Lacombe Alberta

A couple of weeks ago Christina and I went for a quick drive down to Lacombe to do some reconnaissance for a potential work project. I didn't know much about the town before heading out. I knew they had a 'historic downtown' but that didn't mean much to me. Many smaller centres that I have been to have advertised their downtown in a similar way and have been completely underwhelming when visited.

We arrived a little after 7PM with the sun hanging low over town. We parked the car on their main historic street and were pleasantly surprised by their historic downtown, anchored by a 'flat iron building', that was quite charming.

We walked around soaking it all in while taking pictures like obvious tourists. We barely walked a block before we were stopped by a local lady who offered us sightseeing advice and bar/restaurant suggestions.  She told us to make sure we walked down the alleys to see the murals. Being ignorant Edmontonians we assumed that meant there were one or two murals in a pockmarked rundown alley. Once again we were pleasantly surprised by the complexity and depth of the murals.

Eventually after wandering around we got hungry and picked the restaurant 'Salt' for supper. The restaurant is a modified old house just a side street down from the flat-iron building. The décor inside is both traditional and modern with old iron claw bathtubs in the wash rooms (just for looks) and suede couches to luxuriously lounge in while digesting.

The food  was traditional Canadian Staples (Steaks, Chops, etc) with a touch of South African seasoning. I can't quite express how fantastic the house, the food and the service was.

  If you are ever in Lacombe you owe it to yourself to treat yourself to supper or lunch there.

Overall - Visiting Lacombe was a fantastic experience and a great day-trip surprise for a couple of jaded Edmonton travellers.