Best Free Walking Tour Calgary Near Me

4worldlovers: Nearly twenty years ago my wife and I took our first private walking tour. Before that we had joined larger tours or self guided while exploring new cities on our travels. Our guide, that year in Rome, was named Dennis – I’m sure he didn’t know it at the time, but Dennis changed our lives.

We travel a lot. We have used private guides in Europe, South and Central America, Canada and the United States. We are converted. We hope that you are too.

I moved to Calgary in 1977 and have lived here ever since. In the last forty years I have seen Calgary grow into a sophisticated city with a vibrant arts and cultural scene. My particular interest is contemporary visual art. As things to do in downtown Calgary, I started my little tour business to take folks like me on tours that I would like to take. We get to know each other. We walk. We talk art, history and travel. It would be my pleasure to show you my wonderful adopted city!

Our tour philosophy is simple. We want you to have a wonderful time. You can leave it in our hands and simply tell us how long you have. Or we can customize our basic tours to your needs.

The cost is simple. We do tours for up to four people. The cost is the same whether there are one or four. The first two hours cost CDN $250.00 and each hour after that is an additional $100.00. GST of 5% is added as are any entry costs. If we go for lunch you will pay for my lunch but not the hour it takes to have lunch.

I require you to pay 50% with the booking and the other 50% a minimum of 30 days before the booking. Weather cancellations are subject to reasonableness-this is Canada after all!

4worldlovers: This month marks one year since the launch of the Calgary Downtown Ambassador program!

We spoke with Devin Rigaux, manager of Annabelle's Kitchen Downtown, one of Stephen Avenue's most recent additions!

4worldlovers: Please be advised that we are closing at 5:00 pm on Tuesday, April 18 for a private function.

Ever wonder what the colours of the tower lights represent? Stay in the know by viewing our lighting schedule.

4worldlovers: McHugh Bluff spans two northwest Calgary communities with a portion running along Memorial Drive. Close to the city's centre, the park is a popular place for commuters, joggers and dog walkers.

There is currently a pathway closure in place along McHugh Bluff while we complete slope stability work. This closure will continue into 2022.

Please visit the Calgary Pathways & Bikeways Map to view the closure and detour details, and the Slope stability management policy and framework for processes regarding slope stability.

The bluff runs along the northern bank of the Bow River as it flows through the centre of the city. It was named after Felix McHugh, who homesteaded this property and was a prominent early entrepreneur. In 2004, the City launched a project to restore and develop the bluff into a natural park.

Though the park is close to the city centre, because of the steep grade it does not have a history of intensive human use. Currently however, on any given day, there is an extremely high volume of commuters, joggers and dog walkers using the lateral pathways and trails.

Address: Along Crescent Rd. N.W., from 10 St. N.W. to Centre St. N

Take advantage of the chance to view the city in a new way from within this park. From part way up the bluff, particularly at night, there is a dramatic view of the city skyline. But as you walk along the trails, you are surrounded by grassland, which is so important to this area's history. A stairway, with a viewing platform, descends down the bluff and provides an excellent view of the city, the park and the Bow River Valley.

Along the bluff, there are willows, ashes, Balsam Poplar, White Spruce and, at the base, the introduced Colorado Blue Spruce. The bluff is mainly glacial till covered by a mixture of native and introduced grasses such as Created Wheat-grass and Awnless Brome. Due to the location, there are numerous introduced exotic species. One of the most prominent exotics is the Siberian Pea Shrub, better know as Caragana. This plant was imported because it could withstand the cold, dry Canadian prairies.

Caragana is widely planted around farmyards as a wind break. It can grow up to 30 feet and is extremely dense. Even in winter time, it is an effective wind break and is also commonly used as a city hedge. Unfortunately, it is very invasive, readily seeding itself and crowding out native species. It is now a major problem throughout The City's park system. In part, because the vegetative cover is disturbed, the slope is unstable in several locations and slumping is quite apparent on the regional pathway.

The most conspicuous bird species on the bluff is the common Black-billed Magpie, but many species such as chickadees, nuthatches and American Robins can be seen in the park.