Calgary is synonymous for green open spaces and eye catching parks, there is no shortage of stunning places to see in Calgary. This metropolitan area is a sprawling futuristic urban city with more of its citizens living in stylish condos or apartments, but carefully expanding with its natural surroundings, keeping the balance between living space and nature’s space. Calgary has a good system of public institutions that help maintain these scenic green spaces, creating an environment where cleanliness becomes the norm, that is why this city always ranks high every year for green liveable places in the world.
Stanley Park located off Park Hill along the Elbow River is one of Calgary's most serene and attractive parks. Certain bike trails that follow the river’s edge are perfect for gorgeous walks in the summer, just one of the many scenic areas in this park. The park itself is filled with an assortment of different activities including: an olympic size pool, a baseball diamond, tennis courts, a playground, picnic areas, and wading pool for children. It also has plenty of luxuriant trees to provide shade on sunny days. Vast amount of locals also swim and tube the river during summer to escape the heat.
One of the more novel activities people will see at Stanley Park is the lawn bowling club. Lawn bowling is a sport in which the objective is to roll biased balls so that they stop close to a smaller ball called a “jack” or “kitty”, this game is played in few other places in North America and has a grand tradition and standing.
Another great park in Calgary is the Devonian Gardens. The fabulous thing regarding this park is its indoors. This city has cold winters so the Devonian Gardens are great refuge for Calgarians who want to be a in a park environment in the dead of winter. The Devonian Gardens opened in 1977 and its construction cost the city nine million dollars. There were originally 200,000 plants and 135 tropical and local species in the gardens. The gardens also contain a playground that is great for families needing a break from the cold. Located right next to the downtown area, the Devonian Gardens are a popular spot for business folks taking their lunch breaks. It provides a nice relaxing atmosphere away from the extremely busy downtown area. Unfortunately, as of right now the Devonian Gardens is closed for renovations. It has been closed since 2008 and is expected to reopen in the summer of 2012. The renovations include a three block long skylight along the top of the Gardens, so Calgarians have that to look forward to soon.
These are just some of the many vibrant examples of Calgary’s open green spaces. These two parks are shining examples, but there are many other beautiful parks and recreation areas throughout Calgary. So if you are looking for a peaceful retreat or just looking to enjoy a short adventure, remember to put Calgary on “your places to see”; with all the abundant green eye-candy its pretty much a win-win for any ecotourist.
Josh Nelson
403–245–4477
www.calgarycondopros.com
