I’m fortunate that the City of Calgary is just a quick drive from where I live. It’s a city that we visit often – to take in attractions, do some fantastic shopping yet usually our stay is a wonderful mix of it all.
One favourite through the years is a visit to The Calgary Zoo.
The Calgary Zoo Botanical Garden and Prehistoric Park has seen me as a child, a teen, met each of my babies and has watched us all grow through the years. Despite the fact that I’ve been countless times, The Calgary Zoo never ceases to amaze me.
It’s Western Canada’s largest accredited zoo with over 1,000 animals, 6 acres of botanical gardens, a prehistoric park, zoo-nique playgrounds and more!
From animals native to Alberta to ones only typically seen on an Africa Safari – you literally go around the world at The Calgary Zoo!
Right in the heart of Calgary, our first stop is usually the Prehistoric Park. There, visitors can walk through an area that literally takes you back millions of years. The kids and I love to play the game of ‘who can spot the dinosaur’, from triceratops to the incredible T-Rex and more.
We do go to The Calgary Zoo often. Not only to check in and say hello to dear animal friends that we’ve seen many times before {Eurasia, you have my heart!} yet there’s always new additions that join the zoo family.
One of the latest additions that has gotten a lot of well-deserved buzz is the Penguin Plunge! This realistic penguin habitat is cold, has icy water and snow-covered rocks – it’s the home for the zoo’s penguins, and a great opportunity to learn about these cute animals.
We haven’t been since the endangered Komodo Dragon arrived at the zoo earlier this year. When the girls first heard that the Komodo Dragon was coming to The Calgary Zoo, they read up and studied all about this animal – I can’t wait to take them to see it in person. ok, and I’m so super excited as well! Education, right before your eyes!
To u tradition, we always end our time at The Calgary Zoo at one of the fabulous playgrounds with a soft serve ice cream as a treat. This is when the girls play, and talk about all they seen during the day and they always make new friends.
So, why didn’t we go to The Calgary Zoo this summer, like we have each year prior for as long as I can remember?
Well, The Calgary Zoo changes with the seasons, offering different events and activities to take in all year long.
This year, I think it was time for us to experience The Calgary Zoo in the Autumn for once so we’re going in a couple of weeks. Make sure to watch for mentions on my Twitter and Instagram accounts, I’ll share our family trip highlights while there!
Never been to The Calgary Zoo? Oh you simply must! I promise a day at The Calgary Zoo will give a great adventure, plenty of wonder and memories to last a lifetime. Plan your visit today!
Stay in the Loop with The Calgary Zoo on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram!
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. Yet as always, all opinions are 100% my own.
Robin says
09/11/2014 at 6:55 amThe Calgary Zoo looks like so much fun! My two love spending the day at the zoo!
Nicole B says
09/11/2014 at 7:01 amI love the Calgary Zoo! Whenever we fly back west we always visit!
Robin says
09/11/2014 at 7:10 amWhat great photos! Zoos can be such great learning experiences and it’s so fun to watch the animals and just observe them live their lives. The photos you can take there are stunning, too.
Jennifer says
09/11/2014 at 7:44 amCalgary Zoo looks like a great time! I love zoos. I just wish I had the time to go more often.
Dawn says
09/11/2014 at 7:45 amLooks like you guys had a great time. There’s NOTHING more fun than a day at the zoo!
Brad K says
09/11/2014 at 7:53 amLooks like a great place!
srishayini says
09/11/2014 at 8:39 amshould visit calgary next summer
Deborah A. says
09/11/2014 at 9:35 amWe are such zoo people! We live in a small community, so there’s a small zoo about half an hour away. We love to frequent it. 🙂 It’s a cheap, fun, educational outing with the kids.
Kelly Hutchinson says
09/11/2014 at 11:01 amThis looks like a great zoo. Our local zoo is just not a very good one and I wish it were better.
Janel says
09/11/2014 at 11:06 amWhat a beautiful zoo! My boys LOVE going to the Zoo.
Ben says
09/11/2014 at 11:19 amWhat a great looking zoo. I’d love to spend the day there. There’s nothing better than a day at the zoo.
Myrah says
09/11/2014 at 12:55 pmPlacing on my bucket list!
Nolie says
09/11/2014 at 1:59 pmAlberta has all the fun stuff. Can’t wait to hear about your trip to the zoo in the fall.
Jenn Park says
09/11/2014 at 2:27 pmThat looks like a very nice zoo. My kids would love it.
candice says
09/11/2014 at 4:25 pmthis zoo looks amazing! the photos you took are awesome! sounds like a great place that you can visit over and over again without ever getting bored.
lisa says
09/11/2014 at 4:30 pmThat looks like a fantastic zoo! Great pic too!
Mama to 5 BLessings says
09/11/2014 at 6:59 pmSounds like a great zoo and a wonderful place to spend the day as a family. So much to do!
Stacie says
09/11/2014 at 8:00 pmThis looks like so much fun. I love a good zoo. There’s no better way to spend the day.
Krista says
09/11/2014 at 8:15 pmI’m taking my daughter to the zoo in a week! I am so excited!!!
Shauna says
09/11/2014 at 8:15 pmWow, y’all are able to get so close and personal with the animals… That is just awesome. thanks for sharing
AImee Smith says
09/11/2014 at 8:56 pmThe zoo is one of our favorite places to be. If I ever get the chance to be in Calgary, I am checking this out for sure! Looks like a blast.
Debra says
09/11/2014 at 9:36 pmOh my goodness, I can just imagine how beautiful the Calgary Zoo would be in Autumn. Can I come?
Kristin Wheeler (@MamaLuvsBooks) says
09/11/2014 at 10:33 pmThis zoo looks AWESOME! My kids would love it!
mike k says
09/11/2014 at 11:19 pmi heard a lot of great things about calgary zoo, maybe next summer i’ll being my family there!
Gwen says
09/12/2014 at 7:10 amThanks for the reminder to put a Zoo Trip on my To Do List before the snow flies here…..again!
angela m says
09/12/2014 at 8:05 amWe have recently visited the Calgary Zoo for the first time this year, and the whole family loved it.
Jacob says
09/12/2014 at 9:19 amLooks like fun
Silvia D says
09/12/2014 at 9:22 amloved the zoo when we lived in Calgary! Spent many hours there!
Amy Desrosiers says
09/12/2014 at 12:03 pmOur zoos around here are so lame! This is a site worth seeing for sure!
kristin says
09/12/2014 at 2:29 pmLooks like a lot of fun!!! We would love to come visit Canada!
Ali P says
09/12/2014 at 3:02 pmWe went a few years ago and the kids had a blast!
Darrah Bailey says
09/12/2014 at 3:03 pmSUCH a great place to visit!
Chandra Christine O'Connor says
09/12/2014 at 3:38 pmthe monkeys and apes would be my fav.
Amy Lovell says
09/13/2014 at 7:21 amLooks like a blast!! Thankjs!
nicolthepickle says
09/13/2014 at 7:27 amThat looks like a wonderful family experience. We have a small Zoo in Moncton and I’d love to take my kids sometime. It would inspire wonder in them.
Jody D says
09/13/2014 at 11:23 amWhen I raised my girls in Calgary we always had a seasons pass. So much to do there and such a good value! I miss it!
Roz says
09/13/2014 at 2:23 pmGrowing up in Calgary I would take my kids there periodically. We had so much fun and I loved to see the awe on my kids faces!
bruce says
09/13/2014 at 2:34 pmdifferent from when I was there 70 years ago!
jane kramer says
09/13/2014 at 3:18 pmlooks like so much fun , I would love to take the kids there one day
Lynda Cook says
09/13/2014 at 4:57 pmWow!!! looks like an awesome zoo, I love the gorilla he looks like quite a big silverback, I love zoo’s and all the animals such great places to go and always different!
Jenn Erin says
09/13/2014 at 7:49 pmWow that looks like a great zoo! Very clean and lots of opportunity to get close to the animals! Nice!
Mark Cook says
09/13/2014 at 11:37 pmsounds awesome, never been out west yet, i feel like i’m missing out !
nicky says
09/14/2014 at 9:42 amsuch great pictures! would love to visit the Calgary zoo someday – looks like a super fun place for families!
Darwin says
09/15/2014 at 11:06 amWhat a great place to visit with the family.
Anna Johnson says
09/15/2014 at 7:14 pmWe’ve been to the Calgary Zoo a few times. It is a great way to spend family time and is educational as well!
samantha says
09/15/2014 at 9:43 pmLooks like a great time and i have had many many memories at the calgary zoo!!
Soozle says
09/16/2014 at 5:57 amIve never had the chance to go to the zoo when I have traveled to Calgary; but it is on my list of stops to make the next time I am there as I have heard such great things about the exhibits!
Becky Best says
09/16/2014 at 4:06 pmLove the Calgary Zoo! 🙂
Autumn says
09/16/2014 at 4:32 pmI love the Calgary Zoo! It is so much fun for the kids. We use to go all the time when I lived there…but have not been since the new additions. Definitely a good reason to go back 🙂
Alison Braidwood says
09/17/2014 at 9:16 amIt’s nice to see the animals have grassy areas in their habitats. I hate to see animals with just concrete to sit on.
Ingrid L says
09/17/2014 at 9:23 amI was so sad to hear about the state of the zoo after last summer’s flood, so I’m happy to hear that things seem to be back on track. 🙂
Anna Johnson says
09/17/2014 at 4:21 pmWe’ve gone to the Calgary Zoo a few times. It’s a great place for family time and a great learning experience. It’s also fun and interesting!
Karen C Hill says
09/18/2014 at 5:13 amThis is on my ‘wish list’ for family vacation spots. I hope to get there someday before my little boy is all grown up
Pip444 says
09/18/2014 at 5:33 amwow I live near Calgary and I’ve never been to the zoo. What a fabulous chance to see some really awesome animals. Loved all the photos you posted.