Canada: Calgary, Hometown Tour Guide

What is the name of your hometown and where is it?

My hometown is Calgary, and it’s located in the prairie province of Alberta in Canada. It’s approximately an hour and a half drive from Banff National Park and the Rocky Mountains.

What, if anything, is your hometown famous for?

The city is best known for the Calgary Stampede, held annually for 10 days in July. The Stampede includes a rodeo, a midway with rides, games and food vendors, many live musical events and various other performances, shopping, art exhibits, agriculture displays, and pancake breakfasts and parades throughout the city. Calgary is also well-known for having the closest international airport to Banff National Park, which is a huge draw for visitors from around the world.

The top 5 attractions are:

• Canada Olympic Park/Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame – Now called WinSport, this is the home of the 1988 Winter Olympics. Still operational as a ski hill today, WinSport also hosts a bobsled track, zipline, Skyline Luge, a skating rink and an array of other activities. Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame pays tribute to the great athletes and sports of our country.
• Studio Bell, Canada’s National Music Centre – Impressive inside and out, this interactive museum allows people of all ages to learn about Canada’s talented musical artists, and to experiment with instruments and make music of their own. Be sure to check out the building’s amazing architecture as well.
• The Calgary Tower – This 191-metre high tower gives a spectacular 360∞ view of the city, along with a guided audio tour available in 7 languages so that people from around the world can learn about Calgary. The Calgary Tower is also home to the Sky 360 revolving restaurant, making a full turn of the city in an hour.
• The Calgary Zoo – currently home to a family of giant pandas, the Calgary Zoo also houses a wide variety of animals in addition to botanical gardens and a prehistoric park – complete with animatronic dinosaurs! Highlights include the daily Penguin Walk and the fully immersive Land of Lemurs exhibit, in which guests can actually enter the enclosure with the lemurs.
• Glenbow – Calgary’s art and history museum has many impressive permanent displays alongside well-developed travelling exhibits and is sure to help you learn something new. Glenbow is also a great place to educate guests about Alberta’s Indigenous peoples.

Are there any local sports teams? Where do they play?

There are two hockey teams in Calgary – the Calgary Flames is our National Hockey League team, and the Calgary Hitmen is the minor league hockey team. We also have a football team called the Calgary Stampeders, and a lacrosse team, the Calgary Roughnecks. The hockey and lacrosse teams play at the Scotiabank Saddledome arena and the football team plays at McMahon Stadium. A large number of concerts occur at the Saddledome as well.

My 3 favourite restaurants are:

• Chianti Cafe (Italian) – Authentic Italian food, a variety of unique gluten-friendly options, a welcoming atmosphere and a ‘Pasta Frenzy’ deal Sunday through Tuesday each week for the budget-conscious diners.
• Old Spaghetti Factory (Italian/Family) – A fun, family-friendly restaurant with a huge menu, quick service and tasty eats. Each pasta meal includes a soup or salad, tea or coffee, and ice cream for dessert!
• Jinya (Japanese) – Ramen and other Japanese dishes served in a trendy setting with great taste and huge portions.

My 3 favourite bars/pubs are:

• Ranchman’s – A bar and a nightclub, often with live music, where guests can get the true “cowboy experience”. This is my all-time favourite spot to go out!
• Julio’s Barrio – A Mexican joint best known for their bulldog drinks – a beer turned upside down in a large margarita.
• National – A local chain with 4 bars throughout the Calgary with fun drinks, local food and great deals. My personal favourite location is the National on 8^th Avenue because of its huge rooftop patio.

The top 3 Hotels are:

• The Fairmont Palliser (classy, old-school luxury)
• Le Germain Hotel (state-of-the-art amenities and a spa)
• Hotel Arts (trendy, urban vibes and unique decor)

Why do you love your hometown?

I love my city first and foremost because of the Calgary Stampede. The energy and spirit present in the city during that time is unbelievable. I love the cowboy vibes, and there is always so much to do – a lot of which is free! As well, I love Calgary because tons of fantastic local businesses are popping up everywhere, selling anything from candles to jewelry to natural wellness products to clothing, and we are also becoming very well known for our craft beer scene. The entrepreneurial spirit in Calgary is strong, and that’s something I’m very proud of.

Who should visit your hometown?

Calgary (and the surrounding area) has something for everyone. Regardless of whether you like nature, music, history, animals, agriculture and cowboy culture, food and beer, or winter sports and the mountains, you’ll find it here!

Best time of year to visit (weather): 

It depends on what you’re looking to experience while in the city. July and August are typically our sunniest, warmest months, and would be most enjoyable for the majority of people. As well, the Calgary Stampede happens in July and in my opinion that’s the best time to visit as the energy in the city is amazing during that period. However, if you’re coming out to the area to ski, visit the mountains, and experience winter, January and February are typically our snowy, colder months. There are attractions to visit and events happening year-round!

Language spoken: 

The primary language spoken is English, however, Canada is recognized as a bilingual country, and so there is a small population of people in the city who speak French. There is also a large Chinatown neighbourhood in Calgary, therefore we have a portion of people speaking Mandarin and Cantonese as well.

Currency: 

The currency used in Calgary is the Canadian Dollar (CAD), represented by a “$” symbol.
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Elle McLean of These Boots Were Made for Traveling is a blogger and photographer from Calgary, Canada. She is a graduate of the Travel + Tourism program at SAIT, periodically works with Tourism Calgary, and is a barista extraordinaire. She loves animals, reading, being outdoors, and organizing every aspect of her life. You can track her travels on Instagram, as well as on Tumblr, Facebook and Twitter.