The Heartland TV series is our favorite series, staged in the High River area of Alberta. The actual ranch where Heartland is filmed is not available, but the town of Hudson is the town of High River. This is definitely horse country less than an hour southwest of Calgary.
Our first stop was the Museum of the High Wood, where there were books and other artifacts from the many season of Heartland. When Heartland is being filmed, it is said that they set up right behind the museum.
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| Our first stop |
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| High River is a small boomtown even when Heartland is not filming. |
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| Maggie's Diner figures prominently in the Heartland series. |
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| ... but Maggie's is closed during the off season. |
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| Mary says, "but maybe I can find a back way in!" |
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| Jo says, "it's not gonna happen!" |
Nevertheless, we walked through the walkway behind Maggie's to a different diner and had a wonderful lunch. Then we meandered through the valley over hills and creeks to make our way back into Calgary.
What was meaningful about High River? We are now in our third cycle of watching the entire Heartland series. Season 18 had just wrapped up in late August when we visited High River.
What did you learn? High River is just as quaint as Hudson, the make-believe town in the Heartland series. Also, I noticed that High River is booming with new residents and new buildings.
What would you do differently if you and Mary traveled again in the future? We might consider staying in High River and driving into Calgary if needed.
