Cowboy Boots to Cultural Gems: Offbeat Things to Do in Calgary

Essential (and Entertainingly Bizarre) Things to Do in Calgary

The constellation of things to do in Calgary spans from the sublimely traditional to the ridiculously innovative. This is a city that takes its fun seriously, with attractions that showcase both its western heritage and urban sophistication with equal enthusiasm.

The Calgary Stampede: Where Rodeo Meets Deep-Fried Everything

Every July, Calgary surrenders to its western identity with a spectacle so excessive it makes most American state fairs look like modest church picnics. The 10-day Calgary Stampede transforms the city into a western theme park on steroids, complete with daily pancake breakfasts, competitive rodeo events with purses exceeding $2 million, and carnival attractions that would make even the most stoic cowboy giggle.

The opening parade alone draws crowds upwards of 300,000 spectators – roughly a quarter of the city’s population – all wearing freshly purchased cowboy hats in various states of awkward newness. Inside the fairgrounds, visitors confront food options that read like culinary dares rather than menu items: scorpion pizza ($12), deep-fried butter, and something called “prairie oysters” that definitely aren’t seafood (hint: they’re bull testicles, and locals watch with barely concealed glee as tourists try them).

Insider tip: Skip the overpriced fairground food and instead track down the free pancake breakfasts scattered throughout the city each morning. Local businesses and community organizations compete to host the most elaborate morning feeds, often with better food and shorter lines than you’ll find inside the official grounds.

Peace in Altitude: Day Trips to Banff and Canmore

Calgary’s most impressive feature might be what sits just beyond its borders. A 90-minute drive west delivers visitors to Banff National Park – Calgary’s spectacular wilderness backyard that makes Central Park look like a neglected window box. The proximity of world-class mountains to this urban center would be like placing Yosemite a short drive from Chicago.

The must-do experience is the Banff Gondola ($64 for adults), which whisks visitors up Sulphur Mountain for views that have caused spontaneous marriage proposals and existential crises in equal measure. Lake Louise, with its impossibly turquoise waters, offers a Rocky Mountain spectacle that puts Lake Tahoe in the awkward position of looking slightly ordinary by comparison.

Car rentals start around $50/day from Calgary’s airport, and the Trans-Canada Highway makes navigation refreshingly straightforward. If visiting between November and April, request winter tires – a concept many Americans find novel until they encounter their first Canadian mountain pass in February.

Calgary Tower and Downtown Delights

Standing at a modest-by-American-standards 626 feet, the Calgary Tower might not initially impress visitors from Chicago or New York. At roughly half the height of Seattle’s Space Needle, it’s the architectural equivalent of a Napoleon complex. But what it lacks in stature, it compensates for with its glass floor observation deck ($21 for adults), which transforms even the most stoic visitors into giggling, floor-hugging puddles of vertigo.

The surrounding downtown core offers Stephen Avenue, a pedestrian-only mall lined with sandstone buildings that have survived Calgary’s perpetual urge to demolish and rebuild. The Core Shopping Centre provides climate-controlled retail therapy during winter months when outdoor browsing qualifies as an extreme sport.

Prince’s Island Park serves as downtown’s green refuge – comparable to New York’s Central Park if it had been shrunk in the wash to 1/50th its size. The island park hosts festivals throughout summer, including the Calgary Folk Music Festival, where audiences indicate their appreciation through the uniquely Canadian practice of “tarping” – claiming territory with blankets with all the territorial fervor of early settlers.

Heritage Park Historical Village: Time Travel Without the Paradoxes

Americans accustomed to historical sites dating back to the 1700s might chuckle at what Canadians consider “historic,” but Heritage Park’s charm lies in its immersive approach rather than its age. This living history museum features over 180 exhibits spanning from the 1860s to 1950s ($29.95 for adults), allowing visitors to experience the evolution from frontier outpost to post-war boom town.

The park’s functional steam train chugs around the property while costumed interpreters demonstrate historical skills with the enthusiasm of people who have found their perfect career niche. The antique midway features rides that somehow passed safety inspections despite their advanced age, offering amusement with just a hint of mortal peril.

Insider tip: Visit during weekday mornings in summer for the shortest lines and most interactive experiences with interpretive staff. Arrive when doors open and head straight to the bakery for fresh-baked goods that taste significantly better than they would in your normal century.

Calgary’s Food Scene Beyond Beef

While Alberta beef remains the region’s culinary calling card, Calgary’s food scene has evolved with the sophistication of a film major who suddenly discovered foreign cinema. The Kensington, Inglewood, and 17th Avenue neighborhoods have transformed into gastro-districts that would make Portland jealous.

Ginger beef might be Calgary’s strangest claim to culinary fame – a Chinese-Canadian fusion dish invented here that consists of deep-fried beef strips smothered in sweet sauce and crystallized ginger. Locals discuss it with the reverence Philadelphians reserve for cheesesteaks. Meanwhile, the Caesar cocktail – Canada’s spicier, clamato-based answer to the Bloody Mary – was invented in Calgary and remains the city’s unofficial liquid mascot.

Budget travelers can feast at Tubby Dog, where $10 buys specialty hot dogs with toppings so excessive they require structural engineering. Mid-range options include Native Tongues Taqueria, delivering Mexican fare that would impress even San Diego residents. For special occasions, River Café in Prince’s Island Park serves locally-sourced cuisine with $40-60 entrees and picture-perfect views that easily justify the splurge.

Winter Wonders: Cold Weather Activities

Winter in Calgary isn’t so much a season as it is a state of mind – one requiring thermal underwear and a healthy relationship with hand warmers. The nearby ski resorts transform winter from endurance test to playground, with Nakiska just 45 minutes away offering lift tickets for $99 – practically a bargain compared to Colorado prices.

The city maintains numerous public skating rinks, including Olympic Plaza downtown, where visitors can glide across the ice where 1988 Olympic medallists once stood. The annual Glow Festival illuminates the winter darkness with light installations that make excellent backgrounds for holiday photos that will inspire jealousy among friends stuck in rainy American Decembers.

For those unaccustomed to proper winter gear, Mountain Equipment Company (MEC) – Canada’s answer to REI – offers rental equipment that prevents visitors from having to purchase parkas they’ll never use again unless planning trips to Antarctica. Layering is the mantra locals chant, with temperatures that can swing 30 degrees in a single day.

Cultural Institutions and Museum Musts

The Glenbow Museum ($16) houses an impressive collection that chronicles western Canadian history alongside rotating exhibits that sometimes make daring artistic statements for a city once dismissed as culturally conservative. Its Indigenous art collection stands among North America’s finest, offering context and perspectives rarely found in American museums.

Studio Bell, National Music Centre ($20) celebrates Canadian musical heritage with interactive exhibits and an instrument collection that would make vintage gear enthusiasts weep with joy. The building itself resembles a collection of terra cotta musical instruments crashed together by a divine architect, making it one of the city’s most photographed structures.

Meanwhile, the Calgary Central Library stands as an architectural marvel comparable to Seattle’s public library but with a distinctly Canadian sensibility – it’s simultaneously impressive and apologetic about being impressive. The interior features a four-story central atrium that makes returning books feel like a sacred ritual rather than a chore.

Olympic Park Legacy: Where Regular People Try Dangerous Sports

WinSport’s Canada Olympic Park offers the rare opportunity to attempt Olympic sports without the inconvenience of lifetime training. Visitors can experience bobsledding ($180 per person) and reach speeds of 75 mph while questioning every decision that led to that moment. During summer, the facility converts to mountain biking and North America’s fastest zipline.

The 1988 Winter Olympics left Calgary with world-class facilities that continue serving both elite athletes and adventurous tourists. These are the same facilities where the Jamaican bobsled team and Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards achieved underdog immortality, as documented in films that took only modest liberties with historical accuracy.

Insider tip: Even non-athletic visitors should head to the ski jump area for spectacular city views that most tourists miss. The juxtaposition of downtown skyscrapers against the Rocky Mountain backdrop creates a panorama worthy of professional photography or at minimum, an Instagram post that will outperform your friends’ vacation photos.