Local brewery | Photo: Travel In Culture

What to do in Calgary: If you only have a short time in Calgary and want to explore some truly Calgary sights, consider including these five unique things in your (one-day) itinerary: Stroll Stephen Avenue, shop for western wear, visit Studio Bell, discover the history of Calgary at the old Fort Calgary, and chill at the Prince’s Island Park and the futuristic Peace Bridge.

Suggested itinerary and things to do in Calgary: In the morning, you can explore the vibrant Stephen Avenue city mall, shop for western wear, catch a glimpse of Calgary Tower, visit the indoor Devonian Gardens, and perhaps try a brewery lunch. Continue to the exclusive Studio Bell, which provides a comprehensive musical experience, before diving into Calgary’s history at the old Fort Calgary, scenically situated at the confluence of the Bow and the Elbow Rivers.

 
Finally, complete the itinerary with a stroll along the River Walk to the Peace Bridge and perhaps a late afternoon visit to Prince’s Island Park. You may be lucky enough to experience an outdoor concert on the lawns there, perhaps a concert part of a ‘Rock the Nation’ event with Canadian music and food carts.

Trees Sculptures | Photo: Travel In Culture

Begin your Calgary sightseeing with a stroll in the heart of the city. Stephen Avenue is a lovely pedestrian mall in the historic business district of Calgary, with some super interesting sights and things to do. The street was named after George Stephen (1st Baron Mount Stephen and the president of the Canadian Pacific Railway). The Avenue Walk is an iconic part of the street under a metallic sculptural arcade, the Trees Sculptures, which are illuminated at night and are an ingenious construction to reduce wind gusts. In recent years, Stephen Avenue at 8th Avenue SW has been redeveloped, respecting historical and cultural monuments.

Stephen Avenue | Photo: Travel In Culture

The pedestrian mall is lined with historic buildings dating from 1880 – 1930 (many of which are sandstone buildings from the ‘Sandstone Era’), including banks and other commercial buildings, such as the Hudson’s Bay Company store. Also, the streetscape includes spectacular, modern architecture, fine restaurants, hotels, cafés, bars, boutiques, and trendy department stores.

Devonian Gardens | Photo: Travel In Culture

Devonian Gardens | Photo: Travel In Culture

One of the more recent successful constructions is the Devonian Gardens in the CORE Shopping Centre, a huge botanical indoor urban park, which includes fountains, a fishpond, bridges, a playground, and a popular food court. It is a one-hectare 3-dimensional area of 500 trees and green walls. You can have a cup of coffee or a bite for lunch in this veritable oasis and completely forget that you are in the bustling city!

Famous Five Sculptures | Photo: Travel In Culture

A well-known sculpture at Stephen Avenue is ‘The Conversation’, depicting two historic businessmen. At its eastern end, the street opens into the Olympic Plaza, built in 1988 for the Olympic Winter Games. The outdoor amphitheatre is a great place to sit and soak up the atmosphere. The square’s Famous Five sculptures by sculptor Barbara Paterson of five prominent and significant Canadian women have since 1999 been part of the Olympic Plaza. However, redevelopment of the plaza may put an end to this.

Photo: Brigitte Werner / Pixabay

Stephen Avenue includes a fabulous western store, the cowboy shop Lammle’s Western Wear, with a horse outside as its iconic landmark.

Lammle’s Western Wear | Photo: Travel In Culture

A visit here (or in one of Calgary’s other western stores) is a must to get a feel for Calgary’s cowboy culture. You will find everything within the categories of cowboy boots, jeans, hats, belt buckles, shirts, and other cowboy clothing.

Photo: Travel In Culture

Photo: Travel In Culture

A rancher, Barry Lammle, opened in 1983 the first store in Alberta. Since then, multiple stores followed, scattered throughout western Canada. In Calgary, the family partnered with Calgary Stampede, providing appropriate clothing for locals and visitors alike.

Stampede Stadium | Photo: Martin Herfurt / Pixabay

Of course, if you are so lucky to be in Calgary for the Stampede, getting tickets for this unparalleled rodeo event is even better – it is an experience for life!

Photo: Brigitte Werner / Pixabay

As the world’s largest outdoor rodeo show, the saddle-shaped Stampede Stadium is the venue for 10 days of cowboy events in July.

Studio Bell | Photo: Travel In Culture

A unique structure in Calgary is the National Music Centre, Studio Bell, an architectural masterpiece of intertwining curves, acoustics, music studios, collections, and showrooms, designed by Allied Works Architecture. It is, at the same time, a broadcast studio, a music centre, a concert venue, and a museum of music and music history.

Studio Bell | Photo: Travel In Culture

One of the top things to do in Calgary if you are interested in Canadian music is to explore Studio Bell. Five floors unite musical experiences for both visitors and performers, providing a unique insight into musical instruments, history and musical celebrities. At the same time, Studio Bell provides stunning views of the cityscape, Calgary Stampede Stadium, and the Bow River.

Studio Bell | Photo: Travel In Culture

Attending a local music event at Studio Bell or coming to gain insight into Canadian music history is a unique way to learn about Canadian musical legacy.

Calgary is a historic site that has roots in the history and culture of the indigenous people who inhabited the area at the confluence of two rivers, the Bow and the Elbow.

Photo: Travel In Culture

Fort Calgary used to be an outpost of the North-West Mounted Police to control the area concerning the illegal whisky and rum trade and establish the necessary relationship with the Indian native people.

The confluence of the Bow and Elbow Rivers was a strategically convenient place to locate the fort, which was built in 1875. Today, the reconstruction of Fort Calgary is also known as The Confluence Historic Site and Parkland.

Fort Calgary | Photo: Travel In Culture

A visit to The Confluence Historic Site and Parkland is a fascinating insight into the history of Calgary and western Canada. You can easily combine the visit with a lovely, scenic stroll on the River Walk along Bow River.

In 1883, the Canadian Pacific Railway arrived in the Calgary area and located a station west of Fort Calgary. The original fort was demolished, and the Calgary Barracks erected instead.

Fort Calgary | Photo: Travel In Culture

Towards the turn of the century, Calgary had become a developed community with businesses such as breweries, sandstone quarries (used for the new buildings in town – the Sandstone City), electric streetcars and flourishing cultural activities, including an opera, an orchestra, and a public library. Calgary became the first city of the Northwest Territories in 1894.

In 1914, the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway took over the grounds, demolished the fort, and replaced it with a rail terminal for Canadian railway transportation. Oil had been discovered, and Calgary soon became known as Canada’s ‘oil capital’ (Edmonton was the real capital, however).

The Bow River | Photo: Travel In Culture

Cross one of the small bridges of the Bow River to explore Prince’s Island Park.

Rock the Nation | Photo: Travel In Culture

In summer, it is sometimes used as a venue for concerts. One occasion is Rock the Nation, a musical event celebrating Canadian music. It is a grand event with concerts celebrating Canadian music and singers. Also, Studio Bell is a venue for Rock the Nation.

Photo: Travel In Culture

The landscape Bow River meanders through is lush, beautiful scenery, and strolling along the riverbanks, it is not obvious that you are close to the central business district of this 1.5 million-population city!

Peace Bridge, Calgary | Photo: Travel In Culture

Another icon of Calgary is the spectacular Peace Bridge, which opened in 2012.

Peace Bridge, Calgary | Photo: Travel In Culture

The pedestrian and bicycle aesthetically-looking bridge was designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, using steel and glass for the construction. The Peace Bridge connection is an integrated part of the pathways used for commuters on foot from the residential northern parts of Calgary to their workplaces in the city. Approximately 9,000 people cross the sculptural, futuristic bridge every day.

For more inspiration for what to do in Canada, you may want to read Why is the Gastown Steam Clock so Unique (Vancouver)? and Discover the Bear and Festival Town Revelstoke

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