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Calgary's bustling metropolis and vibrant cultural are worth exploring, but sightseeing in Calgary is dominated by the natural wonders that surround the city. Calgary is the gateway to Alberta's many impressive landscapes, which include mountain lakes, rolling prairies, and icy glaciers.

If you do find yourself exploring the city however, there are many museums and cultural sites in Calgary worth visiting, all located within easy distance of the city centre. The Glenbow Museum is Alberta's largest history museum, with nearly 30,000 artefacts from Canada's history, with a cafe, shop, library and archives are also onsite. The Tsuu T'ina Museum looks more specifically at the history of the Sarcee tribe, complete with antique headdresses and a model teepee. Another museum worth noting is the Cantos Music Foundation, which traces the evolution of the piano, and has over 400 different keyboard instruments on display.

The Heritage Park Historic Village takes a living look at Canada's history, with an antique midway, old-fashioned bakery and candy store, and authentic steam train among the attractions. Fort Calgary is another place to explore frontier life, with 40 acres of land set up to resemble life in 1875. The Deane House Historic Site and Restaurant is located at Fort Calgary as well.

Calgary was the host for the 1988 Olympics, and you can tour facilities like the Olympic Oval skating arena; McMahon Stadium, which hosted the opening and closing ceremony; and Olympic Plaza, which was built at one of Canada's best skiing hills and offers mountain biking, rock climbing, bungee jumping and luge rides in the summer; and skiing (cross-country and downhill), snowboarding, and bobsled rides in the winter.

Prince's Island Park brings nature into the heart of the city, with fishing sites and a network of hiking and biking trails. The park also features the Eau Claire Market, with its array of funky boutiques, restaurants, theatres and art galleries.

Glenbow Museum

Glenbow Museum

Located in the heart of Calgary, opposite the tower, the Glenbow Museum is Canada's largest museum, with more than 93,000 square feet (8,640 sq metres) of exhibition space spread over three floors. It houses more than a million objects that fill up its...  see full details



Calgary Zoo

Calgary Zoo

Canada's second largest zoo is home to more than 1,000 animals from all over the world, as well as a variety of fish and insects in natural habitat enclosures. It also features a prehistoric park with 19 life-size animatronic dinosaurs on display. The...  see full details



Fort Calgary

Fort Calgary

This historical site chronicles Calgary's history between 1875 and the 1940s and allows visitors to step back in time and explore the early days of the city through interactive exhibits, costumed interpreters, hands on activities, guided tours and an entertaining audio-visual presentation. Fort Calgary...  see full details



Heritage Park Historical Village

Heritage Park is a 'living history village', comprised of over 150 exhibitions that attempt to show what life was like in Alberta in the 19th and 20th centuries. Set on 127 beautiful acres of parkland, and located just 15 minutes from Calgary's CBD,...  see full details



Canada Olympic Park

Canada Olympic Park was a major venue during the 1988 Winter Olympic Games, and now hosts skiing and snowboarding programmes every winter; as well as housing the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame and Museum. COP (as it's known to locals) remains a chief...  see full details