Your Guide to Visiting Heritage Park

As a living history museum, Heritage Park is like a time machine. From riding an authentic steam train and sailing on a paddlewheeler to checking out what midway rides were like in the 1900s, Heritage Park is an experience kids never forget, and a great way to spend the day as a family.

Here are the top experiences that are sure to create lifelong memories for families at Heritage Park.

A visit to Heritage Park is not complete without checking out Gasoline Alley Museum, which is open year-round. Not only does the museum have vintage automobiles, but you can also see old-fashioned gas pumps and car memorabilia to truly understand how folks drove throughout the first half of the 20th century.

When summer arrives, Heritage Park’s historical village truly comes alive. From May to October, step into a world of steam trains, midway rides, and stories from Calgary’s past.

Heritage Park is the spot for train lovers. From the Railway Roundhouse where you can see how train engines turn around, to checking out the stations actually used in towns around Calgary and Lake Louise (formerly known as Laggan), Heritage Park brings the train experience to life. Of course, nothing compares to riding the actual train itself. For those who love trains, riding on the Standard Gauge Railway is an experience they’ll never forget. When you see the cars up close, hear the steam whistle, and feel the heat and the power of a working steam engine, you’ll be taken back in time to an era when these powerful machines ruled the rails.

The Conklin Lakeview Amusement Park – Heritage Park’s midway – features rides that were actually used in the early half of the last century. These are thrills you won’t find anywhere else! From The Caterpillar, one of the most popular attractions in history, to the historic Ferris Wheel, which was first used at Chicago World’s Columbian Exhibition in 1893! Kids and adults alike will remember these rides for years to come.

Heritage Park is home to three canvas teepees at the First Nations Encampment with a diverse collection of artifacts from the Plains First Nations culture. Kids will love taking part in traditional activities and tool demonstrations with stories from First Nations interpreters. Take this insider tip and make the First Nations Encampment your first stop in the morning to experience an opening smudge and prayer ceremony at the Yellow Otter Tipi.

Can you imagine travelling by boat through Canada’s rivers? Steamships like the S.S. Moyie were the way to transport goods to remote settlements thanks their shallow draughts and paddles that could work with only a few feet of water beneath them. Today, the S.S. Moyie is one of the must-do activities during a day at Heritage Park as the boat travels in the picturesque Glenmore Reservoir.

History doesn’t just live in the buildings at Heritage Park, it takes the stage too. Throughout the summer season, you’ll find live theatre bringing the streets of the historical village to life.

Step inside the Canmore Opera House for classic stage performances inspired by the early 1900s, where singers and actors recreate the kind of entertainment that once filled community halls and opera houses across the Prairies. Outside, keep an eye out for roaming performers and spontaneous moments of storytelling that pop up throughout the park.