A celebration of the attractions and places that make this city great.

Golf course communities offer homeowners space, privacy and a slice of the action

David Roberts and his wife moved to the northwest community of Valley Ridge in search of open spaces. "We liked the idea of backing on to green space, one way or another," he said.

Valley Ridge, which borders the western edge of Calgary, is one of many communities in the city that features a golf course within its boundaries. That course now provides the green space Roberts and his family were seeking – they live behind the course's first green.

A celebration of the attractions and places that make this city great

While 2017 marks Canada's 150th birthday, Calgary is almost as old – founded in 1875 as an outpost of the North-West Mounted Police (now the RCMP). And what better way to celebrate Canada's major milestone than by checking out some of the top attractions and experiences that make Calgary such a great place to live? To that end, we've created this list of 150 things to see and do across the city, covering everything from museums and parks to entertainment venues and Calgary landmarks.

There aren't many people who don't trade "good mornings" with Cathy Burton when she arrives to work, and that's one of the many things she likes about her job as head golf professional at Willow Park Golf and Country Club.

"I've gotten to know a lot of the members," she said, before pausing to congratulate a passing member on her second round in as many days.

A celebration of the attractions and places that make this city great.

A celebration of the attractions and places that make this city great.

A celebration of the attractions and places that make this city great.

Higgy's Bluff project brings Bankview residents together

A chance discovery of a vacant lot in Bankview has led to plans for the creation of a temporary community park.

Local resident Chad Peters had noticed an empty residential lot at the corner of 14th Street and 25th Avenue S.W. during his walks and wondered who owned it and what it was being used for.

Peters says with the help of the Bankview Community Association, the property owner was contacted with a proposal to turn the lot into a new community space, subject to that use ending once the lot was scheduled for development.

Sikome Aquatic Facility buoyed by upgrades

While Alberta is landlocked, and most of Calgary's manmade lakes are private, Calgarians still like to spend a warm, summer day at the beach every now and then. Thankfully, there's still one public body of water within the city where people can go for a swim or throw down a towel to catch some rays.

Nestled in Fish Creek Provincial Park, the Sikome Aquatic Facility has been one of Calgary's most popular summer attractions since it opened in 1978.

The facility consists of an open-air swimming lake surrounded by a beach, lawn, children's playground and change rooms. It currently draws an estimated 200,000 visitors over its three-month season and up to 15,000 per day on weekends. While those are impressive numbers, Sikome's location in southeast Calgary is in one of the fastest growing sections of the city amd means traffic should continue to rise.

In part to accommodate the growing crowds, the facility recently underwent some upgrades.