Lots to do in a friendly city. (Calgary)

Member Name: misswilmotsghost

Product:	Calgary
Date:	17/01/09 (11 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: a hub for flights, lots of things to do

Disadvantages: can be very hot in summer

Our trip to Calgary started life as just the place that we were flying to en route for our family holiday in the Rockies, but then as we did a bit of research it turned into a place on holiday in its own right, and we really enjoyed our time there. Our children were aged 10 and 7 at the time, and we booked to stay in a hotel (possibly Westin, sorry can't remember) near to Eau Claire market. It turned out that there was a great little outdoor paddling pool just down the street, with fountains and this proved a great stop at the end of the day, to cool feet that had been walking all day, and to unwind. (The hotel had a pool too, but this was great as we could just sit beside the water and watch, and all the Canadian families were really friendly).

We were right by the river too, and we were absolutely thrilled to find a family of beavers living at the end of the island there, right in the middle of the city. We saw a wider range of Canadian wildlife, and many other things besides at the fabulous Calgary zoo, which was easy to get to and well worth a visit. If we were there again we would also hire bikes to cycle by the river, but there just wasn't time.

We hired a car to spend a day out in Drumheller, visiting the magnificent Royal Tyrrell Museum to see the dinosaurs. They have excellent tours of the local landscape and the children spent a very enjoyable afternoon in one of their "camps." These have to be pre-booked - but we did this from the UK with no trouble at all, and it added an enjoyabled extra dimension for the children, and gave us a little bit of time without them!

The Glenbow Museum is of international stature, with excellent exhibits, including one about the Blackfoot - the native Americans indigenous to this region. When we visited there were two excellent activity areas for children too, based on classical civilisations and forensic archaeology.

As keen birdwatchers we had found out about Inglewood bird reserve on the internet and wanted to go and visit. The people at the bus station were keen to help and it was easy to catch a bus out there. The driver and passengers on the bus went to great pains to make sure we knew which way to go once we alighted and to be sure we knew where to catch the bus back. It was worth the trip and the sight of pelicans flying over the river was amazing.

The shopping malls were great too, and we were intrigued by the plus15s - high level walkways linking the first storeys of most of the buildings downtown. Definitely more than just a stopover city.

Summary: a dynamic, very Canadian city, well worth a visit