Issue link: http://read.canadatravelguides.ca/i/1471704
AB 46 and the redevelopment of the East Village has revitalized this historic section of east downtown. The city has preserved much of the sandstone buildings along Stephen Avenue Walk, where many great restaurants and shops are found, along with the Olympic Plaza and the Calgary Tower. Numerous retail stores and eateries are also part of The CORE complex (www.visitcalgary.com). The architecturally striking Calgary Central Library is adjacent to the popular National Music Centre, east of downtown's office towers. The library's features include a public art exhibit, a performance hall, community meeting spaces, Indigenous Place Making and early learning centres (www.calgary library.ca). Residents are devout nature lovers, flocking to the city's network of river pathways as well as the inner city Prince's Island Park, Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, and Bowness Park and its pretty lagoon, where families can skate in winter and canoe and paddleboat in summer. Just west of City Hall, Olympic Plaza is a busy festival and performance venue that hosted the 1988 Winter Olympic ceremonies. The Calgary Zoo is renowned for its conservation initiatives while, south of the city, Spruce Meadows attracts equestrians to several international show-jumping competitions each summer. THE GREAT OUTDOORS Head for the hills from summer to fall for a guided multi-day backcountry pack trip on horseback. Sleep under the stars and listen to coyotes howl in a riverside tent camp in Dinosaur Provincial Park, home to some of the planet's largest fossil beds and fantastic interpretive programs. Or scramble up the Via Ferrata (Italian for iron path), a rope and cable-assisted mountain journey at Mt. Norquay near Banff. Should winter be your season, abundant ice-climbing, skiing, fishing, snowshoeing and ATV journeys can be found across the province. Explore the snow-caked Spray Lakes valley on dogsled. Drive the winter ice road to Fort Chipewyan, Alberta's oldest First Nations community north of Fort McMurray, or photograph wildflowers among the alpine lakes at Sunshine Village resort west of Banff or the Plain of Six Glaciers trail near Lake Louise. HERITAGE AND CULTURE The province's history is just over a century old, but the First Nations heritage dates to prehistoric times. Métis Crossing, northeast of Edmonton, offers a taste of the musical culture created by the melding of First Nations Peoples with European settlers in the 19 th century. Fort Edmonton tells of the city's Gold Rush era, when these same voyageurs paved the way for the fur trade. Calgary's Heritage Park Historical Village overlooks the calm waters of the Glenmore Reservoir— where dragon boat racing and other water sports are held. History is also chronicled at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, one of the UNESCO sites in Alberta, or Blackfoot Crossing—a modern interpretive centre built into the Bow River bluffs east of Calgary. Explore transportation history at the Remington Carriage Museum at Cardston or Special Events www.travelalberta.com/ca/ things-to-do/events-festivals JANUARY • ICE MAGIC FESTIVAL, LAKE LOUISE • SNOWDAYS FESTIVAL, BANFF JANUARY – FEBRUARY • ICE ON WHYTE ICE CARVING FESTIVAL, EDMONTON JUNE • SLED ISLAND MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL, CALGARY • WATERTON WILDFLOWER FESTIVAL JULY • BIG VALLEY JAMBOREE, CAMROSE • CALGARY STAMPEDE • CANADIAN BADLANDS PASSION PLAY, DRUMHELLER • EDMONTON INTERNATIONAL STREET PERFORMERS FESTIVAL • K-DAYS, EDMONTON • VUL-CON, VULCAN JULY – AUGUST • CANMORE FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL AUGUST • EDMONTON INTERNATIONAL FRINGE THEATRE FESTIVAL NOVEMBER • AGRI-TRADE EQUIPMENT EXPO, RED DEER museum in western Canada (www.royal albertamuseum.ca). The meandering North Saskatchewan River cuts a steep swath through the city north of downtown, and can be explored by canoe or raft (www.edmonton.ca). The "Festival City" boasts more than 90 events a year. Its long winters are cause for several events including the Ice on Whyte winter festival in January/February. Summer offerings include the Fringe Theatre Festival, the Folk Music Festival, K-Days and Heritage Festival. North America's largest indoor shopping complex is like a self-contained mini-city. West Edmonton Mall spans the equivalent of 48 city blocks, has 800+ retail/food outlets and the year-round World Waterpark. Fort Edmonton Park along the North Saskatchewan River showcases the fur trade and Gold Rush eras. Calgary's office towers, which contain the majority of Canada's oil and gas company headquarters, were built to showcase the Rockies on the western horizon. Nearby Chinatown segues to the Bow River pathway WEST EDMONTON MALL • SHUTTERSTOCK/JEFF WHYTE