Calgary

The site of the 1988 Winter Olympics, Calgary is famous for its winter sports but its not just a winter town, it has something to do all throughout the year. During winter, watch the NHL’s Calgary Flames play at the Scotiabank Saddledome or take part in various winter sports and activities using the facilities from the Olympics. Calgary also has a team in the Canadian Football League, the Calgary Stampeders. Calgary is famous for their annual Calgary Exhibition and Stampede. This rodeo event that has been going for one hundred years features Chuckwagon racing as well as bull riding, barrel racing and many other events. Many tourists visit Calgary as the start, or finish, of a train or bus trip through the Rocky Mountains.

Popular Attractions in Calgary

Fort Calgary
Fort Calgary was founded in 1875 by the North West Mounted Police to remove whiskey traders from the region. The forty acre site features an interpretive centre for Alberta’s history and the ability to spend some time in mock jail or investigate crime as a Mountie. The Deane House, an original building from 1906, was restored and now functions as a restaurant. Come by and see what life was like in the Wild West!

Calaway Park
Calaway Park, located just 10 km (6.25 miles) west of Calgary, is Western Canada’s largest outdoor family amusement park. Thirty two rides for children to thrill-seekers fill the 160 acre park. When you need a break from walking there are several stage shows and the occasional concert to see. RV and tent camping is available on site. Come and let the child loose in you!

Calgary Zoo
The Calgary Zoo is the second largest zoo in Canada and is home to over one thousand animals organized by geographic region, as well as a prehistoric park with life-sized dinosaurs. See the Canadian animal collection of black and grizzly bears, bison, moose, marmots and muskox among others, and international animals such as kookaburras, giraffes, lions, zebras, crocodiles, tortoises, dik diks, gorillas, camels, snow leopards, sloths and monkeys. The zoo is open every day but Christmas Day so go wild!

TELUS World of Science
With more than 304 000 visitors annually, the Telus World of Science has been educating young minds about science using all senses for more than forty years. They display three traveling exhibits per year as well as the permanent exhibits of Being Human, Earth & Sky, Energy & Innovation and Open Studio. They are currently changing locations and expect to reopen in late October 2011.

Calgary Tower
The Calgary Tower offers the best view of Calgary on the 191 metre (626 feet) free standing observation deck. It was built in 1967 and a glass floor was added in 2005. The elevator whisks you to the top in just over a minute and once you’re there you can dine in the Sky 360, a rotating restaurant. The Official Tourism Calgary Information Centre is in the base of the tower, where a free Internet café is available. The Tower was designed to withstand the elements, and on a windy day it will sway up to 16.5 cm (7.5 inches).

Lougheed House
Lougheed House was originally built in 1891 and has been used as a residential home, a training centre for young women, a women’s military barracks and a blood donor clinic. Tours of the versatile and historic home are available Wednesday to Sunday. Lunch and brunch are available in The Restaurant and perfect souvenir can be found at the Treasures Gift Shop. Each year the gardens are designed by theme – 2011 was Patchworks, with the flowers and other plants in traditional quilt patterns.

Canada Olympic Park
Built for the 1988 Winter Olympics, The Canada Olympic Park was the venue for ski jumping, bobsleigh and luge. It is currently used for downhill skiing, snowboarding and cross country skiing in the winter while the summer months see mountain biking, zip-lining and mini-golfing alongside summer festivals. The Canadian Sports Hall of Fame has more than five hundred and twenty members spanning sixty sports and moved to a new facility on the Olympic Park grounds in 2011. The Canada Olympic Park is the ideal location to recapture the Olympic spirit.

Royal Tyrrell Museum
Ninety minutes northeast of Calgary lies Drumheller, the world’s richest deposit of dinosaur bones. More than 375 000 visitors arrive each year to see Canada’s largest collection of dinosaurs, organized by a timeline starting 3.9 billion years ago. The dinosaur hall has almost forty skeletons mounted including Tyrannosaurus Rex, Stegosaurus and the Albertosaurus, discovered in Alberta and named for the province. You also have the unique opportunity to walk trails in the Badlands where the dinosaurs roamed as well as watching technicians as they prepare fossils for study and display. If you’re into dinosaurs (or ever were) then this is the place to visit!

Alberta Ballet
The Alberta Ballet Company is on the cutting edge of choreography and this has caught the attention of the world. The company was the first Canadian company to stage a ballet by Christopher Wheeldon, the resident choreographer of the New York City Ballet, and Sir Elton John was so moved by a prior visit that this last season saw a new collaborative performance with him. With very affordable seats, it’s a great time to catch up with the arts.

Aero Space Museum of Calgary
The Aero Space Museum was founded in 1975 and is located immediately south of the airport. The aviation enthusiasts and former World War II pilots who developed the museum wanted a museum to showcase the history of aviation and space technology in Western Canada. To that end there are over twenty four aircraft on display, including the second de Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter ever made, two of three Barkley Grow T8P-1 in existence, an Avro Lancaster and a Cessna AgWagon. For those who these names are not familiar ones, the Aero Space-Museum of Calgary is a great way to see what fascinates aviation enthusiasts.