I didn’t plan to write this blog post but I feel like I need to shout it from the rooftops: Granary Road in Calgary is SO worth a visit (whether you have toddlers or tweens)!

My friend and fellow blogger, Alex, and I stopped by with our four kids under five last summer and it completely surpassed our expectations. We stayed the entire day and didn’t even conquer the whole park.

Makes sense though; it’s massive! Yesterday I returned solo with the kids – here’s a snapshot look at our visit:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Holly Hunka (@chandeliers.and.champagne)

Granary Road Play and Learn Park

Granary Road’s Play and Learn Park spans an impressive 36 acres with 3.5 kilometers of trails leading visitors through 11 larger-than-life exhibits, each with its own nature-focused theme.

Upon entering the park, we headed to the right and kicked off our visit with two toddler and preschool-friendly exhibits: the Frog Pond Fun Pad – where Emmett loved bouncing on in-ground trampolines – and Mushroom Meander, where Elle loved playing in a tree trunk.

As we progressed through the park, we were met with different nature-themed stations that gave me James and the Giant Peach, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, and A Bug’s Life vibes.

Each station had a fun, physical element – like ziplines, play structures and mazes – as well as interactive, educational exhibits. When we headed to the park that day, I didn’t think I’d be examining different species of bats and chatting about echolocation with my five-year-old… so be sure to expect the unexpected!

Oh, and expect cute animals – because there’s a lot of them, including alpacas, goats, pigs, a mini horse and donkey.

Mom Things I Can Appreciate
Shade

It’s small but it matters: each of the stations we stopped at had a gazebo with shaded seats. It was +30 so we made a point of stopping to rest and I was happy to see some seniors, breastfeeding Moms and hungry kids taking advantage of the shade.

Snacks

As we made our way through the park, I noticed (and bough water from) a few conveniently-placed snack stops, which also happened to offer animal-shaped cotton candy.

We were saving our sweet tooth, though, as the main building housed the cutest little ice cream booth. Plus, us adults picked up some delicious lattes (and oat fudge bars #sogood) at their café.

Fair Pricing

Not to knock Edmonton but our prices for kids’ activities seem outrageous when I take into consideration Granary Road’s pricing. Kids under 3 are free and everyone else is $15.95. Plus, individual season passes are $50 and family passes are $180. Definitely good value for money.

Granary Road Farmer’s Market

Something else worth noting is that Granary Road has a farmer’s market on Fridays, Saturday and Sundays. We visited on a Thursday so it wasn’t running but we did see the space and it totally gave me Granville Island vibes!

I hope this overview makes you excited to visit Granary Road (click here for directions). If you do, shoot me a DM on Instagram – I’d love to hear what you think!

Please note that this is not a sponsored post, though Granary Road did host us free of charge. As always, all thoughts are my own.

Xo Holly Hunka

Did you enjoy finding out more about Granary Road in Calgary? Save this post on Pinterest.