My Favorite ‘Right Here’ Moment in Calgary

I have loved travelling since a little girl and one of the first cities I traveled to was Calgary. The city, which I visited twice with my mother is full of special moments that you’ll never forget and has definitely had a long-lasting impact on me. From early days on the river to late nights downtown, Calgary shows travellers that right here is where you need to be. 

I visited Calgary in the summertime when the hot and dry weather makes the city full of fun things to do. One of the most memorable moments of my visits was visiting the Calgary Zoo. Conveniently located only five from downtown, the Calgary Zoo has been offering visitors from around the world the opportunity to experience and interact with wildlife for 70 years. It’s western Canada’s largest accredited zoo with over 1,000 animals, 6 acres of botanical gardens, a prehistoric park, zoo-nique playgrounds and more! 

This is the moment you walk around the world in one day

One of my favorite areas of the zoo is the Prehistoric Park that pays homage to the time when Dinosaurs ruled the surrounding lands. Back in the Cretaceous Period, the area which now constitutes the province of Alberta, was a much warmer, lusher place, with huge huge rivers and abundant plant life where herbivorous dinosaurs thrived. Down the line their meat-eating cousins moved in and took over the lands. After the dinosaurs died out, their bones were fossilized beneath the slit of flooding rivers, resulting in the wealth of dinosaur remains found in area today. 

In the prehistoric park, children not only learn about this time but are brought back to it. Families can walk through the many paths of the park while observing lifelike dinosaur sculptures by rock and fauna that mimics the landscape enjoyed by the dinosaurs themselves. Many of the models are based on local Albertan fossils found in the Red Deer River Valley. 

After visiting the Prehistoric time, visitors are catapulted back to the present while visiting the rest of the zoo that shows off all the wonderful wildlife that exists within the world today. From amphibians, birds, invertebrates, fish, mammals and reptiles the Calgary zoo has something to offer all members off the families.

My favorite exhibit is the Penguin Plunge where you can get to know Homboldt, Gentoo, Rockhopper and King penguins. Children will love watching the playful penguins relaxing on rocky outcropping, waddling around and plunging into the ice cold water! 

The Calgary Zoo is truly a fun filled day for the whole family. Be sure to visit the Calgary Zoo website where you’ll find information on planning your visit and information about their other exhibits.

Besides the zoo, Calgary boasts tons of fun family activities that will keep parents and kids entertained. Some other highlights of the city include, Heritage Park, Calaway Park, the Calgary Tower, Sheraton Cavalier, Telus Spark and Globalfest.

You never know where the perfect moment you’ll never forget will find you. Calgary will show you that ‘right here’ is exactly where you need to be. Check out Visit Calgary to learn more about the all ‘right here’ moments that are awaiting you when you visit the city.  

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored conversation about the city of Calgary. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Visit Calgary.