There are some places that hold such strong memories in my mind that, that even though their appearance has changed, they’ll always feel the same to me. Are there places, maybe ones you visited as a child, that work this way for you?
Heritage Park in Calgary is a place that we often visited when I was younger—with friends that I was allowed to invite, or cousins from both sides of my family. I recently went to Heritage Park and found something quite new—the front entrance was completely changed, and a new attraction has been added: Gasoline Alley!
As I’ve mentioned, I just recently moved back to my hometown of Calgary from 7 years of being in Vancouver. I’m re-discovering places we used to enjoy in the city, and on the top of my list was Heritage Park.
The building itself is enormous—the main floor has tons of restored vintage/antique gas pumps, signs, and some cars. It also has lots of space for hosting parties or events, and the Selkirk Grille is attached. You don’t need to pay for admission or parking to go to the Selkirk Grille.
They had this cute faux-store with fruit and veg out front. The funny thing is that we used to go to little stores like this all the time in Vancouver. In Calgary, people basically go to the larger grocery stores. . .no mom and pop grocery places here.
The park has a wide assortment of venues for private functions. I absolutely love the setting of Heritage Park—lots of trees around, wide open expanses, and the Glenmore Reservoir.
Downstairs, there are dozens of restored cars, and more space for functions. I hear that they have different auto shows here and public events throughout the year. I could really see this as being a fun place for children, elderly and adults to visit. You could even go in to some of the cars. There is a bit of a children’s area with a small train they can ride.
Check out the Gasoline Alley page on the Heritage Park page.
Location: Heritage Park
1900 Heritage Drive SW Calgary, Alberta Canada
Particulars: Open Year-Round Daily 9:30am – 4:00pm
Heritage Park admission applies to Gasoline Alley Museum. Winter admission (when Heritage Park is closed, but Gasoline Alley is open): $9.75 for adults and $4.75 for children
Recommended for: Families of all ages, car enthusiasts, history-buffs.
deanna_boocock says
Thanks for sharing. I can't get over all the changes that have happened at Heritage Park. Even though there is more of a commercial focus, it is still a wonderful place to learn about our history. With it's costumed interpretative staff, it really is a living museum. An awesome place to make history come alive. Much more exciting than a boring history text!