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Calgary Attractions
14 Results
- Museum
Art Gallery of Calgary
Contemporary art’s home in Calgary is in a historic building on convenient Stephen Avenue Mall and in a gallery space at City Hall (800 Macleod Trail SE) . Ever changing exhibits showcase a variety of media from both local and world artists in all mediums. Pop in for an hour at…Downtown
Art Gallery of Calgary
A small but mighty faction of contemporary-arts advocates here have been lobbying for years for funding to build a large-scale contemporary art gallery along the lines of the Vancouver Art Gallery or Toronto's Art Gallery of Ontario, but thus far have had no success. With Edmonton's…- Historic Site
Bar U Ranch National Historic Site
An hour southwest of Calgary is this well-preserved and still-operating cattle ranch, a national historic site. Some say this is where corporate ranching was born: The Bar U ran a big operation, employing thousands of cowboys and running hundreds of thousands of cattle from 1882 to… - Theme Park
Calaway Park
On the western fringes of the city, just off the Trans-Canada Highway on the way to Banff, Calgary's Calaway Park is the largest outdoor amusement park in western Canada. The park contains everything from roller coasters to the log ride and bumper cars, as well as daily live… - Landmark
Calgary Tower
Make this your first stop, for there's no better place to get your bearings. Reaching 762 steps -- or 191m (627 ft.) -- into the sky, this enduringly touristy landmark offers brilliant views from its observation terrace, from which you can take in the city, the mountains, the Bow… - Zoo/Aquarium
Calgary Zoo, Botanical Garden & Prehistoric Park
Calgary's large and thoughtfully designed zoo resides on St. George's Island in the Bow River. The Calgary Zoo comes as close to providing natural habitats for its denizens as is technically possible. You'll particularly want to see the troop of majestic lowland gorillas and the… - Park/Garden
Canada Olympic Park
The lasting memento of Calgary's role as host of the 1988 Winter Olympics stands in Olympic Park, which was the site for ski jumping, luge, and bobsledding during the Games. The Olympic Hall of Fame and Museum features the world's largest collection of Olympic artifacts, including… - Park/Garden
Dinosaur Provincial Park
In Red Deer River Valley near Brooks, about 225km (140 miles) east of Calgary and 193km (120 miles) southeast of Drumheller, this park contains the world's greatest concentration of fossils from the late Cretaceous period. More than 300 complete dinosaur skeletons have been found in… - Neighborhood
Eau Claire Market & Prince's Island Park
Eau Claire Market is part of a car-free pedestrian zone north of downtown on the banks of the Bow River; it links to lovely Prince's Island Park, a bucolic island lined with paths, shaded by cottonwood trees, and populated by hordes of Canada geese. This is where much of downtown… - Park/Garden
Fort Calgary Historic Park
On the occasion of the city's centennial in 1975, Fort Calgary became a public park of 16 hectares (40 acres), spread around the ruins of the original Mounted Police stronghold. In 2001, volunteers completed a replica of the 1888 barracks using traditional methods and building… - Museum
Glenbow Museum
The walls and halls of this storied museum tell the story of the West in a most compelling fashion, from the past all the way to the present. Start in the Blackfoot Gallery which covers, through well-curated artifacts and erudite wall text, First Nations cultures. You'll end up in…Downtown - Park/Garden
Heritage Park
In the city's southwest, on the banks of the man-made Glenmore Reservoir -- which is also Calgary's water supply -- sits one of the liveliest historical re-creations to be found in Alberta. The largest historical village in all of Canada, Heritage Park, as the name suggests, offers… - Landmark
Olympic Plaza
Not to be confused with Canada Olympic Park, Olympic Plaza is a public square just across the street from Calgary's stately, sandstone Old City Hall. Plunked at the eastern end of the Stephen Avenue stroll, the plaza was built for the Winter Olympics in 1988. It served as a very… - Park/Garden
Shaw Millennium Park
This massive park, maintained by the City of Calgary, is the largest free, outdoor 24-hour skateboarding park in North America. There's a gnarly street course with ledges, flat bars, stairs, and trannies, an intermediate course with rails down stairs and banks, and an advanced course…
Calgary Shopping
The main shopping district is downtown along 8th Avenue SW, between 5th and 1st streets SW. The lower part of 8th Avenue is a pedestrian zone called the Stephen Avenue Mall. Major centers lining 8th Avenue between 1st and 4th streets include the Hudson's Bay Company and Holt Renfrew. Check out Art Central, 100 7th Ave. SW, a visual-arts complex with over 30 artists' studios and galleries. A hip hangout for the young at heart, Kensington Village is just northwest of downtown across the Bow River, centered at 10th Street NW and Kensington Road. Crowded between the ubiquitous coffeehouses are bike shops and trendy boutiques. The stretch of 17th Avenue SW between 4th and 10th streets SW has developed a mix of specialty shops, boutiques, cafes, and bars that makes browsing a real pleasure.
Mountain Equipment Co-op, 830 10th Ave. SW (tel. 403/269-2420; www.mec.ca), is the largest outdoors store in Calgary, with everything from kayaks to ice axes. Come here before you head to the backcountry. If you like the look of pearl-snap shirts and the cut of Wranglers jeans, head to Riley & McCormick, 220 8th Ave. SW (tel. 403/262-1556), one of Calgary's original western-apparel stores. If you're looking for cowboy boots, Alberta Boot Company, 614 10th Ave. SW (tel. 403/263-4605; www.albertaboot.com), is Alberta's only remaining boot manufacturer.
The Inglewood neighborhood, south of downtown on 9th Avenue SE, is filled with antiques stores.
Calgary Nightlife
To get a read on Calgary's vibrant cultural scene, pick up a copy of FFWD, the local free arts and entertainment weekly. There, you'll find listings for movies, art openings, upcoming concerts, clubs, and theater.
The Performing Arts
The Calgary Centre for the Performing Arts (205 8th Ave. SE; tel. 403/294-7455) -- now called the Epcor Centre, after its corporate sponsor -- is the catch-all venue for live theater, symphony, and opera. Calgary has a vibrant theater scene, with three major companies: Alberta Theatre Projects (tel. 403/294-7402; www.atplive.com), Theatre Calgary (tel. 403/294-7440; www.theatrecalgary.com), and the avant-garde, internationally celebrated One Yellow Rabbit (tel. 403/264-3224; www.oyr.org), all working out of the Epcor Centre. Epcor is also home to the excellent Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra (tel. 403/571-0270; www.cpo-live.com), an international-class ensemble.
The Club & Bar Scene
Cover charges at most clubs are C$5 to C$10 for live music. Eau Claire Market is the home of the Garage (tel. 403/262-67620), a hip warehouse-of-a-bar for playing billiards and listening to loud indie rock. A number of pubs and late-night watering holes are just outside the market on the Barclay Parade plaza. Check out Barleymill Neighbourhood Pub, 201 Barclay Parade SW (tel. 403/290-1500), an oldsy-worldsy pub plunked down in the plaza across from the Eau Claire Market.
If you're looking for dance clubs, head south of downtown. Hi-Fi Club, 219 10th Ave. SW (tel. 403/263-5222), offers more alternative music and occasional live music and entertainment. Broken City, 613 11th Ave. SW (tel. 403/262-9976), is a hipster hangout with live local bands on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
Put on your cowboy boots and swing your partner out to Ranchman's Cookhouse and Dance Hall, 9615 Macleod Trail S. (tel. 403/253-1100), the best country-western dance bar in the city. Free swing and line dance lessons are usually offered on Sunday afternoons; call to confirm.
Twisted Element, 1006 11th Ave. SW (tel. 403/802-0230), is Calgary's largest gay bar and dance club. The bar, in the city's northwest, not far from Kensington or the University of Calgary, features a cocktail lounge in the basement and a jam-packed dance club on the main floor.
Casino
Calgary has several legitimate casinos whose proceeds go wholly to charities. None impose a cover. Located across from the Stampede grounds, the Elbow River Inn Casino (1919 Macleod Trail S; tel. 403/266-4355; www.elbowrivercasino.com) is the largest and most central; it offers Las Vegas-style gaming, plus a poker variation called Red Dog. It has a 24-hour poker room.
