Calgary offers a cosmopolitan setting in a relaxed and casual environment. It is best known for its friendliness, oil and gas industry, Alberta beef, NHL Calgary Flames and the annual Calgary Stampede.
With more than a million people, Calgary has been the fastest-growing metropolitan area in Canada, becoming a sophisticated global city with world-class restaurants, museums and professional arts groups.
Whether you choose to take advantage of the city’s attractions or take a short day trip to the Rocky Mountains, Calgary has much to offer the brief visitor or the vacationer.
Mount Royal University’s central location gives you easy access to all that Calgary has to offer, from shopping to sports events, concerts to art galleries and downtown’s hottest night life to an abundance of year-round outdoor activities.
Calgary is known as a hub for international and national business, including information technologies, agriculture and manufacturing, in addition to the petroleum industry..
City Attractions
Whether you are interested in playing or shopping, Calgary offers many attractions for visitors looking for something to do, all within 20 minutes from Mount Royal University.
15-minute walk or less:
- Mountain View Bowling Alley — a ’50s style bowling alley complete with retro music and vinyl chairs, featuring five and 10 pin bowling
- Glenmore Athletic Park and Pool — an outdoor athletic park with soccer fields, baseball diamonds, tennis courts, a velodrome, a running track and various track and field facilities
- Marda Loop — a unique shopping district with one-of-a-kind retail and dining
- Wild Rose Microbrewery — bar and restaurant
- J. Webb Market Wines — a unique wine market focusing on specialty wines and spirits
5-minute drive or less:
- Calgary Canoe Club and Marina — a premiere flatwater paddling facility that offers something for everyone, from canoeing to kayaking to dragon boating
- Chinook Centre — one of Calgary’s largest shopping centres with over 220 merchants, restaurants, bowling alley and a 10 screen cinema
- Glenmore Reservoir — a large man-made reservoir on the Elbow river, offering sailing lessons and boat rentals during the summer season
- Heritage Park Historical Village — Canada’s largest living historical village which recreates early Western Canadian history through costumed interpreters, street theatre and over 150 buildings and exhibits
- Westhills Towne Centre and Signal Hill — an open air shopping centre with major book, drug, hardware, grocery and clothing stores, restaurants and a 10 screen cinema
20-minute drive or less:
- Calgary Tower — a 525-foot tower offering magnificent views of Calgary, a glass observation deck and a revolving restaurant
- Canada Olympic Park — a year-round facility that is popular for skiing and snowboarding in the winter and mountain biking in the summer
- Devonian Gardens — an 2.5-acre indoor botanical garden
- Epcor Centre for Performing Arts — concert halls and live theatre stages
- McMahon Stadium — home of the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders
- Olympic Oval — a covered speed skating and public skating oval used for training and recreation purposes
- Market Mall — Calgary’s largest shopping centre with 229 stores and services
- Prince’s Island Park — an urban park with bike trails, fishing; home to music and cultural festivals throughout the year
- Telus World of Science — a hands-on science playground and Creative Child Museum
- The Calgary Zoo, Botanical Garden and Prehistoric Park — home of many unique interactive exhibits including the Canadian Wilds exhibit, Destination Africa and Prehistoric Park
- The Pengrowth Saddledome, home of the NHL’s Calgary Flames, WHL’s Calgary Hitmen, NLL’s Calgary Roughnecks
- Calgary Exhibition and Stampede Grounds — home of the Calgary Stampede, which runs annually for 10 days starting the second week in July
Day Trips
Do you have some downtime between conference sessions or your events? Mount Royal Events is conveniently located close to the Rockies, the prairies, the badlands and the foothills of Alberta.
Recommended tours and short day trips that you can venture out on include:
- Spruce Meadows (horse training and equestrian facility): half hour south
- Bar U Historical Ranch: one hour south
- Banff National Park and the town of Banff: one and a half hours west
- Jasper National Park: five hours northwest
- Lake Louise: two hours northwest
- Drumheller, the badlands and the Royal Tyrell Museum: two hours east
Travel Alberta provides a comprehensive look at all there is to see and do in Calgary and area.