Heritage Park

Canada’s largest living history museum is divided into several sections, with something to interest pretty much every visitor of every age. If you are there in summer, you won’t want to miss a ride on the midway rides, the steam train, or the wagons that criss-cross the park. The Historic Village houses many restored and original buildings. Gasoline Alley, open year-round, is where you’ll find vehicles from the golden age of the automobile.

If you plan to visit several times in a year, an annual pass is a great value.

• Heritage Park is perfect for families and history buffs who enjoy an immersive experience.

• The park operates in all weather, so dress appropriately.

• There are various on-site eateries, including restaurants, cafés, a bakery, an ice cream parlor, and other concessions.

• Gasoline Alley and the Heritage Square shops and restaurants are accessible to wheelchair users, yet the buildings in the Historic Village mainly are not.

Heritage Park is located southwest of downtown Calgary beside the Glenmore Reservoir. Most visitors drive; there is paid parking in the on-site lot. You can also take the route 502 bus between the Heritage C-Train station and Heritage Park, or a taxi or rideshare.

Heritage Park hours vary seasonally. From Victoria Day (first Monday preceding May 25) until Labor Day (first Monday of September), all areas of the park are open. After Labor Day until Canadian Thanksgiving (second Monday of October), the Historical Village is open only on Saturdays and Sundays; it closes for the season after the Thanksgiving weekend. Gasoline Alley and the Heritage Square shops and eateries are open daily throughout the year.

Rumors of things that go bump in the night have long haunted Heritage Park. In the fall, ghost tours (all ages or adults only) give visitors a chilling experience of the spirits who may or may not inhabit the park. Prior to Halloween, the ghosts and goblins come to play for more hauntingly good times at several special events.