Saved by the attractions!

No matter how many friends and relatives ‘drop in’ on you this summer, these Calgary Attractions are guaranteed to keep ‘em busy, entertained…and amazed at how great a host you are!

Western Canada’s largest outdoor family amusement park is ready to entertain everyone in the family! This year, Calaway Park unveils four new rides. Free Fallin’ will have your senses racing to catch up with your body…40 feet straight down! You’ll love the regular stage shows – featuring pirates, rockers, dancers, hip hoppers and even zombies! Bring a picnic. Bring the RV, make a getaway of it!
(www.calawaypark.com; 403 240-3822)

When a world-class operation like the Glenbow Museum commits $12 million to a new, 24,000 square-foot permanent gallery, you know your guests are in for something special! Mavericks: An Incorrigible History of Alberta employs interactive technology, art, photos and artifacts to tell stories of spirited risk-takers whose energy, ideas and work shaped Alberta. Learn about the youngest North West Mounted Policeman, the whiskey trader MP, the last woman to be hanged in Alberta, the (almost) unrideable bronc…and more! (www.glenbow.org; 403 268-4100)

Your guests can spend the whole day at Heritage Park Historical Village and still want to return. With a Hudson’s Bay fort, steam locomotives and beautifully restored buildings, you’ll forget what century you’re in! Ride a Ferris wheel. Eat fresh bread. Wander the farm. Take a paddlewheeler cruise. (Check out special evening cruises featuring jazz, wines and superb hors d’oeuvres.) Don’t let construction in front of the park fool you – inside it’s business as usual! (www.heritagepark.ca; 403 268-8500)

It’ll be worth a day at the Calgary Zoo just to see the world’s cutest three-metre-tall animal! Baby giraffe Richard is a darling…big eyes, gangly legs and all! This summer, the Zoo unveils the Elephant Crossing building and paddock, with way more room for the zoo’s really big critters. Another highlight will be meeting Lorenzo and Shirley, recently acquired Andean condors (the world’s largest bird). (www.calgaryzoo.org; 403 232-9300)

Where else but the Telus World of Science can you explore the wonder of human anatomy and genetics, lift the whole world with just 4 kg of pull, play with mirrors, be both a human bobsled and a human sundial, build a bridge or watch an insect’s life magnified up to 250,000 times? Awesome exhibits and the Discovery Dome theatre await! (www.calgaryscience.ca; 403 268-8300)