West Edmonton Mall - Edmonton, Alberta
Posted by: 
T0SHEA
N 53° 31.354 W 113° 37.349
12U E 326154 N 5933604
At 5.3 million square feet, it could be said that the W.E.M. is slightly larger than the average mall. Until 2004 the largest mall in the world, W.E.M. is still the largest indoor shopping mall in North America.
Waymark Code: WMGCJ1
Location: Alberta, Canada
Date Posted: 02/14/2013
Views: 12
Edmonton is pretty close to the centre of Alberta. As such, that puts it pretty far north, making the winters very cold. So, naturally, some enterprising individuals decided that what the city really needed was the world's largest indoor mall. Which is just what the city got.
Though it has been surpassed in total area by many malls in the intervening years, it was the largest in the world when opened and remained so until 2004, a total of 23 years. It remains the largest shopping mall in North America. It employs 23,000 and has parking for 20,000 cars.
As well as its 800 stores, the mall encloses a water park with a large wave pool, amusement park, an entertainment complex, a full sized ice arena, a zoo, a two-floor HMV location, an indoor lake (complete with a replica of the Santa María), a miniature golf course, a movie theatre complex, an indoor skatepark, four radio stations, a dinner theatre, a casino, and more and more and more.
Here's what the W.E.M. tells us about itself:
"The Mall opened in September 1981 with Phase I. It was 1,140,560 square feet and featured 220 stores and services.
Phase II opened in September 1983 and increased the size of the Mall by 1,129,800 square feet. Phase II brought the Ice Palace Skating Rink, Galaxyland Amusement Park and another 240 shops and services.
[1985 saw the opening of Phase III and in 1999, Phase IV.]
West Edmonton Mall is home to more than 800 stores and services including 10 world-class attractions, two hotels, over 100 dining venues, the widest variety of one-of-a-kind retailers, and entertainment for all ages. Average yearly visitation is approximately 30.8 million, making West Edmonton Mall the province's number-one tourist attraction.
The story of West Edmonton Mall is the story of how a handful of visionaries took an ordinary idea like a shopping centre and turned it into a world-class destination. The Mall's stores, attractions, and services combine to form the most comprehensive retail, hospitality and entertainment complex on Earth. As the prototype for mixed-use entertainment facilities, West Edmonton Mall is a place where people come to shop, play, and stay.
West Edmonton Mall's concept is inspired by the traditional urban bazaars of Persia, where shopping and entertainment were plentiful and operated in tandem, fulfilling a variety of consumer needs all in one place.
At 5.3 million square feet, the Mall is the size of a small city and is accredited as a zoo.
West Edmonton Mall holds records for:
World's largest indoor amusement park
World's largest indoor triple loop rollercoaster
World's largest indoor lake
World's largest indoor wavepool
World's largest parking lot
World's largest indoor permanent bungee tower
Did You Know?
The length of the Mindbender is equivalent to 48 blue whales lying end to end.
West Edmonton Mall's size is equivalent to 48 city blocks
With more than 800 stores and services, it would take three 24-hour days to visit each one once."
Coordinates were taken near the centre of the mall, in the centre of the Ice Palace (glass roof - the GPS worked well there).
Movie Theater: yes
Food Court: yes
Anchor stores (if any) and their coordinates:
The Bay - N 53 31.342, W 113 37.07
Sears - N 53 31.415, W 113 37.129
Target - N 53 31.268, W 113 37.146
Sport Check - N 53 31.316, W 113 37.203
The Brick - N 53 31.387, W 113 37.63
London Drugs - N 53 31.399, W 113 37.573
Number of stores in the mall.: 800
Does the mall have an arcade?: Does
Hours:
10:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M.
The malls address: 8882 170 Street Northwest, Edmonton, AB T5T 4V4
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Visit Instructions:
To log a visit, describe your visit and include an original picture of the mall's main entrance. FOR YOU TO LOG A MALL AS A VISIT YOU MUST ACTUALLY VISIT THE MALL.