Guide: 9 activities you can ONLY do in Calgary

August is kinda like the Sunday of summer, which means we’ve gotta squeeze as much fun out of the remaining sunny season as we can. So, make the most of your time and become a true Cowtown regular with these unique Calgary activities and places to see. Without further adieu, here are 9 activities you can only do in Calgary!

Events and Activities

Float the Bow

The Bow River begins in the Rocky Mountains and winds through the Alberta foothills onto the prairies. It’s pretty cool, pretty nice to look at, and it’s a one-of-a-kind experience here in Cowtown. Go try ‘er out (and follow our guide) to make a day of it!

Try North America’s fastest zipline

So there’s ziplines lots of places, but this one’s seriously speedy. Winsport’s Monster Zipline is 500-metres long with a vertical drop of 100 metres. You can get going up to 140km/hr. And if that’s not enough, it’s off of the same ski jump made famous by Eddie the Eagle at the 1988 Winter Olympic Games!

Banff, baby

Banff is one of those towns that people know. It’s kind of a big deal… and it’s only a scenic 1.5-hour drive away. Head on up to the mountains, hit the Grizzly House for fondue, and look for ghosts at the Banff Springs castle.

Food

Bite into some bison

At one time, an estimated 30 million plains and woods bison roamed the Canadian prairies. They had some rough times and got close to extinction, but now they’re making a comeback in the wild and on our plates. Find cuts at local butcher shops or restaurants like Open Range, where local meat reigns supreme!

Caesar time

Fact: the Caesar, in all its tomato, Worcestershire, and tasty garnish glory, was invented in Calgary. It all went down in 1969 when Walter Chell of the Calgary Inn was tasked to create a signature drink for the restaurant. Now, it’s been revamped into a gorgeous tower of waffles, wings, and sliders. You could say our city’s perfected this sip…

Shake it up

Peter’s Drive-In is one of those classic Calgary places that gives you warm fuzzies. It also gives you a heck of a cheek/jaw workout, since their shakes (in flavours like Watermelon, Lemon, Licorice, Oreo, Toasted Marshmallow, Mango, Mint, Root Beer, Grape, etc) are thicker than a Snicker. We wish you the best getting it out of that teeny tiny straw, but if you need a break we highly recommend diving into their onion rings. (They are the GOAT, don’t @ us.)

What’s up, whiskey?

Alberta Distillers Ltd. has been producing its 100% Alberta rye whisky at a plant in Calgary since 1946. It’s had quite the glow up– tons of countries now get shipped the good stuff, but only we get to get it straight from the source. Cheers!

Culture

Throw it on back

A legit steam train, antique midway rides, heritage buildings and homesteads… Heritage Park has it all. If you’re a history buff (or if you just like having a good time in the good old days), we strongly recommend hitting it up. Bonus fun should be had at their adult night coming up this month!

Crusin’ the avenue

17th Ave and Stephen Ave are must-sees. Snap a pic with the Galleria Trees, peruse Frank & Oak or Purr, or peep the Farmer’s Market on Tuesday aft. Oh, and hit the Poutinerie or forever hold your peace.

And that’s our guide to some of the things that make our city so special! We hope the rest of your summer is filled with these Calgary activities, or else we’ll have to ask you to return your citizenship card. Sorry, rules are rules.