Anne-Charlotte PasseraCalgary is not the most wonderful place on earth to visit with kids but there are fun things to do around the city.
We made a stop there on the little road-trip we took through the Canadian Rockies, notably Banff and Jasper.
Calgary lacks in architecture and warmth. It’s a city that people go to for work and that is about it. At least that was our impression of it.
So what things can you do in Calgary with kids to kill time?
We had a lot of time to kill in the city as our flight was at 1am.
Glenbow Museum
Whether you are heading to or coming back from the wilderness of the Rockies, you should at least pay a visit to the Glenbow Museum.
The Glenbow Museum is an art and history museum. They have activities for children inside which makes it a lot of fun.
It was great as we got to understand a lot more about what we had seen during our little road trip. If you plan on going there, go there at the end of your journey as it really ties everything together.
Around the museum, there are a bunch of restaurants. We chilled at one where everything was 5$. It was good, not great. We were killing time anyway.
We had decided on seeing a movie at the end of the day but we still had a lot of time left before the showing.
Prince’s Island
Therefore, we walked to Prince’s Island where a country music festival was happening. We didn’t get to see much of the park aside from its local residents, the GEESE. OMG they were just everywhere!
It really stinks because you can’t lay down anywhere as the grounds are covered with their doodie. So we just walked around and around.
We saw people water tubing down the river. Not sure where they started from, but it looked like a lot of fun.
Update: the company Lazy Day Rentals offers raft rentals and also a shuttle service back to your car ($$). During the Summer, make sure to book in advance. This is a great activity option if you have a late-night flight and need something to do during the day. Keeping kids busy during the day is key to enjoy a late-night flight. They’ll be exhausted and will sleep on the plane (theoretically).
That is all we have to say about Calgary. It is not a pretty city, the architecture is just so blah.
Curious about what movie we saw? Haha. I believe it was Mission Impossible with some good old buttery popcorn and a coke.
Yep that is how we finished our amazing road trip through the Rockies, by watching Tom Cruise in action.
Best things to do around Calgary with kids
We arrived on an early flight from Montreal to Calgary. Since we had planned to spend time in Calgary on our last day of our road-trip (see above), we set out on the road directly from Calgary Airport.
Heritage park
Heritage Park is located about a 20-minute drive from the airport, south of Calgary.
Upon arriving at Heritage Park we were greeted by an Elk or Moose gone wild, not sure as it was in a hurry to go wherever it was going. All I remember is that it was a beast, it was HUMONGOUS. I didn’t have time to grab my camera or phone. I was so in awe by the sight of it. What a great way to start our trip!
The whole time I was at Heritage Park I felt like I was in an episode of the Little House on the Prairie.
The park is huge and very well-conceived with turn of the century buildings (19th-20th century). For two adults and one child, it cost us around 30$. Check their website for more information on pricing since it might have changed since then.
It’s best to bring a packed lunch but of course, we didn’t stop at the supermarket before going there. Blondie Bear and I grabbed a sandwich at the café and Big Boss splurged on a full meal at the Inn. Apparently, it was delicious and well priced. The interior sure looked nice.
There is also an old train that goes around the park which was awesome but not comfortable at all. We are so used to our comfort nowadays that it really puts things into perspective when you see how far we have come with technology and all.
Of course, you also get to see farm animals, cowboy and autochtone housing, saloons with great volunteers playing their part to enlighten your experience. If you have children, they will absolutely love it!
Old school amusement park
Blondie Bear liked the old amusement park the best and let me tell you the Ferris wheel…that was scary!!! We had a lot of fun riding all the different rides.
Drumheller and vicinity
Drumheller is considered the dinosaur capital of the world. It’s located about 1h30 from Calgary. Therefore, you can easily go there as a day trip with kids from Calgary. However, since we were on a road trip, we spent a night there in the vicinity of Drumheller.
Rosebud
For our first night in Alberta, we stayed in Rosebud. We booked our stay through Airbnb with our host Randall.
It was a private room for the price of 90$. It is about a 2-hour drive from Calgary and 30 minutes from Drumheller.
Rosebud is a hamlet in a green valley (as opposed to dried up grass which surrounds Calgary) where there are no cafes but plenty of art galleries and a theater. Simple and quiet vibe.
It was a great place to stay at and our host was wonderful! He is actually part of the cast of the Passion Play that performs in Drumheller’s amphitheater every Summer.
If you haven’t guessed it, it is about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Superstar…nah just had to add that part) with a huge cast.
Unfortunately, we just couldn’t add it to our schedule as the play is very long and we wouldn’t have had time to see the dinosaurs. Make sure to book ahead if you want to attend the play.
Royal Tyrrell Museum
We went to visit the Royal Tyrrell Museum to look at dinosaurs in Drumheller; the capital city of Dinosaurs.
Apparently, it is world renown and a lot of dinosaur bones have been found in the area. If that is what you or your kids are into then it is the place to go. I am not particularly fond of them but Blondie Bear was.
I found it to be a little disappointing because most of the pieces on display were actually casts not the real thing. Nonetheless, we had fun.
It is open until 8pm so that worked well with our schedule and we grabbed a small bite to eat in their very nice cafeteria.
Nearby there is a walking trail of roughly 1km, easily accessible to everyone which I preferred to the museum.
Tiny Church
We stopped by on our way back to Rosebud from the Royal Tyrell Museum to this tiniest church which can only hold up to 6 people.
When I was doing the research, I stumbled onto it and it made me think somehow of the church in Westworld. That was a fun experience.
Blondie Bear pretended to preach and then he just had to let go of some gas…our cue to leave…
Unfortunately, 3 people were coming in as we were getting out. I felt very sorry for them and told Big Boss to step on it as we drove off leaving a dust of shame on our tail.
The Badlands
Drumheller is located in the badlands region of Alberta.
You can do a quick tour of them and visit: Horse Shoe Canyon, the Star mine suspension bridge, the hoodoos trail, and the Atlas Coal Mine, all in one day. However, we did leave from Rosebud which is a lot closer than Calgary.
The first two make for a nice pit stop, not much to say about that.
The hoodoos
The hoodoos trail is a lot of fun. The kids will love it as they love to climb, don’t they? Makes for great exercise and pictures if there aren’t too many people around.
It gets very crowded, but fortunately, we got there before the morning rush. Dogs are allowed there as well so that is a bonus.
Unfortunately, the hoodoos aren’t as imposing as they once were because of general erosion and people. Try not to touch them to preserve them!
I did not know what hoodoos were when I was doing research for our road-trip. I did have to look it up. So, so will you! They basically look like mushrooms.
Atlas Coal Mine
The Atlas Coal Mine is located about 20 minutes away from Drumheller and less than 2 hours away from Calgary. It’s a wonderful pace to visit, authentic and interesting. Kids and adults alike will learn a lot about the mining life.
The site is open until 7:30 pm during the summer and the guides are awesome.
We bought the whole package which cost around $90 for the three of us. Money well spent.
Bring a lunch as there isn’t anything to eat there (for once we had brought something) and make sure to have water. We were there for a good 3 to 4 hours.
We visited the tipple, the tunnel and took the train ride (again, not comfy at all but this was because it was meant to carry coal and not passengers).
The tunnel might be a little hard for very young kids or elderly people. I found it to be very interesting to learn about the life of a coal miner.
Make sure to wear practical shoes as it’s an industrial site. Strollers will be useless on this site, so bring your baby carrier. It’s not really wheelchair accessible as gain, it is an industrial historical site.
There was another option for a tour which was more under the belt (so not for kids) but since we had a 2h30 drive ahead of us we thought we had had plenty. Again, a great place to take kids and fun for adults.
Horseback riding in Kananaskis
Kananaskis Country is located about 1 hour away from Calgary and borders the town of Canmore and Bang national Park.
It a beautiful region with mountain resorts, grizzly bears, and magical views.
You can go horseback riding at Boundary Ranch and have a wonderful family experience. It’s not a budget-friendly activity, but where else can you go horse-back riding with these views?
You can read more of our experience in Kananaskis and where to sleep, right HERE.
Banff
Did you know that Calgary is just 1h30 away from Banff? How awesome is that?
Take a day trip from Calgary to Banff and visit the first National Park of Canada and Johnston Canyon. However, once there, you’ll regret not staying longer.
Although I was disappointed by Calgary, living so close to the Rockies must be so awesome especially if you have a dog and kids. There are so many great things you can do with kids around Calgary.
The whole time we were there we kept thinking about our Newfie Nouki and how he would have loved this trip. This trip was memorable, and to this day Blondie Bear still talks about it. We can’t wait to go back, just not to Calgary!
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