My family and I love to hop in the car and enjoy a summer day touring the areas around Calgary. We have visited the mountains and Banff, of course. We have made many visits to the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller, the Frank Slide and Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump.

Having lived in Calgary for many years, I thought I knew a lot about day-tripping in southern Alberta. However, I am discovering we have been missing a lot by not using the resources that were right under my nose here at the library.

For instance, the last time we went to Drumheller, after we had visited the museum and the big T-Rex, we went further west to Wild Horse Canyon and the teeny, tiny church and then east to the Hoodoos and the suspension bridge. There was still more that we could have done according to Bill Corbett in his book Day Trips from Calgary. For example, we could have gone on to the East Coulee School Museum and had lunch at the Last Chance Saloon in Wayne (4 stars on Yelp), plus we could have learned more about the coal-mining history of the area.

Bill talks about the well-known and the not-so-well known in his book. I wish I had discovered it years ago.

Sometimes it's fun to take the road less travelled. But, even for our often travelled route from Calgary to Banff, Bill has many nuggets of information to share about the history along the highway which can make the experience much more interesting. My kids always watched for the sleeping dragons as we travelled on Highway 1 - long, low hills with rocks on their spines. Bill explains that these are hogbacks and how they were formed. Did you know that there is a walking trail to see some magnificent hoodoos off Tunnel Mountain Drive? You'll never see it if you stick to the main drag going into Banff.

West on One: the Stories Behind the Scenery is a lovely book that talks in more depth about the things you will see as you travel west on the highway from Calgary to Lake Louise. There are wonderful snippets of information about the history, the geology, the wildlife, etc. Did you know where Scott Lake Hill is and that it is the second-highest point on the entire Trans-Canada? Did you know that Heart Mountain was so named for the shape of its peak and that it is a popular easy scramble? These are just a couple of examples of the fascinating stories, facts and pictures in this book.

So, the next time that we are going day-tripping, we will first be checking in these and some of the other great books at the library. Why not check out some of these great resources yourself?

And, don't forget to check out earlier entries in the Good Life blog. Just click on the tag "staycations' or 'Alberta travel'. Happy trails!!

Calgary Public Library

The library is always a wonderful place to take the kids to spend a few hours, looking for great books and movies. What is better than time spent browsing through the children's collection? For information on locations and hours, visit our webpage.

Please join us at Crowfoot Library for variety of fun activities for children ages 6 - 12. Activities take place from 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Monday, March 25 – Thursday, March 28th. No registration required.

On Thursday, March 28th from 1-3:30 pm, Central Library will be featuring the Easter-themed movie Hop. No registration is required.

Thornhill Library is offering "We've Got Magic to Do - Just for You" on Thursday, March 28 from 2:00 - 2:30 pm. No registration required.

Check out other fun library activities on our program page. Enter the date and the audience and see what is available at a library near you.

City of Calgary Arenas

Various City of Calgary arenas will be offering free public skating on Easter Sunday, March 31.

Inglewood Bird Sanctuary

This is an excellent time of year to see the birds at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary as the leaves are not yet out on the trees, and spring is on its way (we hope). The park is open sunrise to sunset, year-round. From October - April, the Nature Centre is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. closed Mondays & statutory holidays.

My co-workers tell me that you often see other wildlife as well as birds.

Not Free, but Fun

Spring Rally in the Alley - Are your kids car-crazy? Visit Gasoline Alley Museum for car-related fun activities. March 22 - April 1, 9:20 a.m. - 4:00 pm.

The Calgary Zoo is always a fun place to visit. Time your visit so you can see the Penguin Walk on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Check out the Zoo's Easter Eggstravaganza on March 29 and 30, free with your zoo admission.

Fort Calgary is open daily from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. except for Good Friday. This is a wonderful place to visit Calgary's past.

Telus Spark has various programs during the spring break, including the travelling exhibit "How to Make a Monster - the Art and Technology of Animatronics".

Out of Town Events

Lake Louise - The Volcom Peanut butter and Rail Jam is Volcom's amateur snowboard contest series. The event is absolutely free, on a first come first serve basis, and boasts tons of free prizes and PB&J sandwiches!

Check out the Easter activities at the Royal Tyrrell Museum, always a fun place to visit.

Christmas holidays provide a wonderful opportunity to have some quality family time. Here are some activities that your family can do that won't break the bank.

Calgary Public Library is offering free programs during the holidays.

Crowfoot is also offering Winter Break Activities. School's out, snow and cold are in, but not at the Library. Join us for a variety of fun indoor activities. Ages 6 to 12 Wednesday, Jan 02, Thursday, Jan 03, Friday, Jan 04 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Main floor - Open Area. No registration required.

Signal Hill is offering Game-a-palooza, an extravaganza of games: giant chess, checkers, Snakes 'n Ladders, and more! Ages 6 to 12 with a parent/caregiver. No registration required.

On Thursdays, December 27^th and January 3^rd from 2:00 - 3:30 pm, Country Hills Library will be offering a Family Wii Party (ages 7 and up with a parent/caregiver). Bring the whole family and enjoy some video game fun with the Nintendo Wii. No registration is required.

Don't forget that your public library is a great place to find books, ebooks audiobooks and DVDs for everyone in the family. I think some of my favourite memories are browsing through the children's books looking for my kids' favourites.

The Olympic Oval’s Christmas Family Skate, invites you and your family to skate with Santa on Sunday December 23^rd, from 12:00- 4:00 pm. The admission is $2:00/person.

City of Calgary is offering a Free Public Skate on Boxing Day at various arenas.

As well, there are many outdoor rinks, run either by the City of Calgary or by the various community associations.

The city also has designated parks for tobogganing and sledding.

Watch a family favourite film each week for only $2.50 at Cineplex, on Saturday mornings at 11 am. A portion of proceeds go towards supporting Starlight Children's Foundation.

If you are looking for Christmas light displays, check out the Airdrie Festival of Lights and the Lion's Festival of Lights.

There is lots to see and do with your family in Calgary without having to spend a lot of money.

Have a Happy Holiday Season!!

Several of our staff members enjoy this less-well known park just north of Calgary.

The best thing about Big Hill Springs Provincial Park is the proximity to Calgary. (See the map and directions on their webpage.) The park is small and there are only a couple of picnic tables, so take a blanket and a cold lunch. The waterfalls all run down into a series of creeks and bridges at the entrance to the park. It's great for toddlers because the creeks are shallow and slow moving. The kids can play for hours. For older kids and adults, the walking trail is quite steep in places but is only about 2km and takes you through a variety vegetation zones.

Its a great place to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Marg

I found a wonderful clipping about Big Hill Springs in our files. Dating from 1934, the article starts as follows: "Memories of Highland glens, of the coombes of Devon or the Derbyshire dales, are apt to rise in the minds of many former residents of the Old Land who follow the winding road that leads from Cochrane to Big Hill Springs. Even without the fairy-like glade that surrounds the springs, with its miniature waterfalls and crystal pools, as the objective, the journey through the wide valley is well worth the visit." The article ends with a letter to the editor from Mrs. C.D. Casey who enjoyed the springs as much then as we do now. "Big Hill Springs...is a veritable little paradise tucked away in a secluded valley."

Candace

If you are looking for fun Calgary Staycations, check out this book, Day Trips From Calgary (2006), by Bill Corbett. This book has a nice section on Big Hill Springs Park as well as other great places to visit. Mr. Corbett says in the 2002 edition, "I wrote this book to entice Calgary residents and visitors to consider all directions of the compass when embarking on a day trip from the city. Those who do so will be wonderfully surprised.

Celebrate Canada Day 2012 in Calgary, with tons of family friendly activities!

At Heritage Park, the first 2012 guests before 10:30 a.m. will be treated to Heritage Park’s famous hot pancake breakfast.

Fort Calgary offers children’s activities including pony rides and petting zoo, a spectacular car show, featuring 100 classic and antique cars, and a full day of entertainment featuring the Blue Mondays House Band and plenty of special guests at the NMC stage. If you arrive early enough, you can catch a free pancake breakfast, starting at 9:00 a.m.

Click on the following link to see more events that are taking place at a variety of locations across Calgary: http://www.calgarycanadaday.ca/

In Canmore, you can enjoy the Rotary Pancake Breakfast (who doesn’t love free pancakes!!!) at Centennial Park from 8:00–11:00 a.m., which will be followed by a Canada Day parade, marching band, fireworks and more: http://www.canmorealberta.com/canadaday/

Don’t forget that the entry into Banff National Park is free on July 1st, so you can visit the town of Banff, and celebrate Canada Day with great entertainments and performances till 11:00 p.m.!

http://www.banff.ca/activities-events/festivals-special-events/canada-day