RASC Calgary Centre - Calgary

Page last updated November 5, 2018
Contents:

Location
Views of the city
Things to See and Do in Calgary
Things to See and Do in the Canadian Rockies
Things to See and Do in the Surrounding Area
Traveling to and around Calgary
Other Links

For more information about Calgary visit: The City of Calgary web site

Location:
Calgary is a large metropolitan centre of a million people located in the southern half
of the province of Alberta, Canada at the junction of the Bow and Elbow Rivers in close
proximity to the Rocky Mountains and Banff National Park. It is the fifth largest city
in Canada with an area of 721.73 square km (278.54 square mi).

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Views of the City:
Calgary is situated on the western edge of the Canadian Prairies in the "Foothills"
at an elevation of 1,139 metres (3,740 feet above sea level), where the terrain is
changing from flat prairie to the Rocky Mountains.

Calgary from the east looking across the downtown core towards the snow-capped
Rocky Mountains on the horizon (about an hour away via the Trans-Canada Highway).

Calgary from the South
(images from the Shaw webcam)

Calgary from Space.
North is up and slightly to the right in this image which was taken several years ago.
The Bow River enters from the north-west and exits in the south-east. The Elbow River
enters from the south-west, creates the Glenmore Reservoir and empties into the Bow River
just east of downtown. The large diamond-shaped park in the city's north is "Nose Hill".
The Calgary International Airport is to its right. The large horse shoe shaped park at the
south is Fish Creek Park where the RASC holds public "star nights" each Spring and Fall.

Another view of Calgary from Space. (North is to the right in this image)

Another view of Calgary from Space at night. (North is to the left in this image)

Things to See and Do in Calgary

Unlock the secrets of the universe at the TELUS World of Science	Experience Chuckwagon Racing at the Calgary Stampede
Enjoy a day in the wild at the Calgary Zoo	Explore Calgary's History at Heritage Park

Some of the sightseeing highlights:

TELUS World of Science - This science and technology learning center attracts many visitors for its notable Discovery Dome Theatre, a huge dome screen equipped with digital sound. There is a series of exhibitions for children, with plenty of hands-on learning stations. A food kiosk and a science-oriented gift shop round out the experience. Easy access via the C-Train.
The world famous Calgary Stampede
Horse Racing at Stampede Park - When the Calgary Stampede pulls up stakes and leaves town, Stampede Park remains active throughout the year. The oval track hosts live thoroughbred and standardbred horse racing for seven months a year, plus year-round simulcast wagering from across North America and Hong Kong. The spring thoroughbred meet leads up to the Alberta Derby in mid-June and the Nat Christie Memorial, late August, is the crown jewel of the summer standardbred season. The grandstand at Stampede Park offers outdoor seating for those who just have to be close to the action. If you want you can hang out down near the rail and watch the horses twitch their ears as they warm up prior to the race. When the weather takes a turn for the worst, you can head inside and watch the races on several televisions throughout the grandstand. If you must sit in the lap of luxury, you don't have to pay an arm and a leg for it. You can enjoy a reserved box or rail seat in the clubhouse and swap betting strategies with your neighbours over a pre-race meal.
The Calgary Zoo - Attractions Canada recently voted this park the top outdoor site in the country. It features more than 1,100 animals from around the world and an ever-growing portfolio of innovative exhibitions, which allows guests to get up close and personal with grizzly bears, moose and wolves. Life-sized dinosaur models lurk in the badlands of the Prehistoric Park, and the more genteel setting of the botanical park includes a butterfly garden. Easy access from the C-Train.
Heritage Park Historical Village - Experience the sights and sounds of life at the turn of the century. Heritage Park brings the nostalgia of yesteryear to life - right in the heart of Calgary. Ride the rails aboard a thundering authentic steam locomotive, enjoy the thrills of an Antique Midway, then step aboard the S.S. Moyie Sternwheeler and cruise the reservoir. With regular paid admission, you can also enjoy a FREE western breakfast from 9 -10 a.m. daily throughout the summer. No C-Train access but is a easy drive or taxi ride.
The Stephen Ave Mall (AKA 8th Ave. SW) is a pedestrian mall in the downtown core (and is where the Hyatt hotel is located). It has oodles of shopping, cafes, restaurants, and bars.
Eau Claire Market is within walking distance from the Hyatt Hotel and contains a number of indoor/outdoor cafe's and restaurants, tourist shopping, and an IMAX theatre. It is also the gateway to Calgary's beloved Prince's Island Park. An easy walk (approximately 20 minutes) from the Hyatt hotel. Click here for some pictures of Eau Claire Market & Prince's Island Park.
Prince's Island Park - Statistics say that Prince's Island is one of the most used urban parks in North America. Come here on a sunny day and you will not doubt it. Way back when, the Island was used to catch felled trees floating down the Bow River from logging projects upstream. Now this bit of serenity in downtown serves as a favourite venue for joggers, football tossers, family picnics, flocks of Canada Geese, buskers, Shakespearean actors and nearly every major festival that Calgary hosts. This is also a great place for a quiet paddle down the river. Admission is free. The park is also at the heart of Calgary's 500 km of recreation pathways and 260 km of on-street bike lanes. An easy (approximately 20 minutes) walk from the Hyatt hotel.
Calgary Pathway System - Calgary boasts the largest pathway system in North America. Nearly every day of the year, regardless of the weather, you can find Calgarians running, walking, riding, rolling and even skiing along 500 kilometres of paths. The network twists its way through countless municipal parks, alongside rivers and reservoirs, past skyscrapers, into valleys and through mini-forests, fields of wild flowers and other surprises. Use of the pathways is absolutely free. Click here for a map of the pathway system.
The Calgary Tower is Calgary's most famous and identifiable physical landmark (it looks like a "baby" CN tower). Though now over 35 years old, the Calgary Tower offers the Best View in Calgary and is still a must-see on any tourist's itinerary. The tower contains a restaurant and bar and is an easy walk (~ 5 minutes) from the Hyatt hotel.
The Glenbow Museum is western Canada's largest museum. The art collection contains some 28,000 works which date primarily from the 19th century to the present. Glenbow acquires historical, modern and contemporary works from the northwest quadrant of North America, focusing on the representation of this region and its place in western Canada. An easy walk (~ 5 minutes) from the Hyatt hotel.
Devonian Gardens is one of the world's largest indoor botanical gardens filled with over 20,000 species of plants as well as original art and fish ponds. An easy walk (~5 minutes) from the Hyatt hotel. Free admission.
Fish Creek Park is Canada's largest urban park (stretching some 20 kilometres), covering much of the southern breadth of the city. Running along shallow, winding Fish Creek, the park is a labyrinth of walking and cycling paths, peppered by groves of mature trees and open meadows. The park features no organized recreational grounds, with day usage intended instead for walking, cycling, blading or picnicking, although tobogganing is popular in the winter. Stables are at one end of the park, and at the far east and south end is the man-made Lake Sikome beach and swimming area. In between are endless acres of largely unspoiled land, where visitors often spot deer or beaver. Archaeological work indicates the Fish Creek valley has been used extensively by humans for more than 2,000 years. To protect this unique area, the province declared it a park in 1975. The Fish Creek Environmental Learning Center, at the west end of the park, is intended primarily for school groups. At the east end, the Bow Valley Ranch Visitor Center, a small bakery cafe, and a more upscale sit-down restaurant, dubbed The Ranch, greet visitors. Easy access from via the C-Train. Free admission.
The Inglewood Bird Sanctuary and Nature Centre is located on the Bow River at 2425 - 9 Ave. S.E. Nestled beside the Bow River at the east end of 9th Ave south, the city-owned sanctuary offers two-and-a-half kilometres of hiking trails that take you through 80 acres of grasslands and riverine forest habitats, home to both white-tail and mule deer as well as foxes, coyotes and long-tailed weasels. And what would a bird sanctuary be without birds? Some 250 species of birds call Inglewood home year round or during their spring and fall migrations. Admission is free. No pets or bicycles.
Fort Calgary - Meet characters from the past as you stroll through Calgary from 1875 to 1940, in our interpretive center. Check out Calgary's first boxcar train station, play with vintage toys in the backyard, record your own radio play or take a virtual streetcar tour of the old town. You can also live a day in the live of the North West Mounted Police, as you visit the 1875 Fort. Be sure to grab a bite to eat in the Mess Kitchen or at The Deane House restaurant. History has never been so much fun! Located at 750 - 9th Avenue S.E. (right on the N.E. corner of 9th Avenue and 6th St. S.E.). Please call (403) 290-1875 if you need directions. About a 3 block walk southeast of the 4th St. SE C-Train stop.

More things to See and Do in Calgary

Aerospace Museum of Calgary
Big Rock Brewery
Calgary Soccer Centre
Canada Olympic Park
Crossroads Market
Family Leisure Centre
Leisure Centres
Firefighters Museum Society
The Military Museums - Western Canada's largest military museum
Naval Museum of Alberta Society
Race City Motorsport park
Spruce Meadows Equestrian Show Jumping Centre
Jubilations Dinner Theatre
Stage West Theatre Restaurants
Jubilee Auditorium
The Calgary Flames NHL Hocky club
Calgary Stampeder CFL Football Club (McMahon Stadium)
The Calgary Vipers baseball club
The Pengrowth Saddledome
The University of Calgary
The University of Calgary Map
The University of Calgary's Rothney Astrophysical Observatory
www.downtowncalgary.com has a great deal of information regarding sights, events, shopping, restaurants, pubs etc. located in Calgary's historic downtown core.
Where Magazine is another great resource.

Things to See and Do in the Canadian Rockies

The Canadian Rockies

Click here for the Travel Alberta web site (with maps)
Click here for a map of Southern Alberta

No trip to Calgary is complete without a visit to the Rockies. Banff is only a 1 - 1.5 hour drive from Calgary. But why restrict yourself to Banff? You can go hiking, camping, or sightseeing in any one of the many nearby Rocky Mountain National and Provincial parks in the Calgary area.
If you prefer to avoid driving, you can take a tour of many regions in southern Alberta (including Calgary & the Rockies) through a company such as Brewster.
There are also a number of more commercial activities that one can enjoy in the Banff area, such as:
- Shopping in the town of Banff.
- Dining or drinking in the town of Banff.
- Play a round of golf.
- Go Horseback Riding.
- Go Whitewater Rafting.
- More activities can be found here.

Things to See and Do in the Surrounding Area

Click here for the Travel Alberta web site (with maps)

Click here for a map of Southern Alberta

The Royal Tyrrell Museum (in Drumheller, 138km; about a 1.5 hour drive northeast of Calgary). Drumheller is located in a area known as Dinosaur valley in the Canadian Badlands and has been designated a United Nations World Heritage Site for the sheer abundance of dinosaur remains found there. Driving into the valley is a surprise (since it's difficult to see from the prairie above) and provides a stunning desert experience. Click here for a PDF of the Drumheller Travel Guide. The Royal Tyrrell museum is one of the largest paleontological museums in the world and is a great place to take the whole family. Bring your hiking boots since there are many desert trails you can follow.
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump (165 km; about a 1.75 hour drive south of Calgary near Fort Macleod) is another UN World Heritage Site. Aboriginal people would use the cliffs to drive herds of buffalo off to their demise. Head-Smashed-In is a site that had been used on and off for the last 5,700 years. This site is very important in that it gives a very extensive explanation of an ancient way of life.
The Alberta Badlands

Traveling to and around Calgary

Important Note for American Visitors:
A passport is required on all return flights to the USA.
If you do not have a passport you will not be permitted on the plane.

Travelling to Calgary

Driving - ... Calgary is located in southern Alberta on key east-west (Canada #1) and north-south (Alberta #2) regional highways

Click here to get to an Alberta highway map.
Flying - Your destination is the Calgary International Airport It is a large modern airport with direct flights from numerous cities via Canadian or American airlines. We have elected not to retain a preferred airline for this conference, since better ticket prices and more travel flexibility are available through seat sales.

Getting to and from the Airport

Taxis are readily available on the arrivals level at the Calgary International Airport, as are major car rental companies.

Car Rental

All the major car rental agencies are represented at Calgary International Airport as well as the downtown area.

Getting Around Calgary

Click here for the City of Calgary's "getting around" information

Click here for a map of Calgary and 21 sites of interest. (For some reason it has all the McDonald's locations on it!)
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Click here for a map of the Calgary downtown core.

Directions in Calgary: Understanding directions in Calgary is easy once you understand the lingo! The city is split into 4 quadrants (NE, NW, SE, & SW). Center street divides the city in the East-West direction and the Bow River divides the City in the North-South direction. Furthermore, AVENUES run East-West and STREETS run North-South. So, an address like "1014 - 14th Ave SW" tells you immediately that the address is in the SW quadrant of the city, is on 14th avenue, and is between 9th street and 10th street. The quadrant is REALLY important or you may find yourself at the correct address but on the wrong side of the city!
The +15 System: Yes...we live in a cold climate but with Calgary's +15 system (pronounced: PLUS-FIFTEEN), we rarely need to go outside on cold winter days. The +15 system is a series of 57 enclosed inter-building pedestrian bridges (located approximately 15 feet off the ground) connecting over 100 Downtown office buildings. Inside the +15 system you can walk from one side of the downtown core to the other, shop for almost anything under the Sun (it encompasses a large shopping mall known as The Eaton Centre/TD Square), and find many pubs and restaurants. All in climate-controlled comfort! Click here for information about the +15 system .
Calgary's C-Train (our above-ground LRT or "Light Rail Transit" system) and all the Bus feeder routes are quite good at taking you to many of the interesting places in Calgary. The C-Train, however, doesn't go out to the airport. The system is cheap, clean, efficient and safe. Adult fares may be purchased at automatic kiosks located at each train stop. Note: the C-Train is free(!) if you are travelling within the downtown core on 7th Avenue S. (between the 10th SW and 3rd St. SE stops). It is operated on the honour system so you just buy a ticket and get on the train. Transit Security occasionally checks to see if people bought their tickets and hands out hefty fines to those that didn't!. Click here for a map of the C-Train system.
Driving & Parking: Calgary is a wide-open, car-friendly city. Driving and parking pretty well anywhere is not difficult. However, Calgary is also a city that has enjoyed explosive growth, and our 1 million inhabitants share a road system designed for half that number. I'd recommend that you avoid driving during rush hours (07:00 - 09:00 and 16:30 - 18:30) and avoid trying to park in the cramped downtown core during work hours.