In Calgary we are blessed (and somewhat stressed) to get all four seasons. It means that in the spring we get rain and fresh blooms, that the summer brings hot sunny days, the in the fall we can walk through crunchy golden leaves, and that in the winter we get a blanket of snow over beautiful Calgary. In many other places in the world, they are lucky to experience two seasons, let alone all four.
Because we get all four seasons, Calgary has worked hard to make sure that there are activity opportunities for residents no matter what the weather looks like outside. One way they have done this is by efficiently transforming sites from season to season, adapting to each new need. The best example of this is the Bowness Lagoon.
The Bowness Lagoon has been popular with Calgarians for over 100 years, ever since it was donated to the city by John Hextall in 1911. In the 1920’s and 1930’s, streetcars left Calgary every 15 minutes to Bowness Park. On nice weekends upwards of 25,000 people would visit the park! Back in those early days visitors could enjoy a large swimming pool, a fountain at the center of the lagoon that gentle music could be heard from while canoeing, playgrounds, picnic sites, cabins that could be rented, a dancing pavilion and a merry-go-round that now resides in Heritage Park. Some of these attractions may be gone, but Bowness Park continues to be popular. Read more about it on our Bowness page!
In the wintertime you can skate on the Bowness Lagoon! It "is located along the Bow River between Stoney Trail and 85th Street N.W. The shallow lagoon runs along the park’s southern edge and is a popular place to go skating in the winter. The lagoon is open for skating from mid-December to mid-March (weather permitting). Skate rentals and sharpening are available at the Parkside Café" (Family Fun Canada).
Skating on the Bowness lagoon is longtime Christmas tradition for many families; join them and bask in the glow of the holiday season!
Some other places you can go skating in Calgary area:
- Big Marlborough Park
- Caburn Park
- Prairie Winds Park
- Prince's Island Lagoon
- Thompson Family Park
- Olympic Plaza
Have fun skating!
(Photo Via Canva)
Posted by Ken Richter on
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