Swimming
\nBrookfield Residential YMCA at Seton – 4995 Market Street SE
\nOne of Calgary’s newest aquatic facilities is located at the YMCA in Seton. There you will find a competition pool, lazy river, water slides, dive tower, and a hot tub.
\n \nWestside Recreation Centre – 2000 69 Street SW
\nThis facility boasts a great wave pool, lazy river, water slide, warm toddler pool, and hot tub, in addition to a lane-swimming pool.
\nVivo – 11950 Country Village Link NE
\nVivo’s pool has been closed for renovations for a while, but it reopened to the public on October 30. It features a leisure pool with a lazy river, beach entry, and deep end with a climbing wall and basketball net, as well as a separate lane pool.
\nSouthland Leisure Centre – 2000 Southland Drive SW
\nThis City of Calgary facility features two large water slides, as well as an aquaplay centre with smaller slides and spray features. It also has a wave pool, hot tub, and kiddie pool.
\nSpray Lake Sawmills Centre – 800 Griffin Road E, Cochrane
\nLocated just outside of Calgary in nearby Cochrane, this aquatic centre is one of the warmest around. If you like it even warmer, check out their therapy pool. They also have water slides and spray features in their leisure pool.
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Skating
\nBowness Park (lagoon rink) – 8900 48 Avenue NW
\nAt Bowness Park, you can skate on the lagoon and, when conditions are right, you can even skate along the inlets. It is also one of the new rinks in Calgary that offer skate rentals, stabilization bar rentals, and skate sharpening on site.
\nPrince’s Island Park (lagoon rink) – 4 Street and 1 Avenue SW
\nPrince’s Island Park’s lagoon skating rink offers great views of the city. It does require a bit of a walk to get to, as you can’t park on the island.
\nCarburn Park – 67 Riverview Drive SE
\nCarburn Park’s skating rink is a pond rink, located in a beautiful park full of mature trees. They have lights after dark and you can also find fires to keep warm and music.
\nOlympic Plaza – 228 8 Avenue SE
\nOlympic Plaza has a refrigerated outdoor ice surface allowing it to open earlier and stay in use later than other Calgary rinks.
\nIce Trails – The City of Calgary creates two ice trails, one in North Glenmore Park and one in Bowness Park. It offers a different kind of skating experience where you travel along a path rather than skate around a rink.
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Tobogganing
\nPrairie Winds Park – 223 Castleridge Boulevard – north side hill
\nThe huge centre hill in Prairie Winds Park makes for an exciting toboggan hill. It can also accommodate kids looking for less of a thrill along the western edge.
\nThe Rise at St. Patrick’s Island – 1300 Zoo Road NE
\nLocated between the East Village and the southern Calgary Zoo entrance, St. Patrick’s Island boasts a huge hill called The Rise that is perfect for sledding.
\nSt. Andrews Heights Toboggan Hill – 2504 13 Avenue NW
\nSome Calgarians contend that this is Calgary’s best toboggan hill. The hill is long and steep. There’s a long flat stretch at the bottom, as well as a fence at the far end, just in case.
\nGlendale Toboggan Hill – 25 Avenue and 45 Street SW – west side
\nThis hill is steep but U-shaped, making it both safe and fun.
\nConfederation Park – 2800 10 Street NW - north side of park immediately west of Rosemont Community Centre
\nThe best part of this toboggan hill is the park it is located in. It’s one of Calgary’s best winter parks, with an outdoor rink and maintained pathways for walking, running, or cross-country skiing.
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Dana is the creator of Calgary Playground Review, calgaryplaygroundreview.com. She searches out the best places to play, eat, and learn with kids in Calgary, across Alberta, and beyond. Her three kids also contribute their unfiltered opinions to her reviews.
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