We loved all the snow carvings ; some finished and watching the artists at work. January is more relaxing in Banff , but every bit as beautiful as prior to Christmas. Hike the Hoodoos trail. Check out the Whyte museum and the history it provides. Take a bit of time to stroll through the Fairmont Banff springs Hotel. It will transport you to a baronial Scottish castle. Enjoy the mountain view for breakfast at the Juniper. Great food and service at Tommy’s and the Old Spaghetti Factory.

We chose this museum because it has art displays as well as history of local people, important industries and cultural influences. We also took the 1 hour Banff town walking tour offered by the museum. Beautiful gift shop, too. The museum nicely captures the history of Banff and the park.

We enjoyed the museum for its diverse exhibits. Our favorite was a temporary one, For the birds. The docent who led a 15-minute tour was quite good. We liked that the museum had so much that was about life in the area from long ago to more recent and a mixture of audio/video, hands on, as well as artifacts. It was a nice break from the overwhelming crowds in the Banff Town Center. The gift shop had a lot of great items, including books and art. Very reasonable price to get in.

When I visited there were three main themes: a bird art exhibition, tourism history, and the Whytes own paintings. All were great visually. I was a bit disappointed in the tourism one as the view broadcast was: "we came here and we found this and now will bring everyone to see it." Little concern about those who were here for 10,000 years and knew all about it.

This is an absolutely incredible museum, and would recommend to everyone visiting Banff. When I was there they had a great art exhibit called “For the birds”, which was brilliant, plus their permanent displays about the history of the Rockies. There are also some amazing stories about women explorers, which is great to see. I also thoroughly recommend the gift shop - easily the best selection of books about the area, exploration, the arctic and related topics I’ve been to on my trip.

I went in looking for a book in their bookstore and ended up spending a couple of hours. Well lit, attractive, easy to read exhibits that don't make you look through glares on glass on bend over to read small print. A variety of topics including local history, culture, natural sciences and art. A docent even offered a short lecture about a room of paintings that greatly enhanced the experience. Well worth your time, although not sure that children until teen years would get anything out of it. Easily accessible in town with a municipal lot nearby.