Calgary

The kids won't let you get away with not visiting Calaway Park, western Canada's largest outdoor amusement park. Calaway Park is the ideal destination for a fun-filled family outing, with thrilling rides and entertainment. The park has been in operation for more than three decades and is greatly enjoyed by locals and tourists alike.Open seven days a week during the warmer months, this outdoor park closes during the frosty Alberta winters. Check the calendar on the official website listed below for exact opening times and dates.

Address : 245033 Range Road 33

E-mail : [email protected]

Website : www.calawaypark.com

Telephone : (403) 240 3822

Admission : $40 general admission, other concessions apply

The city's most recognisable structure, Calgary Tower is a must-visit landmark which looms 626 feet (191m) above the city. The glass-floored observation deck offers spectacular 360 degree views of the city below, while there's a revolving restaurant on offer.Tours of the city are offered by guides on the Observation Deck, allowing visitors to take in many of the city's major attractions from their vantage point in the sky. Calgary's Tourist Information Centre is located at the base of the tower, a useful stop for all visitors, and there are also gift shops selling Calgary souvenirs and the like.

Address : 101 9th Avenue Southwest

E-mail : [email protected]

Website : www.calgarytower.com

Telephone : (403) 266 7171

Opening times : Daily 9am-9pm

Admission : $18 adults, $9 children, other concessions available.

Canada's second largest zoo is home to more than 1,000 animals from all over the world, as well as a variety of fish and insects in natural habitat enclosures. It also features a prehistoric park with 19 life-size animatronic dinosaurs on display.The botanic gardens include a 20,000 square foot (1,858 sq m) conservatory, butterfly garden, and a special Rocky Mountains exhibit featuring many indigenous Alberta animals, including the endangered Whooping Crane. The zoo is situated close to the downtown area, on St George's Island, and is a wonderful treat for the whole family.

Address : 210 St. Georges Drive North East

Website : www.calgaryzoo.com

Telephone : (403) 232 9300

Opening times : Daily 9am-5pm

Admission : $34.95 adults, $24.95 children, other concessions available.

Canada Olympic Park was a major venue during the 1988 Winter Olympic Games and now hosts skiing and snowboarding programmes every winter. It also houses the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame and Museum, and is frequently used as a venue for festivals and events in Calgary.Known to locals as COP, it remains a chief tourist attraction for casual visitors and winter sports enthusiasts alike. The park is operated by WinSport Canada and is used year-round. In summer, it is used for sports like mountain biking and there are obstacle courses and zip lines to conquer.

Address : 88 Canada Olypmic Road Southwest

Website : www.winsportcanada.ca/cop

Telephone : (403) 247 5452

Made up of eight major glaciers, this massive field of ancient ice is situated near the town of Jasper in the middle of Jasper National Park. The icefield covers 125 square miles (325 sq km) and in places is estimated to be 1,270ft (385m) deep.The icefield feeds four of North America's major river systems: the Columbia, Fraser, Mackenzie, and Saskatchewan Rivers. Its meltwaters flow into three different oceans: the Pacific, Arctic and Atlantic.Tours of the glacier are offered on snowcoaches between April and October each year. Ice-walk tours are also offered by the Jasper Adventure Centre. The icefields are one of Alberta's natural marvels and a must-see for outdoor enthusiasts in the region. Of course, the Jasper National Park also has many other attractions and activities on offer.

Address : Jasper National Park

Website : www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ab/jasper/index.aspx

This historical site chronicles Calgary's history between 1875 and the 1940s, allowing visitors to step back in time and explore the early days of the city through interactive exhibits, costumed interpreters, hands on activities, guided tours, and an entertaining audio-visual presentation.Fort Calgary is situated on the site of an original North West Mounted Police Fort and is designed to preserve the history of the founding, development, and growth of the city. The 40-acre riverside park includes the reconstructed 1875 fort, 1888 barracks, the interpretive centre, and Deane House Historic Site and Restaurant.

Address : 750 - 9th Avenue SE

Website : www.fortcalgary.com

Telephone : (403) 290 1875

Opening times : Daily 9am-5pm

Admission : $12 adults, $7 children, other concessions available.

Located in the heart of Calgary opposite the tower, the Glenbow Museum is Canada's largest museum, with more than 93,000 square feet (8,640 sq metres) of exhibition space, spread over three floors. It houses more than a million objects that fill up its 20 galleries and showcase the colourful history of Canada's West.Explore the exhibits to discover the people, stories, and events that shaped the region, from its First Nations to the arrival of the European settlers. There is a family-friendly Discovery Room, which is an open studio full of educational activities and crafts that bring the museum to life. A special feature is the Blackfoot Gallery, which tells the story of the Nitsitapi people through interactive displays, artefacts, a film, and circular narrative path.There are also some 28,000 artworks dating from the 19th century to the present on display in the museum. Glenbow's library is a treasure trove of reference materials on western Canada, with the Glenbow Archives serving as a major research centre for historians, writers, students, and the media.

Address : 130 9th Avenue SE

Website : www.glenbow.org

Telephone : (403) 268 4101

Opening times : Tuesday to Saturday 9am-5pm; Sunday 12pm-5pm. Closed Monday.

Admission : $16 adults, $11 children, other concessions available. Free every first Thursday of the month between 5pm and 9pm.

A buffalo jump is a ledge or cliff traditionally used to lure stampeding buffalo to their deaths. Head-Smashed-In is one of the oldest, largest, and best preserved in the world and was used by the native people for about 6,000 years.Head-Smashed-In not only has a wonderfully descriptive name, but also boasts its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It proudly displays exhibitions detailing the life and history of the Blackfoot people, the original inhabitants of the Great Plains region of southern Alberta. It is now a remarkable archaeological site and well worth a visit for any traveller interested in Canadian history.

Address : 92 Township Road, Willow Creek

Website : www.head-smashed-in.com

Telephone : (403) 553 2731

Opening times : Daily 10am-5pm

Admission : $15 adults, $10 children. other concessions available

Heritage Park is a village of living history, comprising more than 180 exhibitions that attempt to show what life was like in Alberta in the 19th and 20th centuries. Set on 127 beautiful acres of parkland and located just 15 minutes from Calgary's central business district, Heritage Park makes for a worthwhile daytrip, especially if you have kids in tow.Highlights include steam train rides and an impressive collection of vintage automobiles. Thousands of genuine historical artefacts have been used in the creation of the park, while other buildings and scenes have been faithfully recreated. Costumed interpreters educate and entertain visitors, bringing history to life.

Address : 1900 Heritage Drive Southwest

Website : www.heritagepark.ca

Telephone : (403) 268 8500

Opening times : Monday to Friday 10am-5pm, Closed Saturday and Sunday.

Admission : Varies according to season. $26.50 for general admission. Other concessions available.

Located within Banff National Park and close to the popular resort towns of Lake Louise and Banff, Moraine is a spectacular glacially-fed lake. Its waters are a vivid turquoise colour due to rock flour, which are tiny particles of suspended sediment. On a clear day, the lake reflects the surrounding mountains in its mirror-smooth surface.There's plenty to see and do in the snow-capped and pine-strewn Valley of the Ten Peaks, including an assortment of scenic hiking trails, kayaking facilities at the Lodge, and an onsite café serving wonderful food and refreshments.Although not impossible, getting to Moraine can be difficult if you are without a car. Take a bus to Banff station, and from there you can either walk the nine miles (14km) to the lake; rent a bicycle; take a taxi; or make use of the Park-run Vista shuttle service, which departs every 30 minutes from the Lake Louise campsite.

Address : 9 miles (about 14km) from Lake Louise, located within Banff National Park

Website : www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ab/banff/index.aspx