OneCity
THREE VENUES
Calgary
By Hélèna Katz
Calgary may be in the foothills,
but it refuses to be overshadowed
by the compelling attraction
of the Rocky Mountains.
This city is energetic and proud
and has attitude. Don't be
fooled — there's much more
to the Western boom town
than the riches of the oil patch.
1. FOR ADVENTUROUS TRAVELLERS: Olympic moment
Hurtling down the 1,500-metre ice track at Canada Olympic Park could well be the longest
60 seconds of your life. While a bobsled driver does the heavy lifting, visitors can
experience their own Olympic moment along the twisting and high-banked ice track.
At speeds of up to 120 kilometres per hour, you'll either get your adrenaline pumping
or get your stomach soaring in terror.
For a different kind of rush, the park is introducing outdoor luge rides this year.
Participants lie face up on the luge and zip down the track at up to 60 kilometres per
hour. The venue, a legacy of the 1988 Olympic Winter Games, is both a training facility
for some of Canada's top athletes and a recreation area for the public.
Bobsled and luge rides are available on specific dates between November and March.
Cost: bobsled $149 per person; luge $20. Reserve by calling Canada Olympic Park,
88 Canada Olympic Road SW: (403) 247-5452; www.canadaolympicpark.ca
2. FOR FAMILY TRAVELLERS: Wild night
Gorillas make unusual but quiet bedfellows for parents and children who bunk
down in the TransAlta Rainforest atrium at the Calgary Zoo — they're early
to bed and early to rise. Human participants in this slumber party on the wild
side can spend a night on a cot next to the animal enclosures in the zoo's rain
forest, African Savannah or Nocturnal Outback areas.
Sleepovers begin at 7 p.m. and include a tour, a singalong and crafts, such
as making a rain stick or an African mask, that represent the theme of the
evening. There's also a bedtime snack, pancake breakfast and pass to visit the
zoo the next day. By the time the sleepover ends at 8:30 a.m., the gorillas are
wide awake.
Cost is $55 per person. Children must be at least five years old and
accompanied by an adult. Reserve by calling the Calgary Zoo, 1300 Zoo
Road NE: (403) 232-9300 or (800) 588-9993; www.calgaryzoo.com
3. FOR BUSINESS TRAVELLERS: Food safari
This is one activity best done on an empty stomach.
The two-hour Urban Safari culinary walking tour
combines a slice of local history with tastings at five
award-winning restaurants on Stephen Avenue, a
National Historic District in the heart of downtown
Calgary recognized for its restored turn-of-thecentury
sandstone buildings.
The tour includes tidbits about the area's history, but
there's more eating than walking, with the restaurants
all located within a few blocks of one another. About a
dozen different appetizers are served up during the Fine
Dining Expedition Tour and can include game from
local ranchers or marinated tuna tartar tacos.
Choose from four tours in the Stephen Avenue
area: Fine Dining Expedition Tour ($85), Multi-Cultural
Culinary Exploration Tour ($75), Sinful Five Course
Dessert Tour ($75) and Divine Wine and Food Pairing
Tour ($120). Reserve through Urban Safari Tours at
(403) 283-3158; www.urbansafaritours.com
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