Searching for a fun time in Calgary, want to take in a Flames game, or maybe just glut yourself into a food coma? Well, do I have the place for you! While spending a few months in Calgary, Kenin and I made a visit (well, a few visits) to The Canadian Brewhouse. Warning: Food Porn ahead!
There aren’t many places in the world where average humans like you and I have the opportunity to train side by side with Olympic Athletes. Here in Calgary though, they like to do things just a little differently. Enter the WinSport Training Facilities at the Canada Olympic Park. It’s the kind of place where an average Joe like me could learn to luge, play hockey, ski, snow board, and even figure skate. Located on the site of the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, the COP is dedicated to one thing: training high-performance winter athletes. Once you get a look at this place, you’ll see why!
1988, Miami. I was 8 years old. I was watching the Winter Olympics for the first time. None of it really made sense. Kids from Miami don’t play hockey, ice skate, ski, and we certainly don’t curl. Then I saw something that made me freeze in my seat and got my heart racing. It griped my attention and made me start wishing for Miami to turn into some polar Winter land. I watched as a team of 4 people got in a sled and proceeded to rocket down what looked like a giant frozen water slide going upwards of 70 MPH! It was instant. I was in love. I wanted to do that and I wanted to do that NOW! Well, as with many childhood wishes, it was eventually forgotten and filed away as just a fond memory. Then, come 2014 my dream suddenly came true. I got to experience Olympic Bobsledding at the COP in Calgary on the exact track from the 1988 Olympics. The best part though, is that you can too.
Playing in all the snow in Banff National Park can be exhausting. After hiking, skiing, snowboarding, and all of the other winter activities the park has to offer you can end your day being utterly exhausted. After a particularly fun day of hiking I found myself thinking “Self, what can I do to relax and unwind that takes ZERO energy?” OMG! I know! Let’s soak in the warm waters of the Banff Upper Hot Springs! Just float around like a manatee in a canal (I’m from Florida BTW, sea cows are very popular in our waters).
When planning a winter vacation, Banff National Park should be on top of your list. In addition to being Canada’s first, and arguably best, National Park it’s also home to top ski resorts, beautiful hiking trails, and many fun festivals like Snow Days. What are Snow Days you ask? Well, it’s 30 days of celebrating all things snow! Grab your gloves and gear and head on down to Banff for some winter fun.
