Banff, of course. Whether you're making the trip primarily for our wedding or primarily for this national park, we won't be offended. The actual town site is ADORABLE and Canadian to the core. You can easily spend the day just walking or shopping the down town, exploring the castle, seeing the sights, hitting the hot springs, or going on a gondola ride up Sulphur mountain. Outside of the town there is tons of hiking (more later) and other activities. Its about 1 - 1.5 hours drive time from Calgary, and totally worth your trip. In fact, if you come to Calgary and don't go to Banff I'll be offended. I'll add more specific recommendations for Banff here soon. In the mean time, feel free to reach out to me with any Banff related questions, I obviously love to talk about Banff.
Interested in the Canadian Rockies, but don't want to go as far as Banff? Canmore is the place for you. It's a little closer to Calgary, and a little less touristy. You won't need a park pass, but you'll still be in the mountains! More to come of some of my favourite spots in Canmore -- soon.
Kananaskis' slogan is "Alberta's Mountain Playground" and it's the best. Kananaskis is not so much a place or town, but its more of a huge, beautiful, mountain area. It was literally my backyard growing up, and is home to some of my favourite spots in the whole world. There is so much great hiking and incredible viewpoints in Kananaskis, literally minutes from Calgary's city limits. Also - here's some insider knowledge: our ceremony will be held (in good weather) in Kananaskis. It's dreamy.
YYC - my home! There is so much to do here, I'm always a tourist in my hometown every time I go back. Stay tuned for more specific recommendations for Calgary things here soon. For now, check out the Calgary Public Library, the Calgary Zoo, Telus Spark, the Peace Bridge and the Bow waterfront walk, and of course the Calgary Tower. I also love Stephen's Ave, and 17th ave for downtown walking and eating and shopping. Josh is curating a list of the best breweries in Calgary so stay tuned for that as well.