Whimsical, intriguing and amusement head sculpture in front of the Bow skyscraper in downtown…read moreCalgary. 39 ft tall steel wire structure by famous Spanish artist depicts the head of a young girl. Walk around and go inside. View, age and perspective change with where you look at. Should not be missed if you're strolling downtown Calgary

While strolling through downtown Calgary, we came upon the Wonderland Sculpture. It's a pretty…read moreamazing piece in its simplicity and beauty. It's intricate but also impressive up close.

Calgary's Chinatown was such an unexpected surprise! It runs right alongside a lot of Calgary's…read moremain tourist area and is very vibrant and lively with lots to see and do. It's concentrated along Centre St and is adjacent to the beautiful Bow River and Calgary's most famous skyscraper, The Bow. Calgary's first Chinatown dates all the way back to around 1890! I would argue that the heart of Calgary's Chinatown is it's Chinese Cultural Center - it has a beautiful plaza at the entrance and a wonderful museum in the basement full of interesting historical information and artifacts, making it an excellent place to start when exploring this fun part of downtown. There are tons of shops, several lovely parks with historical info signs, and nice restaurants. It's extremely walkable and easy to fit in to a lot of the other sightseeing activities in the downtown core. Even the street signs are fun! I'd definitely say it's a must see part of Calgary. Our only complaint is that we didn't have enough time to explore further and try some of the highly rated restaurants and other shops!

Okay, this is not an extensive Botanical Garden, but it's still a lovely place, in the middle of a…read moreshopping center. They have a nice selection of different plants. Love the different textures and blooms. Signage is available to let you know what you are looking at. Some excellent spots for taking photos or selfies. The many people I saw, individuals, couples and families were all enjoying the chance to spend some time indoors (it was a little chilly outside) but still be in nature. Nice :)

One of the most unique botanic gardens I've visited - truly lovely! Unlike most other botanic…read moregardens, you'll find this one on the top floor of a large shopping mall in the heart of downtown Calgary and Stephens Ave walk. Over 2 acres of gardens - with over 500 trees, 50 varieties of plants, fountains, fish ponds, and a 900 sq. ft. living wall, fountains that acts as a natural bio filter. Many of the plants are labeled and there are interesting info signs scattered about. There's a kids playground and even a small climbing wall on one end. Scattered throughout are lots of bistro style tables and chairs. And they have a permanent sculpture exhibit by Tom Ward - such whimsical wooden sculptures - they fit perfectly in the gardens. And turns out, the sculptor was a City of Calgary employee! The city parks department maintains the gardens and they do a lovely job. It was spotless inside and such a relaxing place to take a break after tons of walking around the city. Definitely worth a stop when exploring the downtown core. Highly recommend!

Hudson is located just right above the Guild restaurant in the Hudson Bay building in Calgary. I…read morecame here for a charity fundraising event. Hudson is located on the 6th floor and is an event hall/venue rental space. The venue is really nice and clean. Everything was spectacular. I really like the lighting of the venue. As well the venue walls are sound proof. The venue decor is very modern. I really like the chandeliers here. Hudson offers catered food (if I were to guess they must have got the food from downstairs at the Guild). Good quality and delicious food. Hudson is very classy looking compared to the Telus center and other venue event halls.

This is a great urban park with nice nature settings. We took some lovely family pictures here…read more There is parking along Riverfront. You have the best of both worlds, with the river sparkling beside you, beautiful trees rustling in the breeze...and a smorgasbord of delicious food just steps away. The park has really neat art elements and is fun to hang out with kids. It's just a small park, but big enough to lay down a blanket and have a picnic. It had people walking and cycling through the day we were there but it wasn't as busy as some of the other parks, which made things feel relaxed.

Sien Lok Park is basically the stretch of the River Walk to Chinatown and the name changes to Sien…read moreLok Park. Its nice to walk there. Or just to sit around or stand around and admire the river is nice. A park with a lion head. Right now there are constructions going on in that area. Just a park. Nothing much to see.

Downtown Calgary is full of sculptures. "The Conversation" was created in 1981 by William Hodd…read moreMcElcheran. You'll find a series of these bronze sculptures across three continents. These guys in particular amuse me. Plump fellows with old-school hats, I'd like to think they represent a lot of what happens on Stephen Ave, business people meeting each other. When was the last time you saw someone stopping to say hello to one another in the street? These guys remind me to pay a little more attention to who I'm passing by instead of being too lost in thought to notice. They're also fun for a photo opp! Daytime or nighttime, peek your head between theirs and smile! Don't forget a hat of your own.

Ah, Bronze statues - A Calgary Classic. What you'll immediately notice about this particular…read morebronze statue is it is neither depicting horses, nor cowboys. I like The Conversation because it's simple yet recognizable. It blends into the crowd and can be a source of its very own conversation. You can't help but wonder what their close talking story is all about. They sure look like businessmen, but are they talking business? I've always imagined them talking full garbled jibberish, or things like "I says to you, I says" or a "'mornin' Sam", "'mornin' Ralph" like the coyote and sheepdog in Looney Toons. Thanks to vigilante artists that make me smile, I've often seen them with specially knitted mitts and scarves in the winter to keep them warm.