Hi y’all!!

I’m back in Vancouver after a fantastic weekend in Calgary. I went to Calgary with 6 friends of mine from Vancouver for the Calgary Stampede. I was incredibly fortunate to be hosted by the awesome Tamania from Urdu Mom!

What to do this summer in Calgary

GO TO THE CALGARY STAMPEDE

If you haven’t heard of the Calgary Stampede – you can find more information about it HERE. It is one of the best summer destinations in Calgary! It’s the largest outdoor western/cowboy event, filled with carnival eats, a traditional cowboy rodeo, evening shows, music festivals and so much more! It is probably the busiest time to be in Calgary, AB and wherever you go, people are dressed in cowboy hats and boots. It creates such a fun vibe in the city! My friends and I attended several events – so fun!

A tip I learned, if you want to attend one of the shows, like the rodeo, you can get your ticket in advance. Why is that tip? Well, it means you can access the grounds hours before the show, so you can start eating. Carnival eats and deep-fried goodies everywhere!

VISIT THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS

I highly recommend renting a car and taking a day trip out to the Rockies. My favourite place is Lake Louise in Banff National Park, it is about a 2-hour drive from Calgary. But, be forewarned, it is busy! We reached Lake Louise at 7:55 am (which meant we were on the road at 6 am), and the parking lots were already full! They do have overflow parking, from which you can shuttle to Lake Louise, but that can add an extra 20-30 minutes to your “commute.” Regardless, it was worth it!!

Lake Louise is a glacial Lake that gets its turquoise colour from the abundant minerals that are in it. This is not photoshop, it truly is this magnificent!

We decided to hike up to the Lake Agnes Tea House. This hike is all uphill and 3.8 km long. It can take about an hour and is an intermediate level hike. The views of the mountains are incredible with an abundance of wildlife (no bears though because it’s too busy with humans). There is also another lake called Mirror Lake about 3/4 of the way up.

And then a beautiful waterfall as you approach the tea house. The tea house is at the top of the waterfall, adjacent to the Agnes Lake. You can enjoy a nice cafe style meal at the tea house. The soup and sandwiches were delicious!

Travel tip: For any mountainous hike, dress in layers as it can get cold as you ascend in altitude.

CHECK OUT HERITAGE PARK

The other thing that I did in Calgary was visit Heritage Park. This park is essentially a museum but completely outdoors. The various buildings are donated by the original owners and are a representation of life in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. You know I’m obsessed with antiques, so this was basically my dream come true! If you have kids and planning a trip to Calgary, I highly recommend spending a full day here and going prepared with a picnic lunch to make the most of your day!

Heritage Park also has wonderful classes/activities for kids of different ages. We went to an ice cream making class and had the yummiest ice cream!

WALK AROUND DOWNTOWN AND CHECK OUT THE CALGARY CENTRAL LIBRARY

Another fun thing I did in Calgary was visit the Calgary Central Library. Let me tell you what a gorgeous architectural feat this state-of-the-art-library is!! I was so impressed with just the entrance alone.

One of the best parts of Calgary was hanging out with so many wonderful people!! I had an amazing time with my friends from Vancouver and also had the opportunity to connect with new blogging friends! This trip was definitely one for the books.

Ps. For those wondering where Liyana is – she stayed back in Vancouver with my mom, so I could take a solo trip! A huge thanks to my mom for holding down the fort back in Van city!

That is basically what I covered in Calgary in 2.5 days! I wish I had more time to spend this summer in Calgary – I definitely would have spent more time in the Mountains!

Have you been to Calgary? Or are you planning to go? Let me know in the comments ????

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