Recently my family & I had a fun opportunity to spend a weekend being tourists in our own city! We had brunch and toured around Fort Calgary, checked out the Calgary Tower, and lastly toured Glenbow Museum. Can you believe that I had never visited any of these attractions before in the 14+ years I’ve lived in Calgary? So having this opportunity was so amazing, and it made me realize that I should have toured my own city long before now! Calgary has so much to offer!
Our time spent at Glenbow Museum was truly a unique and fun experience. I had never toured the museum before so I had no idea what to expect by our visit. And I can honestly say I was surprised, and in a good way. The museum is huge. You could easily spend an entire day there touring all the exhibits and still not see everything. I was also happy to see that the museum is kid friendly, which not all are, but Glenbow Museum is great for kids – it is full of interactive learning for them – my kids had a blast!
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As soon as we entered into the museum we were struck by how beautiful it was. Everywhere you turned there was something to look at…even the staircases were gorgeous!
We started our tour on the 3rd floor of the museum, and made our way down. The first section of the museum that we toured was the Glenbow Museum Mavericks: An Incorrigible History of Alberta. Mavericks presents the story of Southern Alberta in a dynamic and compelling way. Unlike a traditional history exhibition that lists dates, names, and events, Glenbow provides a hands on experience of what it means to be Albertan. You get to interact with the exhibits and feel like you are a part of Alberta history.
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This part of the museum is a learning experience through all the senses! You can launch a stick of dynamite, or take a train ride through the mountains, order a soda in a ‘cafe’, admire planes and take in Alberta’s rich history! My kids especially loved the full sized plane exhibit!
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This life size horse sculpture was one of my favourites – it’s made out of barbed wire!
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Our next stop was my kids favourite part of the museum tour: the Blackfoot Gallery: Niitsitapiisinni: Our Way of Life. This is an interactive gallery that uncovers the traditions, values, and history of the Blackfoot people, who have lived for thousands of years in the northwestern plains of Alberta and Montana. You can learn words in the Blackfoot language, or enter a teepee and feel like you’re part of a ceremony, admire artifacts and gorgeous works of art.
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Our next stop was my daughter’s favourite part of the tour, the Treasures of the Mineral World! For this rock & mineral loving girl, this exhibit was the best! This gallery offers a colourful glimpse into the depth and diversity found in the mineral world. You can see minerals that glow in the dark, find out what Fool’s Gold really is, look at a piece of the earth’s oldest rock, or just enjoy the sheer natural beauty of rock crystals in every colour of the rainbow. We loved this gallery!
Our last stop through the museum was the gallery: Warriors: A Global Journey Through Five Centuries. This gallery compares cultural approaches to war and to the people who do the fighting. First Nations of the Plains, Maoris, Samurai, Medieval Europeans, and contemporary society are featured in this eclectic and stimulating presentation. My boys loooooooved all the armour and special war dress and weaponry. Boys.
Hahaha! This picture of my youngest pretty much sums up how we all felt about our tour through the museum! There’s just so much to see and do at Glenbow Museum…so much so in fact, that we need another visit just to see everything!
Tips for your visit to the Glenbow Museum:
When you get to the museum you can rent a locker for all of your personal items. This is great if you don’t want to carry around your coats and large bags with you all day!
Take your camera! There are a lot of great picture opportunities. But do be aware that there are some exhibits that cannot be photographed.
If you are planning to spend a day at the Glenbow, you can visit the cafe for lunch or snacks, but note that you cannot eat or drink in the museum as you tour.
The museum is easily accessible for everyone, with elevators, washrooms and drinking fountains on every floor.
Babies, children and strollers are very welcome!
Information on the Glenbow Museum: Located in the heart of the Calgary downtown core between Stephen Avenue and the Olympic Plaza Cultural District.
130 9th Ave S.E.
Calgary, AB T2G 0P3
Our experience at the Glenbow Museum was definitely a unique one! Part of our tour also included a video team. Yes a video team, with cameras, mics, a crew…the works. Don’t worry, not all visits to the Glenbow include your own video team! 😉 As part of this campaign, my family & I are going to be a part of a tourism video to help promote Glenbow Museum…so stay tuned for that! I can’t wait to share it with you…but I warn you, I’m terrified to show it to you because I am not an actor. I repeat, I am not an actor. But it will be super fun!
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UPDATE: Here’s my video!
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This is one of our fantastic camera crew members…we really had a great time with them!
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I hope you get a chance to visit Glenbow Museum soon! It’s a fantastic experience!
Hi I'm Jo-Anna Rooney, the creator, director, baker, maker and home decorator here at A Pretty Life in the Suburbs! I'm sharing a simple home life through fresh and easy recipes and uncomplicated home tips and home decor.
Exciting!! I don’t ever think I’ll have a camera crew follow me around! My husband and I spent part of our honeymoon just touring around Halifax (our city) it was fun to not be just rushing around to just get to Costco, but actually taking in the sights. It seems like you guys have really made the most of your stay-cation!
Your pictures are fabulous! This is one place we have not visited in Calgary (our kids often beat us to these things on school trips!), but I will put it on the list!
We love the Glenbow. I took Evan and my Mom the last time she visited. Evan keeps asking to go back because he LOVES the glow in the dark rocks. He talks about them all the time!
It looks so fun! I will have to take the kids there on our next adventure. I can’t wait to see the movie! I am not an actor either, so I get how hard it is to see yourself in video! I bet its great.
Exciting!! I don’t ever think I’ll have a camera crew follow me around! My husband and I spent part of our honeymoon just touring around Halifax (our city) it was fun to not be just rushing around to just get to Costco, but actually taking in the sights. It seems like you guys have really made the most of your stay-cation!
It was pretty exciting, and such a fun day! We’ve really enjoyed being tourists in our own city!
I love taking the kids to the Glenbow. The Mavericks exhibit is our favorite.
My kids loved the Mavericks too – we need to go back!
Your pictures are fabulous! This is one place we have not visited in Calgary (our kids often beat us to these things on school trips!), but I will put it on the list!
Thank you Sami! We really really enjoyed the Glenbow – I had no idea there was so much to see! We’ll definitely go back!
We love the Glenbow. I took Evan and my Mom the last time she visited. Evan keeps asking to go back because he LOVES the glow in the dark rocks. He talks about them all the time!
ooh this looks fun I love taking my kids to museums!
It looks so fun! I will have to take the kids there on our next adventure. I can’t wait to see the movie! I am not an actor either, so I get how hard it is to see yourself in video! I bet its great.