Heritage Park – The Perfect Family Outing in Calgary

Many years ago, when my first-born was a toddler and obsessed with trains like many toddlers are, we visited Calgary over summer vacation. Upon our return, several friends asked if we had gone to Heritage Park (we hadn’t). We learned quickly that a train obsessed toddler had to go to Heritage Park – it was almost a right of passage for my friend’s kids to take them! One more mommy fail behind me, I made a point to visit some day. Unfortunately for him, that toddler was about 9 the first time we actually got to Heritage Park. Fortunately for us, there were still may things to entice him – and his two younger sisters – at that point.

This past summer, we had the opportunity to return as part of the Momblr campaign – mommy bloggers sharing Calgary’s best sites and stops for families. I’ve been waiting so long to share a super-fun video with you all highlighting our trip (we were followed by a camera crew the entire day!) but I’m not sure when I’ll see it, so I wanted to at the very least share this post while we’re waiting (and before the snow flies in Calgary!) I learned that, although the Winter Hours at Heritage Park start October 14th, there’s still plenty to do at Heritage Park year round.

Here, as condensed as best I could, are 4 Perfect Family Outing Activities at Heritage Park:

1. Gasoline Alley Museum
Have a fan of the Cars movies in our family or perhaps just a child (or adult!) that loves the look and nostalgia of old automobiles? Gasoline Alley Museum (open year-round) is a step back in time with activities for the whole family. Elijah (10) liked the old automobiles (an old camper was particularly intreguing to him) while Everleigh loved zooming around on the tricycle course just for preschoolers.

2. The Rides (all of them)
While the Conklin Lakeview Amusement Park has several rides for the whole family (we love the Ferris Wheel the best!) the Steam Train is a great way to relax, get out of the sun, and see the park (or take a shortcut when needed!)  Of course, never underestimate the thrill of dad tossing you in the air either…

3. The Animals
For my city kids, having access to horses, goats and chickens was a lot of fun! My 10 year old was absolutely floored that goats have rectangular pupils just like he read about in a book (at least he learned that in a book and not a video game…)

4. Trying Something New
Whether it’s conquering your fear of heights on an old fashioned Ferris Wheel, experiencing life as a pioneer, or learning to throw a spear, Heritage Park has no shortage of hands-on activities for the family.

You can learn more about Heritage Park Calgary at the website here!  Hopefully I’ll have our video to share with you soon which shares so much more than the few photos I have from our adventure!