Read on for my list of free and budget-friendly Calgary summer fun activities that you can do with the kids to get out of the house, and enjoy time as a family without breaking the bank!
The great outdoors
The warm weather brings a ton of outdoor, budget-friendly options in the summer.
Check out one of Calgary’s many playgrounds. Calgary has many great playgrounds all over the city. Some popular options include Prairie Winds Park, Shouldice Park Playground, Ralph Klein Park Playground, and South Glenmore Park Playground.
Spray parks and wading pools. Calgary has seven spray parks (Somerset Park, Prairie Winds Park, Valleyview Park, West Confederation Park, South Glenmore Park, Rotary Park, and Century Gardens) and three wading pools (Riley Park, Prairie Winds Park, and Bowness Park). And, they all have free entry!
Spruce Meadows. You can access the grounds at Spruce Meadows for free anytime. They have a playground, you can tour the stables, and even watch the trainers exercise the horses. Some events like the Canada One even have free admission.
Go airplane watching. There is a small park with picnic tables and a parking lot at the Edward H. Laborde Airplane Watching Area, where you can watch planes take off and land on one of the Calgary Airport runways.
Try disc golf. Disc golf courses are available (for no charge) in several Calgary parks. Although there are special disc golf discs, you can use a frisbee or even a ball for some casual play.
Wade in the river at Sandy Beach. Sandy Beach is rocky and not at all sandy, but it is an excellent place for kids to wade in the Elbow River. It also has a new, inclusive playground closer to the parking lot.
Go bird watching at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. Grab your binoculars and explore the pathways at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. Pop into the Nature Centre while you are there.
Take your bikes to the pump track. Bike pump tracks are getting more popular around the city, and you can now find one at West Confederation Park, South Glenmore Park, Inglewood, and Fairview (Flint Park).
Go wading at St Patrick’s Island Seasonal Breech. St. Patrick’s Island quickly became one of Calgary’s favorite parks. At the West end of the park, there is a river-wading area with a rocky beach, perfect for a hot day.
Geocaching. Geocaching (using GPS to find hidden boxes) is a great summer activity and you don’t have to buy a GPS to do it – you can use your smartphone!
Indoors
Whether it is rainy or the sun is too hot, sometimes it’s nice to be able to hang out indoors in the summer too.
Calgary Public Library. Library cards at the Calgary Public Library are free for everyone. They also offer many free programs and activities. Calgary Libraries have play areas called Early Learning Centres - some are small, but many, such as Fish Creek Library, have larger areas with games and toys for kids.
Devonian Gardens. Located in The CORE Shopping Centre downtown, along the CTrain line, the Devonian Gardens is a little oasis of green to enjoy year-round. In addition to the gardens, there is a playground (best for kids ages five and up) and koi fish.
Swimming. Swimming is an awesome summer activity. Calgary has a ton of different options for both indoor and outdoor swimming, and they are all budget-friendly. Admission to City of Calgary pools is $17.75 for a family.
Leisure centres, recreation centres, and YMCAs in the city also have drop-in admission for families that cost around $30. In addition to swimming, many of the rec and leisure centres also have other activities included with admission, like climbing walls and gymnasiums.
Calgary’s outdoor pools are open from mid-June until September and are only $6 per person.
Check out a museum. The Lougheed House is a historical site and museum. Efforts have been made to restore the building back to its original turn-of-the-20th-century state, when the Lougheed family lived there. Family admission to the Lougheed House is $25.
The Military Museums is dedicated to educating the public about Canada’s navy, army, and air force, and is $30 for a family.
Bow Habitat Station has freshwater aquariums, as well as beautiful, interactive exhibits that explore different ecosystems. Visiting the Bow Habitat Station’s Discovery Centre is $30 for a family (does not include a visit to the fish hatchery).
The Chinese Cultural Centre Museum has a Chinese Artifacts Museum on the lower level of the Chinese Cultural Centre. Learn about the history of the Chinese community in Calgary, as well as historical Chinese artifacts and replicas. Admission is free.
The Calgary Police Interpretive Centre is located at Westwinds Drive in the northeast and is open to the public on Fridays and Saturdays, with no admission charge. It is an excellent museum (in my opinion, one
of Calgary’s hidden gems!).
Dana spends her free time seeking out the best indoor and outdoor places to play in Calgary with her son and blogging about them. For more information, visit calgaryplaygroundreview.com.
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