are all Treaty people.

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The museum offers a combination of

  • history of oil in south/central Alberta (it doesn’t really go into the oil sands much),
  • education on how oil drilling works,
  • some geology education (very important for finding oil),
  • the human history of the oil industry,
  • information on alternative energies, and
  • an oil field related art exhibit.

The controversy between indigenous peoples and oil is talked about in the film you can watch at the start or end of your tour, but there currently isn’t much within the museum around the topic. I suspect that is a work in progress and hope to see it as part of the several exhibits that were labelled “we’re working on this space.”

Front of the Canadian Energy Museum building
Front of the building
Geology room with kids playing rock battleship at Canadian Energy Museum
Geology Room and rock battleship
Kids investigating rocks and fossils in the geology exhibit
Hands-on fossil discovery
The second display room in the Canadian Energy museum
Skid shack and interactive well
Inside the interactive well
Inside the interactive well
Lit up map of Alberta's energy network
Alberta’s Energy Network interactive map
Offshore oil drilling exhibit
Offshore oil drilling exhibit
Well drilling tools and dioramas
Well drilling tools and dioramas
Oil and Gas pipeline exhibit
Oil and Gas pipeline exhibit
The Learning Lab for visiting school groups and summer camps
The Learning Lab
The Canadian Oilfield Art Gallery
The Canadian Oilfield Art Gallery
Part of the gift shop
Book display in the Gift Shop

Plan Your Visit

Location

Address: 50399 Highway 60 South, Leduc County

Located just south of Devon on Highway 60, the Canadian Energy Museum is easy to access via Highway 19 from the QEII or Edmonton International Airport.

Hours and Admission

Admission: $5 per person

Hours: As of June 2024 the museum is by appointment only.

The museum is currently offering a 1-1.5 hour tour for groups of 10 or more (smaller groups will be charged for the 10 people) with time for individual exploration available after. The museum requests at least one week’s notice.

Accessibility

The museum is fairly accessible. Entry into the skid shack and possibly the immersive well would be impossible for someone in a wheelchair. The upper level of the theatre is also accessible. Overall the museum is well spaces and navigation should be easy.

Where to Stay

The Leduc No. 1 Campground is located at the museum and has water and power hook-ups (15 or 30amps) as well as flush toilets and hot showers. There is a small playground with sand for the kids. Online reservations are available.

There isn’t much for hotels within the small town of Devon, but if you head east on Highway 19 to Nisku or Leduc you’ll find a lot of options. Our top picks even have waterslides!

Nearby Attractions

While you’re in the area, be sure to check out these other attractions!

Get Social

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