Bring your family to the Foothills. Unique adventures are yours to discover and memories are waiting to be made. Calgary, right in your own backyard there is more fun than one day can hold. What are you waiting for?
Start your Foothills adventure at
Granary Road’s 36 acres of adventure Play & Learn Park. There are 11 over-the-top, larger-than-life exhibits designed to thrill kids’ imaginations while teaching them about the natural world. A petting zoo, a giant spider’s web, an ant maze, a bee hive honeycomb and an orchard treehouse are just a few of the sites that await your toddler to tween kids at Granary Road. Open daily from 9 to 5. The farmers’ market and aquaponics centre are open Friday to Sunday from 9 to 5. Let the fun begin.
Curious about bees and beekeeping? At
Chinook Honey Company and Chinook Arch Meadery, you can satisfy your curiosity about apiaries and everything it takes to care for bees. See the inner workings of a hive, either through glass for the younger kids or suit up and get hands on for the older kids at Backstage with the Bees (you must pre-register for this one). Inside the farm store, sample honey from across the country, find books about bees for all age groups, taste honey ice cream and shop the shelves filled with soaps and salves made from honey. For the adults, sample mead made on-site and take home your favourite.
In beautiful Black Diamond, make a stop at
Rollick Co. and gear up for your Foothills adventure. They rent e-bikes, e-scooters, inflatable stand-up paddle boards (SUP) and longboards. Take a tour through town or drive down highway 22 to Chain Lakes and try out SUP. Skateboarders will rejoice at the walls of decks for sale. Fly fishing gear is also available for purchase, as is camping gear. A Foothills family adventure starts at Rollick Co.
A trip to
Hartell Homestead just north of Longview is a great way for kids to see a working farm first-hand. They have goats, chickens and the fan favourites – the Highland Cattle. Owner
Nick Shipley has created a wonderful experience for kids and adults alike. After your tour of the farm, stop in the farm store and stock up on local meats, farm fresh eggs, locally made art, candles and honey from the Foothills. Don’t forget to give Nick’s best gal, Queenie a scratch for good luck.
Tortoises, a farmers’ market, a u-pick, totem poles, a greenhouse and a garden centre. What do these things have in common? Well, you can find them all at the
Saskatoon Farm. Open every day this escape from the everyday is exactly the place the entire family can enjoy. There is also a bakery, a restaurant, and a boutique filled with carefully curated Foothills wares. This place has got it all covered.
