Calgary 150: Part 5

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

St. Mary's Cathedral, Mission
The original St. Mary's Cathedral was built from sandstone in 1889. It was demoRiley Parlished and rebuilt in the 1950s and remains one of Calgary's most statuesque churches.

St. Paul's Anglican Church, Midnapore
St. Paul's has been an active parish since 1885. The church structure is an early representation of Carpenter Gothic architecture. Today, St. Paul's Anglican Church is a provincial historic site.

St. Patrick's Island, East Village
St. Patrick's Island is a recently revitalized park along the Bow River where nature thrives. It offers Calgarians a spot to dip their toes in the Bow only a stone's throw from downtown.

Sandy Beach, Altadore
Located along the Elbow River, Sandy Beach offers a spot for canoe and raft access to the river, as well as a place to dip one's toes into the water. There are picnic shelters, paths and playgrounds but, despite its name, no sand.

Scotsman's Hill, Ramsay
Scotsman's Hill offers a stunning view of the Calgary skyline and the Stampede Grounds. Watching the nightly fireworks during the Calgary Stampede from Scotsman's Hill is something of a Calgary tradition.

Shaw Millennium Park, Beltline
If you're into skateboarding, this is the place to go. It's Canada's largest, free, outdoor skate park, with 75,000 square feet of skateable surface. Basketball and beach
volleyball courts are also available here, and the park is home to several festivals throughout the summer.

Sikome Aquatic Facility, McKenzie Lake / Parkland / Sundance
Located in Fish Creek Park, Sikome Lake is a manmade lake where visitors can swim, wade and engage in beach-side activities. With its sandy beaches, Sikome Lake is a popular spot for family fun. The lake is only open during the summer months.

Southcentre Mall, Willow Park
Recently renovated, Southcentre Mall offers a large variety of professional services and stores, including large home-décor destinations Crate & Barrel and Restoration Hardware. It's the mall for those who prefer a slightly quieter mall shopping experience.

Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, Hillhurst
Whether you're into musicals, opera, rock, country, graduations, conferences, speeches or comedy, there's something for everyone at "the Jube."

Southland Leisure Centre, Palliser
Southland Leisure Centre is a family-recreation centre featuring a wave pool and water slides, as well as squash and racquetball courts, and a climbing room.

Spruce Meadows, Silverado
An iconic Calgary attraction, Spruce Meadows hosts prestigious horse-jumping events year-round. It's also home to a popular Christmas artisan market.

Stampede Grounds, Erlton
For ten days each year, the Stampede Grounds are home to Calgary's famed Calgary Stampede. For the remainder of the year, however, the Stampede Grounds – and the Saddledome on its premises – hosts concerts, hockey games and trade shows.

Stanley Park, Parkhill / Stanley Park
Stanley Park is a well-groomed park along the banks of the Elbow River. There's a swimming pool, tennis courts, a baseball diamond and a hill for tobogganing. It's also a popular spot for summer picnics along the river.

Stephen Avenue, Downtown
An outdoor pedestrian mall in the heart of downtown Calgary, Stephen Avenue offers dining, shopping, people watching and proximity to some of Calgary's top attractions and cultural venues, including the Glenbow Museum and Arts Commons.

Studio Bell (National Music Centre), East Village
Five floors of exhibitions that "tell the story of music in Canada" can be found inside Studio Bell. The recently completed facility features an impressive selection of musical instruments and artifacts spanning 450 years, as well as a variety of interactive public programs and tours.

TELUS Spark, Bridgeland
This science centre is packed with interactive exhibits, multimedia elements and educational programming for people of all ages. It's also home to the Dome Theatre, where visitors can watch live planetarium shows and movies.

Theatre Junction Grand, Downtown
One of Calgary's historic theatres, which dates to 1912, The Grand Theatre once hosted travelling vaudevillians and the stars of yesteryear, including Fred Astaire and Sarah Bernhardt. Today, Theatre Junction – Calgary's experimental performing-arts troupe – calls the building home.

Thorncliffe-Greenview Community Centre, Thorncliffe / Greenview
At more than 10,000 square feet, this is one of Calgary's larger community halls. It features a lounge and recreation centre, five-pin bowling alley, racquetball courts and an indoor ice arena.

Tom Campbell's Hill Natural Park, Bridgeland
Overlooking the Bow River, the park occupies about 18 hectares and lets you experience nature in the city. It features an interpretive exhibit about the park's history and the grassland ecosystem, as well as an excellent view of the city skyline.

Trans-Canada Highway / 16th Avenue N., Multiple Communities
This popular thoroughfare can take Calgarians west to the Rocky Mountains and British Columbia, or east across the Prairies.

Twelve Mile Coulee, Tuscany
A natural area park located in northwest Calgary with two off-leash areas and numerous hiking trails.

Udderly Art Legacy Pasture, Downtown
A parkade is an unlikely spot for a tourist attraction, but Calgary's Centennial Parkade and its adjacent plus-15 walkway is where you'll find 17 brightly-decorated, fibreglass cow statues. These are from Calgary's Udderly Art project, which dates back to 2000. Local artists decorated 126 cows that were then auctioned off for charity. The largest herd of them, that remains accessible to the public, is located here.

Union Cemetery, Erlton
Established in 1890, Union Cemetery is one of Calgary's most historic cemeteries. Many of Calgary's early pioneers and founders are buried here. Historical walking tours are available in the summer.

University Theatre, University of Calgary
It may be hard to believe that these are amateur musicians and actors. They offer great productions at a fraction of the cost of professional plays and musicals, and represent a great way to support the arts in Calgary.

Vertigo Theatre, Downtown
Located at the base of the Calgary Tower, Vertigo Theatre presents a full season of live mystery theatre, from plays in the style of Dame Agatha Christie, to film noirs and psychological thrillers.

Village Square Leisure Centre, Pineridge
The Village Square Leisure Centre is a 5.5-acre indoor leisure centre that includes a wave pool and water play area for young children.

Wonderland Sculpture, Downtown
Located in the plaza of The Bow building, this gigantic sculpture of a bent-wire head of a young girl is by renowned Spanish sculptor Jaume Plensa.

The Weaselhead, Lakeview / Oakridge
The Weaselhead is a 237-hectare natural environment along the west side of the Glenmore Reservoir that connects South and North Glenmore Park. It contains a several popular trails and pathways, and a variety of wildlife species.

Wildflower Arts Centre, Spruce Cliff / Wildwood
This City-owned facility gives Calgarians a chance to try their creative hands at drawing, painting or the potter's wheel.

Youthlink Calgary Police Interpretive Centre, Castleridge / Whitehorn
An innovative learning centre where youth and families learn about the most pressing issues of their time. YouthLink features Alberta's largest collection of policing artifacts ever placed on public display.