Looking for spring break fun for the whole family? Whether you’re staycationing in Calgary or visiting from out of town, we have lots of fun ideas for you! From tourist attractions and picnics, to urban hikes and daytrips, here’s how to keep kids busy over spring break in Calgary.
Table of Contents
1. Tourist Attractions
Calgary is home to some amazing attractions and markets! Have a “Say Yes” Day and let the kids choose one (or more) to visit over Spring Break. Admission fees for a family of 4: $ = $1-29, $$ = $30-49, $$$ = $50-79. Local’s tip: If you think you will visit more than 3 times, consider buying an annual pass.
Fun Calgary tourist attractions to visit with kids:
- The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo ($$$): With over 1,000 animals, an awesome adventure playground, carousel, high quality interpretive programs, and a magical seasonal butterfly garden (in the Conservatory), kids will LOVE visiting the Calgary Zoo. Enjoy Easter Activities and treats during Easter Egg-stravaganza (March 29-April 1, 2024). Sunday Safari Brunch is a great way to start the day! Reservations required.
- Telus Spark Science Centre ($$$): In addition to the amazing exhibits, kids will love the Brainasium outdoor play area and its 63 foot high giant slide (there’s also an indoor play area for younger kids), walking through space in the Digital Immersion Gallery (on now until October 2024), watching a movie in the Infinity Dome Theater, attending a Science Show, trying Astronaut ice cream, and visiting the the Open Studio for two virtual reality (VR) adventures.
- Youthlink Calgary Police Interpretive Centre (free admission!) has lots of interactive exhibits and activities related to law enforcement and crime prevention. Kids can learn about the history and science behind police work, try on uniforms, and discover different types of law enforcement careers, from patrol officers to forensic investigators. We were pleasantly surprised by how much there was to do!
- Barnyard Baby Days at Butterfield Acres is your chance to cuddle the baby animals. If you’re lucky, you might get to bottlefeed some! Pony rides and tractor rides are lots of fun too. Saturdays & Sundays from April 1 – 16, 2023.
- Studio Bell: Home of the National Music Centre offers a unique and educational experience for kids who are interested in music. They can play instruments, explore galleries, attend performances, and even record their own music.
- Calgary Tower ($$$): Ride the elevator to the top of the tower and enjoy seeing buildings and cars get smaller as you ascend, visit the Observation Deck, then for a thrilling experience, step onto the glass floor (if you’re not afraid of heights). The observation deck slowly rotates so you can get a 360 view of Calgary!
Visit a bird/wildlife sanctuary or fish hatchery
My kids love exploring the Discovery Centre and feeding the fish at Bow Habitat Station ($$). While you’re there, visit Pearce Estate Park’s playground and wetlands trail, or have a picnic. It’s a short walk or bike ride to Harvie Rapids where you can watch river surfers and kayakers.
The Inglewood Bird Sanctuary and Nature Centre are fun for exploring – don’t forget your binoculars! While you’re there, check out this family-friendly bike tour of Inglewood!
For an unforgettable experience, visit Yamnuska Wolfdog Sanctuary ($$$) near Cochrane and take a tour to learn more about these magnificent creatures and wolf conservation.
Solve a mystery on a self-guided walking tour!
Try and outdoor escape room style adventure, ClueSolvers’ Sculpted in Time Adventure, and discover some cool public art! Over 90 minutes and 3 kilometres, you will visit 17 sculptures and landmarks while solving a mystery (one clue per location). It’s fun for all ages and if you get stuck, you can ask the app for a hint (but you’ll be docked time). We loved it! Suitable for ages 10 & up.
Go for lunch at a local Farmer’s Market
Calgary Farmer’s Market, Crossroads Market, and Symons Valley Ranch are open year round!
2. Explore Calgary’s Parks
Visit a park you’ve never been to and go for a bike ride/urban hike and picnic. Here are some of our favorite walking trails, bike paths, and picnic areas in Calgary.
Short, scenic walking trails in Calgary
These local trails are fun for all ages!
- Waterfall Valley to the Bow River Lookout is short and scenic.
- Confluence Park to Split Rock (a glacial erratic) for unique photos. Can you believe the rock is from Mount Edith Cavell in Jasper?
- Edworthy Park: Park on the north side near Angels Cafe (good snack spot!), try the fitness equipment, cross the bridge and throw rocks in the river, play at all 4 playgrounds, then hike the Douglas Fir Trail to the lookout (microspikes required – it can get very icy in spring)
- Fish Creek Park Ice Falls and Ice Caves is super cool in early spring. Don’t miss the Artisan Gardens (free to visit!) next to Bow Valley Ranche Restaurant before you leave the park.
- Confederation Park: Rosemont Community Centre to the duck pond is always fun, or take the underpass to east side of the park and follow the paved path to the the nature playground.
- Ralph Klein Park has an awesome nature playground. The adjacent wetlands offer excellent birdwatching opportunities in the spring.
- Nose Hill Park to the Medicine Wheel, intermittent pond, or airport viewing rocks.
Want to find a little waterfall, Medicine Wheel, or cool sculptures around Calgary? Check out this post on Landmarks to Look for in Calgary Parks.
Calgary Bike Rides & Bike Parks
Our story 10 Fun Family Bike Rides in Calgary has a collection of paved, beginner-friendly bike paths. For a longer bike ride, bike across Fish Creek Provincial Park (11 km one way or more depending on which side trails you take), around Glenmore Reservoir (14 km loop), or explore the Rotary Mattamy Greenway, a 145 kilometre network of bike paths around Calgary.
For urban mountain biking, head to Nose Hill Park, Eastlands (east of Winsport), or Fish Creek Provincial Park for sweet single track. Nearby West Bragg Creek has an awesome network of mountain biking trails; green are easy, blue are intermediate, and black diamond are advanced.
Mountain bike skills parks and pump tracks are lots of fun too! Some popular ones in and around Calgary include the following (click links below for Google Maps pin):
- Fish Creek Mountain Bike Skills Park
- South Glenmore Pump Track
- Fairview Pump Track
- Chestermere Bike Park
Too wet and mucky at your local bike park? Try B-LINE Indoor Bike Park!
Calgary’s Best Playgrounds
Mix it up and visit new-to-you playgrounds! Some of our favorite playgrounds in Calgary are the new one at Shouldice Park (it’s huge and accessible!), Nellie Breen with its trees for shade and chairs to relax on, and East Village and St. Patrick’s Island. School playgrounds are fair game when school is closed (note that CBE’s spring break has different dates than Catholic schools); we like them because they’re big.
To discover more awesome playgrounds in the city, visit Calgary Playground Review.
Calgary Picnic Areas
The following Calgary Parks have reservable picnic sites (sites may be reserved from May long weekend until Thanksgiving). Visit the Calgary Parks links below for more info:
- Bowness Park – 8 picnic sites with fire pits
- Edworthy Park – 9 picnic sites (8 have fire pits)
- North Glenmore Park – 15 of 16 picnic sites available in 2021 (9 have fire pits)
- South Glenmore Park – several picnic sites + 1 picnic shelter
- Prairie Winds Park – 3 picnic sites
- Pearce Estate Park – 1 picnic site with 11 tables
- Sandy Beach – 9 picnic sites with firepits
- Shouldice Park – 2 picnic sites (1 has a firepit)
- Stanley Park– 2 picnic sites
Note that picnic sites are first come first served if they have not been reserved; check on-site signage before you get set up to make sure you don’t crash someone’s birthday party.
If you’d like to book a community fire pit for free, visit https://www.calgary.ca/csps/winter-city-calgary/winter-activities/winter-fire-pits/drop-in-and-bookable-fire-pits-community-parks.html
3. Take a Day Trip
Explore a neighboring town
One of the kids’ favorite day trips last year was to Cochrane, only 30 km away. We rode our bikes to the playground at Tim Bannister Memorial Rink (333 Mountain Street), dined at Tim’s Pizza, walked by the river, then ended our day at MacKay’s Ice Cream. Although we were so close to home, the change of scenery made our short outing feel special.
Other options less than an hour away include:
- Airdrie: Ironhorse Park, Nose Creek Park, Genesis Place
- Chestermere: bike park, Chestermere Lake
- Okotoks: “Big Rock” glacial erratic, BMX track; then head to Marv’s Classic Soda Shop in Diamond Valley
- Bragg Creek: hiking, xc skiing, snowshoeing, fatbiking, and mountain biking
- Kirk’s Alpaca Farm: Cuddle and feed fluffy alpacas in Torrington, Alberta then visit the Gopher Museum.
Fun road trips 1-2 hours from Calgary include:
- Canmore: Go on a cave tour, try an outdoor escape room, climb at Elevation Place
- Banff: Have a picnic and fire at Cascade Ponds, ride the Banff Gondola, and go to Upper Banff Hot Springs
- Drumheller: Bike from the World’s Biggest Dinosaur to the Royal Tyrrell Museum.
Visit a provincial/national park and hike, bike, snowshoe, or ski
Here are some trails to try within 2 hours of Calgary:
- The Best Short Hikes Near Calgary ( less than 4 km round trip, within 1 hr from Calgary)
- The Best Short Hikes in Kananaskis (less than 6.5 km round trip)
- The Best Spring Hikes in Banff
- The Best Spring Hikes in Kananaskis
Traction devices will be required for most mountain hikes at this time of year. See our story Traction Devices for Winter Walks and Hikes for our top recommendations. You should also carry bear spray and use bug spray – ticks are out!
Travel Tips: For day trips, limit driving time to 3 hours total. Everyone is happiest out of the car! Check trail reports for current conditions and avoid avalanche terrain. To save money, pack a picnic, or plan to roast smokies at a picnic area.
4. Try something new
- Try geocaching! Instructions on geocaching with your smartphone are here. You can play for free.
- Go climbing at an indoor climbing centre ($$).
- Take a ski or snowboard lesson ($$$). Winsport is located in NW Calgary, Nakiska is only one hour away, and Mount Norquay is 1.5 hours away.
- Snow tubing at Winsport ($$$), Nakiska ($$$), Mount Norquay ($$$), or Lake Louise Ski Area ($$$) is a blast whether you ski or not!
- Visit a local marsh and do some birding. Learn how to use the free Merlin Bird ID app from Cornell University here. Pearce Estate Park and the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary are great places to try first.
- Rent a fat bike ($$$) and go fat biking in Bragg Creek or Canmore. Rent from BikeBike in Calgary or Rebound Cycle in Canmore.
Know Before You Go
Look for coupons at Calgary Attractions or Groupon to save on admission fees.
We wish you a wonderful Spring Break in Calgary!
Related Links
- The Best Spring Hikes in Kananaskis
- The Best Spring Hikes in Banff
- 15 Fun things to do in Canmore this spring
