Canada’s largest living historical park opening new outdoor experiences

Heritage Park Historical Village has announced that it plans to open for the season on May 22, bringing an array of outdoor experiences to Calgarians.

Canada’s largest living historical park is preparing a lineup of outdoor programming, brand new exhibits, and the return of favourite attractions, offering a safe, much-needed activity option as COVID-19 restrictions tightened across Alberta this week.

“After a tough stretch of fighting COVID, our community is ready to get outside to enjoy the
summer,” says Heritage Park President and CEO Lindsey Galloway, “and with 127 acres, Heritage Park is ready.”

“We’ve added new adventures along with the beloved favourites such as the train, and S.S. Moyie, to create a fantastic way to spend a day going back in time,” she continued.

This season, Heritage Park will be opening its much-anticipated Prospect Ridge area. The new section features a giant, working water wheel and an operating replica of the Dingman Number 1 Discovery Well.

“A rustic nature trail, which winds along the escarpment overlooking the Glenmore Reservoir, connects all the exhibits together,” reads a press release from Heritage Park.

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Visitors can explore the historical village’s three distinct areas, including an 1860s Fur Trading Fort and First Nations Encampment, 1880s Pre-railway Settlement, and a Prairie Railway Town. Thrill-seekers can even go for a spin on the antique midway.

The village offers a few different methods of old-fashioned transportation too. Visitors can hop on a horse-drawn wagon to tour the Park, sail on the Glenmore Reservoir aboard the S.S. Moyie paddlewheeler boat, or ride the rails on an antique steam train.

For those with a sweet tooth, The Alberta Bakery, Candy Store, and new Harvey’s Confectionery will be dishing out old-fashioned favourites, and the Park says that all of its retail shops are also open, with reduced capacity, for guests to pick up souvenirs, gifts, and more.

Heritage Park notes that the safety of its guests and staff remain a top priority, and, to avoid over-crowding, a timed-ticketing system has been implemented to manage the number of visitors in the historical village at one time.

“Heritage Park is 127 acres of pristine parkland,” says Galloway, “with plenty of outdoor space to enjoy a safe and entertaining day with friends and family.”

In addition to timed-ticketing and enhanced safety protocols to keep people physically distanced, the Park has introduced enhanced cleaning measures on the train and the S. S. Moyie boat, one-way traffic flow where necessary, and more hand sanitizer stations.

Heritage Park has also relocated some of their indoor experiences outside, ensuring that there’s lots for everyone to see and do.

Heritage Park’s summer season is slated to begin on May 22, and it will be open daily from 10 am to 5 pm until September 6. The historical village will then operate on weekends only through until Thanksgiving Monday.

Guests can now pre-purchase admission or pick up an annual membership online.