Calgary's Top Spots

1. Best place to shop for clothes: Market Mall because it’s close to campus (you could walk there) and the stores are great – there’s something for everyone.
2. Best coffee shop: Higher Ground in Kensington. It’s easy to get to, a great place to have an awesome cup of coffee and study.
3. Best local getaway: The Calgary Zoo. Who doesn’t love elephants? It’s open all year round, and has cool things to see over the winter (like Zoo Lights)!
4. Best place to let loose: 17th Avenue. You know the restaurants, coffee joints and pubs are good when they’re busy even in the winter.
5. Best outdoor festival: You can’t pick just one! The Lilac Festival, Global Fest, the Folk Festival, AfrikaDey, the Sun and Salsa Festival…
6. Best eats off campus: Tubby Dog on 17th Avenue. Best hot dogs ever! Don’t laugh until you’ve tried one.
7. Best place to snowboard: Sunshine. It has the best snow that lasts forever (meaning you can hit the slopes well into April), and it’s only an hour from Calgary.
8. Best hiking trail: Chester Lake in Kananaskis. It’s a great trail that you can use any time of the year for hiking and snowshoeing. You can also scramble up and over the Fortress if you dare.
9. Best arts festival: One Yellow Rabbit’s High Performance Rodeo (runs in January). There’s something for everyone to see.
10. Best place to get a thrill: The bobsleigh/luge at COP.
11. Best sport to watch you didn’t know about before: The Calgary Roughnecks. Lacrosse is fun and cheap to watch, and the atmosphere during games is always amazing.
12. Best place to get fresh air: Walking, jogging or biking on the city’s network of paths. We’ve got some of the best in Canada!
13. Best neighborhood to take a stroll: Mission (4th St SW between 17th Ave and the Elbow River) for its shops, restaurants, sights and sounds.
14. Best place to check out live music: Broken City. Great atmosphere and sweet place to check out both established and up-and-coming bands.
15. Best place for cheap groceries: The Farmer’s Market. A lot of the food is locally produced (within 100 miles) and the prepared foods are great to buy and take home to freeze for quick meals.
16. Best way to spend a lazy afternoon: floating down the Bow River during the summer and early fall.
17. Best outdoor adventure: dog-sledding in Canmore. You have to try this at least once while you’re at the U of C!
18. Best daytrip: Drumheller (about 2 hours from Calgary) to hike the Badlands and satisfy your inner dino-geek at the Royal Tyrell Museum.