30 fun things to do with kids in Calgary this summer

1. Splash in one of the City of Calgary’s wading pools. These are always free to access and are usually open from June into late

September. Check calgary.ca for hours and closure information:

Bowness Park (8900 48 Avenue NW)

Eau Claire Plaza (105 Barclay Parade SW)

Prairie Winds Park (223 Castleridge Boulevard NE)

Riley Park (800 12 Street NW) 2. Get soaked at one of the City of Calgary’s Spray Parks. A spray park is the perfect way to cool down on a hot day! Usually open from June into late September. Check calgary.ca for hours and closure information:

Prairie Winds Park (223 Castleridge Boulevard NE)

Rotary Park (617 1 Street NE)

Somerset Park (999 Somerset Drive SW)

South Glenmore Park (90 Avenue & 24 Street SW)

Valleyview Park (28 Street & 30 Avenue SE)

West Confederation Park (2020 Chicoutimi Drive NW) 3. Go for a swim at one of the City of Calgary’s Outdoor Pools.

Outdoor pools are the perfect spot to cool off while soaking up the sun. Check individual pools for hours and pricing information:

Bowview (1910 6 Avenue NW) Forest Lawn (1706 39 Street SE) Highwood (25 Holmwood Avenue NW) Millican-Ogden (69 Avenue & 20A Street SE) Mount Pleasant (2310 6 Street NW) Silver Springs (Silverridge Close & Silverridge Drive NW)

South Calgary (3130 16 Street SW)

Stanley Park (4011 1A Street SW) 4. Swim in Sikome Lake. Life’s a beach at Calgary’s famous swimming hole. Enjoy cooling down on a hot day at this wellknown South Calgary treasure. 5. Make a trip to Sylvan Lake Aqua Splash. 5104 Lakeshore

Drive, Sylvan Lake. Alberta's first open-water park! The evolution of waterplay. Open mid-June to September.

Sylvanlakeaquasplash.ca 6. Have a great day out at Blackfalds Outdoor Aquatic Centre. 4500 Womacks Road, Blackfalds. One-of-a-kind outdoor aquatic centre features a spray park with tot slides, giant tipping buckets and lots of spray features. Blackfalds.ca 7. Enjoy the rides at Calaway Park. Western Canada’s largest outdoor family amusement park. Calawaypark.com 8. Smell the roses at Reader Rock Garden. 325 25 Avenue SE.

This three-acre garden has trails waiting to be explored. 9. Enjoy your lunch at Devonian Gardens. On the fourth floor of 333 7 Avenue SW. Rainy day? Located in the downtown Core

Shopping Centre, Devonian Gardens is an urban oasis in the heart of Calgary. 10. Play with sound at Quinterra Legacy Garden. 90 Avenue and 24 Street SW. Calgary’s first fully dedicated outdoor music garden in the heart of South Glenmore Park. It is accessible to

Calgarians of all ages and includes interactive musical and play elements along with a 30-foot diameter stage for programming including music, dance, theater, spoken word, yoga, meditation, healing circles, etc. 11. See the wildflowers at Griffith Woods Park. 160 Discovery

Ridge Boulevard SW. Griffith Woods Park is a primarily natural environment park that lies along the banks of the Elbow River in southwest Calgary. 12. Splash and paddle at Bowness Park. 8900 48 Avenue NW.

Bowness Park is one of Calgary's most popular parks. It features a shallow lagoon popular for paddle boating in the summer and ice skating in the winter. The park also has a wading pool, boat rentals and a children's train ride.

13. Wade and play at Riley Park. 800 12 Street NW. Riley Park is a beautiful destination park in northwest Calgary within walking distance from the Kensington shopping district. The park contains a cricket pitch, wading pool and the Senator Patrick

Burns Memorial Rock Garden.

14. Soak up some sun at Stanley Park. 4011 1A Street SW. Located along the Elbow River in southwest Calgary, Stanley Park is a favorite destination place for picnicking, swimming, canoeing, tobogganing and lawn bowling. 15. Enjoy an ice cream at Central Commons Park. 4410 University

Avenue NW. Central Commons Park is a stunning destination where families can play, rest, and enjoy the great outdoors all year round. This three-acre space is described as a “seasonless signature destination,” mindfully made for social, cultural and recreational events.

16. See the animals at Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo. There’s something for the whole family! Whether it’s just enjoying the zoo or the warmth of the ENMAX Conservatory, it’s a different visit each time. Calgaryzoo.com

17. Meet a new friend at Kirk’s Alpaca Farm. Want to feed and pet alpacas in their pasture? Kids can enjoy the playgrounds, plasma cars or even play some basketball! Kirksalpacafarm.ca. 18. Explore history at Fort Calgary. Join the ranks of the RCMP when you visit the Fort built in 1875. Fortcalgary.com. 19. Learn about Calgary’s past at Heritage Park Historical Village & Gasoline Alley. Travel back in time to Canada’s largest living historical village. There are over 150 exhibits ready for you to explore. Gasoline Alley boasts one of the world's largest public collections of antique vehicles and oil and gas-related artifacts, bringing auto history from the turn of the 20th century to the 1950s to life. Heritagepark.ca 20. Experience Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park. Blackfoot

Crossing Historical Park is a world renowned cultural, educational and entertainment center built for the promotion and preservation of the Siksika Nation Peoples’, Language,

Culture and Traditions. Blackfootcrossing.ca 21. Visit the Tsuut'ina Nation Culture/Museum.The Tsuut'ina

Museum is a center for preserving and promoting cultural history. We have an ongoing objective to retain authentic First

Nation Arts & Crafts and take pride in promoting these talents in our new gift shop. Tsuutinamuseum.com 22. Take a trip to Bar U Ranch National Historic Site. 15km south of Longview. The Bar U Ranch paints a colorful picture of ranching history, with the Rocky Mountains as a backdrop. 23. Drive down to Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. 18km northwest of Fort Macleod. Head-Smashed-In is one of the world’s oldest, largest and best preserved buffalo jumps known to exist and has been used continuously by

Indigenous peoples of the plains for more than 5500 years.

Headsmashedin.ca

24. Make a road trip to Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village. 25 minutes east of Edmonton on Hwy 16. Share in the compelling stories of the triumphs and hardships of Ukrainian immigrants who came to the Bloc Settlement in east central Alberta from 1892 to 1930. Ukrainianvillage.ca

25. Visit the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre. Located in the municipality of Crowsnest Pass. On April 29, 1903, 82 million tonnes of rock fell from Turtle Mountain and buried part of the coal mining town of Frank; 70 people died. Find out the story behind the Frank Slide. Frankslide.ca

26. Enjoy snow in the summer at the Columbia Icefield Glacier.

From Highway 93, one can see the Athabasca, Stutfield and

Dome glaciers. Ice Explorer and professionally-guided hiking tours are available on the Athabasca glacier.

27. Boldly go to the Vulcan Tourism & Trek Station. Located one hour southeast of Calgary. The Station is truly out of this world.

Crew members will be on hand to answer any questions about the Station, as well as the town of Vulcan and Vulcan County.

Vulcantourism.com

28. Take a hike at Writing on Stone Provincial Park. See ancient carvings (petroglyphs) and paintings, which cover sheer sandstone cliffs. The park also protects native prairie grasslands, the meandering Milk River, hoodoos and unique wildlife.

29. Explore historic buildings at Sundre Pioneer Village Museum.

Four acres including a blacksmith shop, school, cabin, ranger station and reception center with a 5600 square-foot display area. Sundremuseum.com

30. Learn about mining at Leitch Collieries. Located in the municipality of Crowsnest Pass. While visiting Frank Slide, take the time to stop at one of the largest and most ambitious coal mines in the Crowsnest Pass. Walk among the ruins of the powerhouse, mine manager’s house and coke ovens.

Leitchcollieries.ca

It’s Party time! Looking for an Skating Pool Archery tag Bouncers

awesome birthday party idea for your child?

Look no further than SLS Family Sports Centre in Cochrane!

Just 20 mins West of Calgary!