Heritage Park Historical Village facts for kids
 |
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Established | 1964 |
|---|---|
| Location | [[File:|22x20px|border |alt=|link=]] Calgary,  Alberta |
| Type | Living History Museum |
| Public transit access | Heritage C-Train station [[|MT]] MAX Teal [[|MY]] MAX Yellow |
Heritage Park Historical Village is a special museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It's called a "living history museum" because it shows you what life was like in the past. The park is huge, covering 127 acres (about 51 hectares) next to the Glenmore Reservoir.
This amazing park lets you step back in time. You can explore Western Canadian history from the 1860s to the 1950s. Many buildings are real historical ones, moved here to be saved and shown. Others are careful copies of old buildings. Inside, you'll find real items from the past. Park staff even dress in old-fashioned clothes! You can also see antique cars and wagons pulled by horses.
The main Historical Village is open from May to October. But the Gasoline Alley Museum and Railway Café are open all year. Heritage Park opened on July 1, 1964, and it's now one of Calgary's most popular places to visit.
Contents
Exploring Heritage Park: Different Eras
Heritage Park is split into four main areas. Each area shows a different time in Western Canadian history. It's like traveling through time as you walk around!
- Fur Trading Fort (around 1864): This area shows what a Hudson's Bay Company fort looked like. It was a place where people traded furs.
- Pre-Railway Settlement Village (around 1880): Imagine a small village before trains were common. This section shows you how people lived and worked then.
- Railway Prairie Town (around 1910): This area brings a busy town from the early 1900s to life. Trains were very important during this time.
- Heritage Plaza (1920s to 1950s): Opened in 2009, this part shows a more modern time. It includes buildings and styles from the middle of the 20th century.
Fun Things to See and Do
.jpg)
Heritage Park has over 100 exhibits! Here are some of the most exciting ones:
- Ride a Steam Train: Hop on a passenger train pulled by a real steam locomotive. It takes you all around the park on a big loop. Since 2023, the train has a special car to help visitors with wheelchairs or strollers get on and off easily. There are three old train stations where you can get on or off.
- Visit the Railway Roundhouse: This building, built in 1981, is where trains are stored and repaired. It has a working turntable that turns the trains around. You can see many old railway machines and restored passenger cars here.
- Ride a Streetcar: Take a ride on an old streetcar that used to run in Calgary. It can take you from the parking lot to the park's main entrance.
- Sail on the S.S. Moyie: This is a re-creation of a 1964 lake paddle steamer. You can ride it around the Glenmore Reservoir. The dock was rebuilt in 2023 to make it easier for everyone to get on board.
- Explore the Railway Prairie Town: This town is full of buildings from the early 1900s. You can see a working smithy, a bakery, a hotel, a post office, a school, and many other shops. They are all filled with old furniture and items, showing you how they looked back then.
- See the Pre-Railway Settlement Village: This area has a farmhouse and typical farm buildings. You can see real farm animals like horses, cattle, chickens, and sheep. It's not a petting zoo, but you can see what farm life was like.
- Enjoy the Antique Midway: This fun area has old-fashioned amusement park rides that still work!
- Visit the First Nations Encampment: Learn about the Indigenous peoples of southern Alberta in the 1800s.
- Take a Horse-Drawn Wagon Ride: Experience how people traveled long ago.
- Discover the Hudson's Bay Company Trading Fort: See how people traded goods in the early days of Western Canada.
- The Little Synagogue on the Prairie: This is a small, historic synagogue built in 1913.
- Innovation Crossing: Opened in 2022, this space has cool displays about energy. You can learn about how energy works and what the future of energy might look like. It overlooks the Glenmore Reservoir.
- Gasoline Alley Museum: This two-story museum shows off a huge collection of old gasoline pumps, antique cars, and other cool items.
- Heritage Plaza: This area is right in front of the park gates. It has shops, restaurants like the Selkirk Grille, and the Railway Café. It opened in 2009, and you can visit this part of the park for free!
- Bissett Wetlands: These wetlands are used for different school programs and are located near the park entrance.
Many of the park's buildings are also used for special events like weddings or company parties, even when the main park is closed to the public.
New Additions to the Park
In March 2009, Heritage Park opened a big new area called Heritage Plaza. This expansion added several new buildings that show what a Western Canadian town looked like in the 1930s and 1940s.
Some of the new things added in 2009 include:
- A new Gasoline Alley Museum that is open all year.
- A visitor's center, which looks like an old railway station.
- A 1930s town square with shops and places to eat.
- A copy of an old CPR railway station restaurant.
- The Famous 5 Center of Canadian Women, which is a copy of Nellie McClung's Calgary home. It tells the stories of important women in Canadian history.
- A large new parking area for visitors.
Special Events All Year Long
Heritage Park hosts many special events throughout the year. Some happen when the park is open for general visits, and many others take place when the main village is closed for the season. Here are a few examples:
- Sunday Brunches and High Tea: Enjoy special meals at different times of the year.
- Ghost Tours: Explore the park at night and hear spooky stories.
- Day out with Thomas: Thomas the Tank Engine visits for two weekends! A full-sized Thomas engine is attached to the park's steam train, and you can ride it. Other Thomas characters walk around the park, and there are lots of Thomas-themed activities.
- Festival of Quilts: See hundreds of beautiful handmade quilts displayed throughout the park.
- School Patrol Day: Kids who help with school crossing safety in Calgary get to enjoy a special day at the park. Police, fire, and ambulance services also join in.
- Alberta Days: A free day for everyone from Alberta to enjoy the park.
- Carnivale: An evening event for adults with circus acts, food, and arcade games.
- Railway Days: A weekend focused on trains! You might see two steam engines working together. Local clubs also show off their model railroads.
- Ghouls Night Out: The park transforms for Halloween with spooky decorations and activities for kids. There are also special Halloween shows.
- Once Upon A Christmas: The park gets decorated for Christmas. Some buildings are open for special activities and displays. You can also find unique Christmas shopping options.
How Heritage Park Works
Heritage Park Historical Village is a charity. It is run by The Heritage Park Society, which started in 1963. The land the park sits on is owned by the City of Calgary.
Most of the park's exhibits and buildings were built thanks to donations from companies and people, and grants from different levels of government. The park's daily costs are paid for by ticket sales, government grants, donations, and special funds.
Heritage Park has a core team of full-time staff who work all year. They also hire many seasonal employees for the busy summer months. A large group of volunteers from the community also help out in many ways around the park.
See also
- Fort Edmonton Park
- List of heritage railways in Canada
- List of museums in Canada
