The city of Red Deer stands in the centre of the Canadian state of Alberta, midway between Calgary and Edmonton. Visitors who hire a car in Red Deer soon find that it stands on the Queen Elizabeth II Highway, or National Highway 2, the most important road link of Alberta. This makes it easy to visit the attractions of Edmonton, like the old fort, the shopping mall and the museums, and of Calgary, like the famous stampede, its parks and the giant Calaway Theme Park. Red Deer's surroundings are mostly rolling farmland dotted with petrochemical works but there are natural highlights like Dry Island Provincial Park, Sylvan Lake and the Canyon Ski area, six miles to the east.
Red Deer may be sandwiched between two much bigger cities but it has plenty of attractions of its own. If you hire a car in the city you'll be able to see what it has to offer. The highlights include the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame, a museum dedicated to local sporting successes, and the ENMAX arena, famous in Canada as home of the Red Deer Rebels hockey team. Ellis Bird Farm is a chance to visit a typical wooden farmstead dating back to 1937 and Waskasoo Park, a green area, meanders through the heart of the city along the banks of the Red Deer River.
