BEAUTIFUL PUBLIC GARDEN ATOP CALGARY DOWNTOWN…read more One of the highlights of the +15 Skywalk is the Devonian Gardens. Expecting a small indoor park, we found ourselves in a huge glass enclosed penthouse garden of tropical trees and plants, sparkling clean ponds and fountains and a children's park. This garden must be a wonderful escape from the harsh Canada winters. The Devonian Gardens provides a pristine and peaceful haven for both visitors and office workers. During our visit, the peaceful ambiance of the Gardens was enhanced by a pianist quietly playing classical music on a baby grand piano nestled among the palm trees. Check out the wood carvings and masks by local artist Tom Ward. Originally on loan to the city, the collection was later donated by the Ward family for display in the Gardens.

What a lush and beautiful garden, unlike anything I've personally ever seen, right inside a…read moreshopping center. People were seated having lunch, conversations, reading quietly. Meandering around looking at the ponds, fish, plants and other water features gives a sense of peace in a busy shopping environment. Very unique and lovely space.

Stephen Avenue Walk forms a part of 8th Ave South, bounded by 4th St SW to the west & 1st Street SE…read moreat its east end. This walk is where we found Calgary's finest restaurants, pubs, bars & cafes. This pedestrian mall offers us walking access to downtown Calgary's main attractions, including Banker's Hall, the CORE Shopping Centre, the Telus Convention Centre, the Glenbow Museum, Arts Commons & Olympic Plaza. There are several Canadian curio stores here. During the Stampede the Avenue is filled with outdoor patios, magnificent hanging flower baskets, live music, performers, festivals, food trucks & vendors. We enjoyed our pancake breakfast here and also watching the Clydesdales fill the Avenue.

This is a trendy, vibrant, and popular restaurant and shopping district in downtown Calgary…read more Everything is here and it's definitely a place to check out as a visitor to Calgary and especially if you are near downtown. It's also very close to attractions like the Calgary Tower, and Calgary's Public Library and City Hall, both of which are interesting and welcoming of visitors.

This place is very cool. Visited Calgary & Banff for a week from California and wasn't sure what to…read moredo on our last day. We debated between here and the kids museum. Decided to go here as it was the more unique option. It did not disappoint. My 3 and 5 year old loved the ride and I loved that we didn't have to pay extra for them. I think I enjoyed the rides as much as them. They weren't as nauseating as modern rides, imo. They were also unique twists on them - particularly the carousel. The horses go forward/back, instead of up/down. According to a little plaque on the ride, it's only one of two in the world that do this. How cool?! It was also nice to stroll around and look at various historical homes and such. Prices were also great! The ice cream is a must! Probably amongst one of the best ice creams I've had in my life. I really enjoyed the coffee/choco cookie flavor I got. Lunch at the Asian place was not bad, but not that great either. My biggest complaint would be the train. I have one of those strollers that folds up really small. I forgot to bring my backpack for it, so they wouldn't let us on, claiming that it was "too big". Only umbrella strollers are allowed. However, if I had it in the backpack, they would've allowed it. It would've easily fit between or under my legs, so the claim that it was "too big" is BS. There was plenty of parking. We came on a Monday in early August and there were pretty much no lines for anything. However, it's a huge place and we spent literally all day (from open to close) there.

What can I say, I was wowed by my family's visit here this summer. I hadn't been here before and…read morewhile we only made it to about half of the park we really enjoyed what we did and saw. From the paddle wheel boat to the train, the amusement park rides to the playground, the Gasoline Alley Museum to the absolutely excellent and earnest musical entertainment performed at the Opera House, our stay here was great! I loved talking to the interpreters at the pharmacy among other highlights. I will definitely want to return here in the future to take in areas we didn't have time to visit. Parking was reasonable (be sure to pay!) and ample.

Spruce Meadows has an amazing amount of tree lights up around their entrance and parking areas and…read moreAl around - it's quite a festive sight to see! We were quite amazed by the sheer amount of lights and trees decorated it's an overwhelming display! The markets are of course a joy and fun to check out and of course check out the various food vendors and grab a warm drink! Happy Hollidays!

This Christmas Market is Rated Forth must see in the World!…read moreFirst time coming here since the pandemic started. We arrived at 9:45 am right when the gates open. The pavilions open at 10 am. Was busy from the time it opened and even more people coming through the gates! Five builds filled with vendors and animals for the kids!! Equi-Plex, Candy Cane Lane, Winter Wonderland, Riding Hall, Horizons Pavilion, with plenty outside food venues. Prepay tickets online is the best! The pay booth has a very long line. Plenty of parking and sites to see!

This was ok venue to visit for some history of the Calgary area and the founding of the city.   It…read moreis a smallish museum with a variety of artifacts and such and we were given about a 30 minute talk by one of the staffers, Nicole.  The stop was on our tour group itinerary and otherwise this place would not have made my personal to-see list.

Fort Calgary National Historic Site of Canada is a square-shaped wooden fort on the west bank of…read morethe Elbow River at its junction with the Bow River. It is on the same site as the original fort, the present structure is a reconstruction on a 40-acre park. In 1875, it was Fort Brisebois by the North West Mounted Police. Then the fort included men's quarters, a guard room, stables and storage facilities surrounded by a palisade of vertical logs. The setting is a flat parcel of land which slopes gently towards the river & supports several large trees. Official recognition refers to the parcel of land that is approximately 12 hectares surrounding the location of Fort Calgary.

Milky Way feature night on Saturday from 10pm-2am. Get there early as the cars were lined up to…read moreenter the gate by 9:40pm. Cars were lined up to the main road. Wear comfy shoes as you'll be walking on dirt n gravel and when it's pitch black out, it's easy to lose your footing. They have red lights on the path to lead you and no flash photos are allowed inside. Be kind to your fellow observers and try not to use the flashlight on your phone as it really blurs visibility in the sky. This is a donation run place. Upon entry into the main building, you can place money in a drop box and wander through to read the displays. We stood in line to view the outdoor telescopes to see Saturn and Jupiter. Next, we stood in line indoors to view a globular cluster! This telescope is loud when it turns but is amazing to watch in motion. You can even look inside the control room. Our son really liked seeing this! Outside, a man with laser pointers will talk about stars, constellations and answer questions. Super cool evening of star gazing!!! We even saw the space station that circles earth every 90 minutes. It was a beautiful night as we watched the sky grow dark. You can also bring mats or a blanket and binoculars to lie down on the grass and look up. We will return for other events!

While in Alberta last month, I had to make a stop here "because I believe in science!". Nah, but…read moreseriously, this is an observatory in the foothills of the Rockies southwest of Calgary, and there is a Siksika astronomer working here who's made some big news: He named a comet he discovered last year. The RAO is an observatory with several optical telescopes as well as a small radio telescope, and also a newly-built outreach center. I made a trek up here late on an observing night while Rob Cardinal was busy scanning the southern Alberta skies for comets. Mr. Cardinal gave me a tour of the facility and showed me the various instruments RAO uses as well as the Control Rooms which control them. It sounds like they get a fair amount of traffic up to the observatory for various outreach opportunities. The observatory is really cool, and they are conducting really neat work. Rob has been comet-hunting for a few years, and after the tour of the facility, he walked me through some of his searching techniques. We didn't happen to find any candidates that night, but it was cool to see his work and what he does. Nice to meet a fellow Siksika astronomer! So if you happen to be in the hills southwest of Calgary on a clear and starry night, be sure to stop on by!

The Bow Habitat Station is such an amazing educational and informational gem! We visited in the…read morewintertime but I'd love to come back in the summer because they even stock the pond out front with fish that can be caught. We came with a school group and they did an amazing job with their educational presentations, it was fun and informative, and even my little guys were entertained with the performance. We also really enjoyed the fish feeding experience and seeing the sheer volume of fish that are hatched and raised here is eye opening. They take care of their facility and are careful with cleanliness here too and it really shines. Doing a scavenger hunt and learning to identify different kinds of fish in the lower fish tank areas. And these older fish really did seem like they were listening to us if we stopped and talked to them- that was probably the fishiest part of our visit! Fish talking lol And upstairs the displays are so well done! Lots to see and the video that was playing was really great too. Learned a ton here!

A quick note on pond fishing:…read more As of this writing... it's $5 to rent a rod including basic tackle (no personal bait allowed). Additionally you will need a WIN card ($8) and fishing license (1 day = $27). So total of roughly $35 that you buy online at https://www.albertarelm.com/licensing.page . The pond is a modest catch and release pond for kids. More of an educational experience just to cast and reel. So you won't exactly haul in bucketloads of trout. $20 weekend classes every Saturday for 2 hours. Requires reservation. Seasonality applies - you can check their website beforehand.

HIDDEN MUSICAL GEM IN PLAIN SIGHT…read more Wow! We had a fantastic time at Studio Bell, home to the National Music Centre and the Canadian Music Halls of Fame. Studio Bell is much more than a museum and describes itself as a "hub for music, innovation and cultural discovery in Canada." Housed in a breathtaking modern architectural wonder, Studio Bell's collection includes instruments ranging from harmonicas to huge organ pipes, music memorabilia and artifacts, early keyboards and other electronic gear and gorgeous stage costumes. Among the instruments we saw on display was the upright piano used by Elton John to compose many of his early hits. Studio Bell houses four Music Halls of Fame - the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame and the Quebec Music Hall of Fame. We enjoyed the newest exhibit honoring Nelly Furtado, the 2026 Canadian Music Hall of Fame Inductee. Everyone - but especially musicians - can easily spend hours at Studio Bell. There are many interactive exhibits that let you pop on headphones and play actual instruments alongside a video. It was fun stepping inside a vocal booth and hearing myself sing really badly off-key :o) Admission is $24.50 Adults and $19.50 Seniors (Wednesday free for seniors). We wish we had known about the Greatest Hits Tour ($12 Adults/$8 Senior) and the Backstage Tour ($16 Adults/$12 Seniors) that would have given us more insight into the museum's many treasures.

Absolutely spectacular walk through the history of Canadian music. This is a must see if you're…read morevisiting Calgary. For lovers of music this is like heaven. 5 stars!