You’re a student in Calgary, so you need resources. You need places to study, stores to resupply at, and inexpensive places where you can have a little weekend fun.
Fortunately for you, there are some secret hideaways and low-key refuges for students to take advantage of.
Here’s a list of the most important places around Calgary to know about as we head into the fall semester.
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Calgary public libraries
Rendering of the New Central Library (Calgary Municipal Land Corporation)
Two words: Free. Wi-Fi.
Outside of your school’s library, Calgary public libraries will become your best friends. The staff are all extremely helpful, there are designated areas for quiet study and you have access to all kinds of information.
A full list of Calgary’s libraries can be found here.
Glenbow Museum
If you need any information about history, both international and hyper-local, make your way to the museum.
Glenbow Museum is one of the biggest museums in Western Canada, with many permanent galleries as well as a rotating door of galleries that ensures the museum has new and relevant information, regardless of when you go.
Admission for students is $11, which is a steal for all the resources that will become available to you.
Scotiabank Saddledome
Scotiabank Saddledome (Chandler Walter/Daily Hive)
Living as a student isn’t purely dedicated to study and practice. There’s lots of fun to be had in the city and it doesn’t have to come at a huge cost.
The Saddledome is the place for shows and hockey games, and tickets are usually pretty affordable if you don’t mind sitting high up in the stands. This place is pretty easy to get to even if you don’t have a car, in fact, (it’s arguably) easier if you don’t use one.
Just take the Red Line on the CTrain to Victoria Park Stampede Station and you’ll find yourself on the Stampede grounds, and a short walk from the Saddledome.
17th Avenue
The heart of downtown, 17th Avenue is one of the main retail and entertainment hubs of the city.
Some of the best restaurants, pubs, and shops are on 17th Avenue, and if you spend time here you’ll get a real feel for the pulse of Calgary.
Super pedestrian friendly, 17th Avenue is also home to tons of public art and makes for a fantastic walk even if you have no intention of going out to eat or buying anything in a shop.
The Plaza Theatre
Who doesn’t love the movies?
The Plaza Theatre in Kensington Urban Village plays alternative films from timeless classics to indie movies that maybe won’t be shown on the big screen anywhere else.
It’s not just movies here, though, as every Wednesday night there’s Late Night at the Plaza, a variety show with musicians, comedy routines, dancers and all kinds of other entertainment.
Prices vary, but it’s almost always under $10. They also sell the most affordable popcorn to be found in the city.
Recess Stationary Shop
Back to the studying!
Recess is an awesome stationary shop that brings you right into a schoolhouse environment and sells equipment and tools that are often quirky and eccentric.
Everything they sell is based on a quote by William Morris: “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”
Some of their wares are a little more on the expensive end, but in this case, it’s a matter of quality over quantity. Aside from that, it’s a lot of fun to shop there, because you really never really know what you’re going to find.
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