Enjoy A Fun Family Trip In Calgary Before The Kids Go Back To School
As summer winds down and the back-to-school season approaches, it’s the perfect time to squeeze in a few more family adventures. Calgary, with its vibrant mix of outdoor activities, cultural attractions, and family-friendly activities and events, offers a wealth of experiences that will delight both kids and adults. It’s the perfect destination for a final summer family vacation before school starts. Coast Calgary Downtown Hotel & Suites makes your summer family getaway a breeze with their all-suite, spacious accommodations featuring full kitchens, dishwasher, microwave, dining area, sitting area with sofa beds, pet-friendly rooms, and private bedrooms in select suites, making your family travel a cost-friendly one.
Have Fun at Calaway Park
Calaway Park, Western Canada’s largest outdoor amusement park, is bursting with thrilling rides, games, and entertainment. Located a 23 minute drive west from Coast Hotels, Calaway Park features many rides, attractions, live shows and street performers. One-day admission includes unlimited rides, attractions, and entertainment. There’s lots of free parking which is great news for all parents. On a hot day, your kids will love the CP Spray n’ Play, with 15 water features, to cool off. For a more relaxing activity, enjoy the Cinemagic 3D theater and watch a film. There are 19 games in the park to keep your kids busy, such as Lucky Duck, Water Gun Fun, Whack-a-Mole, Shoot the Hoop and much more. For the adrenaline-seeking kids out there, there are 32 rides to choose from. Your kids can choose from adrenaline-pumping roller coasters to the more relaxed carousel rides, ensuring there’s something for everyone.
Experience GlobalFest
Take part in Calgary’s annual celebration of its multicultural communities, featuring pavilions, performances, international food, children’s programming and fireworks at GlobalFest. Located an 18-minute drive east of our hotel in Calgary, GlobalFest puts on an amazing multi-night fireworks display, including light and sound, and showcases presentations by world-class pyro-musical artists. There are over 25 food trucks and international food booths that will take you on a culinary tour of the world. In addition to over 20 cultural pavilions featuring countries such as Bangladesh, Brazil, Croatia, Ghana and many more, there is also children’s programming to provide fun activities for everyone. The gates open in the evening, giving you a few hours to explore GlobalFest before the fireworks begin.
Enjoy A Day at Heritage Park Historical Village
Just a 15-minute drive south of our downtown hotel, Heritage Park Historical Village offers a fun step back in time, with interactive exhibits, antique vehicles and costumed interpreters for the whole family to enjoy. There are plenty of daily activities, such as hearth cooking, butter making, Indigenous games, live performances, guided tours and demonstrations of wool dyeing, home remedies and much more. Kids will also love riding the steam train, the prairie wagon or the paddle steamer, S.S. Moyie. The park’s quaint shops and eateries add a charming touch to this educational and entertaining experience.
The Heritage Park will be putting on Calgary’s Best Honey Bee Hive Tour 2 times this August. Discover the fascinating world of honey bees in a beekeeping suit and venture into a live beehive! You’ll get to take home your piece of honeycomb as a souvenir.
Explore the Calgary Zoo
The Calgary Zoo is always a must-visit destination for families, featuring a diverse range of animals from around the world. Just a 9-minute drive east of our downtown Calgary hotel, you’ll find an amazing spot where wildlife and education come together in a fun, family-friendly environment. Kids will be thrilled to see a diverse array of animals from around the globe, including majestic lions, playful penguins and fascinating reptiles. With engaging exhibits, interactive experiences, and lush gardens, the Calgary Zoo provides an enriching outing for visitors of all ages. The new Wild Canada exhibit, featuring a journey through seven of Canada’s ecological zones and its animals found in each, is a wonderful celebration of Canada’s diversity. Your kids will also love to check out the Destination Africa exhibit, the Exploration Asia exhibit, the penguin plunge, the butterfly exhibit and much more. It’s a day packed full of adventure!
Explore The Priddis Millarville Fair
If you're up for a short drive, the annual Priddis Millarville Fair is just 38 minutes southwest of downtown Calgary and perfect for kids who love animals. This year, it takes place the third weekend in August and admission is free, with donations welcome. The weekend will be jam-packed with activities and events. You can view exhibits, such as field crops, arts and handicrafts, horticulture and much more, and learn all about farm animals, the history of the area and the wildlife. Shopping at the famous Millarville Farmers’ Market on Saturday or the Speciality Market on Sunday will be a treat for the parents. The kids will love cheering on those participating in the tractor pull and rooster crowing competition. Watch some fun competitions, such as pie eating, watermelon eating, hay bale tossing or tug of war. For those who love farm animals, you won’t want to miss the horse, cow, chicken, rabbit or sheep shows.
Take In Summer Skirmish At The Military Museum
If your family loves history, don't miss the Military Museum's annual Summer Skirmish with re-enactments and demonstrations. It's just a quick 9-minute drive from our downtown hotel, making it an easy and fun outing. You’ll witness almost 2000 years of warfare come to life in a weekend of scripted battle reenactments and demonstrations. You’ll witness viking raids, medieval duels, gladiatorial combat, musketry skills, cannonades and much more. You’ll be taken back in time where you’ll interact with those who will be dressed in period costumes and uniforms.
With so many family-friendly events and activities taking place in Calgary during August, and our central location in downtown Calgary, it’s the perfect last family summer trip before school begins. From a zoo, to farm animals, historical reenactments, fireworks and much more, there’s something for every family. After a day of exploring Calgary’s top family-friendly attractions, retreat to the comfort of Coast Calgary Downtown Hotel & Suites. Our family-friendly accommodations offer spacious rooms and fully stocked rooms and suits. All rooms feature fully equipped kitchens allowing you to enjoy a home-cooked meal, along with free wi-fi, TOTO® Washlets and 55-inch flat-screen TVs. All of these convenient amenities, and a welcoming atmosphere makes traveling with kids a breeze. During your extended stay, relax in our comfortable and modern suites and take advantage of our central location, ensuring that all of Calgary’s best family activities are just a short drive away.