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Indoor Activities in Calgary: The Ultimate List of Indoor Things to Do
Updated: Oct 12
Looking for indoor activities in Calgary?
The city has no shortage of indoor attractions, from museums and indoor gardens to escape rooms, climbing gyms and trampoline parks.
Whether it's a deep freeze, a snowstorm, a rainy day, wildfire smoke, or just one of those days when you'd rather stay warm, having a few ideas up your sleeve makes all the difference.
We've called Calgary home since 2012 and have spent years exploring the city with family and friends.
We've visited practically every place on this list ourselves, so you're getting a local's perspective on what's really worth your time. Prices, hours and closures were last checked in October 2026.
In this guide, we've rounded up our favourite indoor things to do in Calgary for families, visitors and locals alike. Whether you're planning a winter getaway, looking for a rainy-day activity, or simply searching for something different to do this weekend, you'll find plenty of ideas here.
Planning a Visit to Calgary?
Short on time? Our 2-day Calgary itinerary shows how to fit the highlights into a weekend.
Want outdoor ideas too? Our 40 best things to do in Calgary covers the city in every season.
Need somewhere to stay? Calgary's Best Hotels has our local picks for every budget.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only ever share honest reviews of products and experiences we genuinely love.
Map of Indoor Attractions in Calgary
Whenever we plan a trip, we always start with Google Maps. It helps us visualize locations and create efficient itineraries. We’ve added all the top indoor attractions in Calgary to the map below to help you see where everything is located.
To use this map, click the tab in the top left corner to toggle between layers and for more details about each attraction. To save the map to your Google Maps account, click the star next to the title. To access it later, open Google Maps, go to “Your Places,” and find it under “Maps.”
Museums and Indoor Attractions in Calgary
The Calgary Tower
Located in downtown Calgary, the iconic Calgary Tower is a perfect indoor activity on a cold but clear winter day. From the observation deck of the 191-metre tower, you can enjoy stunning 360° views of the city and the Rocky Mountains, and the glass floor gives you no choice but to look straight down at the streets below!
However, admission isn't cheap, and prices vary by date and time (booking online in advance gets the best rate).
Instead, we often take the more budget-friendly option and eat at the revolving SKY 360 restaurant, which is 155 metres above the city. It offers similar views but you don't need to pay to go up (just pay for the food you buy in the restaurant).
One tip: save the tower for a clear day. On a smoky or hazy day, the views of the mountains are nowhere near as clear.
If you're looking for a hotel in downtown Calgary, our Calgary hotel guide highlights three excellent options within walking distance.
The TELUS Spark Science Centre
TELUS Spark is one of Calgary's best indoor attractions for families. This interactive science centre is perfect for kids, offering engaging exhibits that encourage hands-on learning. You can drink out of a toilet and even lie on a bed of nails, all in the name of learning about science! You can explore the stars in the planetarium, experiment with robotics and even experience virtual reality, so there's no shortage of exciting activities to enjoy.
One of the best things to do at TELUS Spark is to watch a movie in the Infinity Dome. The three-storey dome surrounds you with 360° visuals for an experience unlike a typical movie theatre. Most shows are included with admission (a few premium films cost extra), but seating is first-come, first-served, so arrive early for popular showings.
The Studio Bell National Music Centre
Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre (NMC), is an impressive museum that spans five floors and explores Canada's musical history and contemporary music scene. Visitors of all ages can enjoy a hands-on approach to learning about music, from trying different instruments to recording songs in the state-of-the-art studios.
One of the highlights for our kids is always the main stage, where local performers play covers of hits from Canadian music icons like Justin Bieber, Bryan Adams and Shawn Mendes. We've shared all the details in our guide to visiting Studio Bell.
The Military Museums
The Military Museums in Calgary is one of the largest military museums in Canada, and is actually made up of eight separate 'mini' museums: the Naval, Army and Air Force Museums of Alberta, the Air Force Cold War Museum, and the four regimental museums of the city's founding military units.
It's a really interactive museum, with many lifelike exhibits, including an incredibly realistic WW1 trench that you can walk through. There's also a Cold War exhibit, with two hangars displaying various fighter jets. The museum even houses an original German Enigma machine from WWII, which is pretty interesting to see!
The Hangar Flight Museum
On a similar note, the Hangar Flight Museum (previously known as the Aero Space Museum of Calgary) is an interesting place to visit for families with young kids, and of course, aviation enthusiasts. The museum is housed in a drill hall constructed as part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan during World War II, and features an impressive collection of over 24 rare military and civilian aircraft. It's a great place to learn about Canada's aviation history and the remarkable stories of those who risked their lives piloting these incredible machines.
The Calgary Police Discovery Centre (formerly YouthLink)
The Calgary Police Discovery Centre is a hands-on museum that offers a fascinating look into Calgary's law enforcement and crime prevention world. Formerly known as YouthLink, it took on its new name in April 2026 to mark its 30th anniversary, and opened a new Cyber Safety exhibit at the same time.
Located at the Calgary Police Headquarters, it includes exhibits on forensic science, historical crime cases and real-life policing equipment. You can even sit in a real police car and turn on the lights! The best part? It's free to visit. We had an amazing time exploring it, and you can read more in our guide to the Calgary Police Discovery Centre.
The Confluence Historic Site (formerly Fort Calgary)
The Confluence sits on a 40-acre site where the Bow and Elbow Rivers meet, and marks the spot where Fort Calgary was built in 1875. Although the original fort is long gone, the cultural centre inside the recreated fort brings the site's history to life, from the North-West Mounted Police to the Indigenous Peoples who gathered here long before. A newer permanent exhibit, Kípaitápiiyssinnooni (Our Way of Life), focuses on Blackfoot culture and traditions.
Our kids enjoyed exploring the recreated rooms, from the barracks and pharmacy to the officers' quarters, and I got a kick out of locking them up in the jail cell (just joking, of course)! Parking is now in a paid ParkPlus lot off 9th Avenue. You can read more in our visit to Fort Calgary.
Gasoline Alley at Heritage Park
Heritage Park Historic Village is one of Calgary's most popular summer attractions, but did you know that you can visit the Gasoline Alley Museum (located inside the grounds) year-round? As the only part of the park that remains open throughout the winter, it’s a fantastic indoor option when the weather isn’t ideal.
Inside, you’ll find an impressive collection of vintage vehicles, from classic cars to antique trucks and motorcycles, as well as fascinating gas pumps and petroleum memorabilia. It’s the perfect spot to dive into Alberta’s history while staying warm and dry!
The Bow Habitat Station
Bow Habitat Station is located in Pearce Estate Park near Inglewood, and is a unique place to visit along the Bow River, as it combines a fish hatchery with a discovery centre and aquarium. It explains the vital role fish and fishing play in Alberta's heritage, while also letting visitors see the hatchery at work.
The hatchery helps replenish Alberta's lakes and rivers by raising fish for stocking, and visitors have the chance to feed them, which is great for kids. The discovery centre and hatchery have separate admission fees, so you can choose to visit either one or enjoy both.
The Calgary Zoo (the Indoor Buildings)
The Calgary Zoo might not sound like an obvious rainy-day pick, but several of its best exhibits are indoors, and we've been more times than we can count.
Our favourites are the penguins (be warned, the building smells of fish!) and Destination Africa, where you'll find the hippos and giraffes, plus the gorillas in the rainforest building.
Spend most of your time in these buildings and you can enjoy a good few hours at the zoo, whatever the weather is doing outside.
Coming Soon: Glenbow (2027)
Calgary's best-known art and history museum has been closed for a major renovation since 2021. Glenbow is set to reopen in 2027 in its revitalized home, the JR Shaw Centre for Arts & Culture, and it will be the first major museum in Canada to offer free general admission. We'll add it to this list as soon as it reopens.
Free Indoor Things to Do in Calgary
The Calgary Central Library
Opened in 2018 on the edge of East Village, the Calgary Central Library is one of the city's most stunning buildings. During a Calgary walking tour, we learned that its interior design is inspired by a candle, symbolizing Calgary's deep connections to Indigenous history.
If you enjoy photography, the library's interior provides plenty of opportunities to capture some incredible shots. There's also a kids' play and discovery area called the Questionarium.
Just next door to the library you'll find Cochu, an award-winning chocolate shop. It’s a must-visit for chocolate lovers with a sweet tooth, as they make some unique candy covered slabs of chocolate, and even an indulgent cup of rich, melted chocolate straight from their chocolate fountain!
The Devonian Gardens at the CORE Shopping Mall
The Devonian Gardens is an indoor botanical garden on the 4th floor of the CORE Shopping Centre in downtown Calgary. The mall has four floors of shopping and dining, with over 150 stores to explore. The gardens feature more than 500 trees, 50 plant varieties, a 900 sq. ft. living wall, and fountains and fish ponds. It's a nice place to take kids, as they'll have fun at the play area (which includes a climbing wall), while the parents relax in a bit of tranquility.
Calgary Plus 15 Downtown Walk
A unique feature of downtown Calgary is the 'Plus 15', which is a network of elevated walkways that connect various downtown buildings, shopping centres, and transit stations. These walkways are 15ft off the ground, thus the Plus 15 name, and it means that you can walk around almost all of downtown without ever having to venture outside, which is a pretty neat thing when it's -30°C outside! It's a great option if you want to get some steps in but the weather isn't playing ball.
Visit an Art Gallery
Calgary has a thriving art scene, with a number of fantastic art galleries to visit throughout the city. Best of all, most of them are free. Here are two of our favourites:
Esker Foundation
The Esker Foundation is a free art gallery located in Inglewood. The gallery is a beautiful building with a number of revolving contemporary art exhibits. There is a small section called the Nest where you can read books, relax, and take in the view of downtown.
Nickle Galleries
Another free art gallery, this time located on the campus of the University of Calgary, Nickle Galleries focuses on contemporary works from Western Canadian artists. The gallery also hosts free weekly 'Nickle at Noon' talks (Thursdays at noon), often led by the artists themselves, if you want to gain a more in depth understanding of the artwork on display.
Chinese Cultural Centre
If you're spending a day exploring downtown, I'd definitely recommend spending some time in Chinatown. It's an interesting place to walk around, and it has one of the most striking buildings in the city. The Calgary Chinese Cultural Centre has a 70-foot-high multicoloured ceiling inspired by the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. There's a free museum where you can learn about the history of Chinese Canadians, as well as the Chinese Artifacts Museum, which is also free to enter.
It probably goes without saying, but there are some pretty good places to eat in Chinatown! One of the most famous is the Silver Dragon, a great place to try ginger beef, a dish that originated in Calgary and one of our top foods to try when visiting Calgary.
Free Climbing at MEC
MEC on 10th Avenue SW offers free climbing on its indoor wall on Sunday afternoons, on a first-come, first-served basis. It's a great, no-cost way to see if your kids enjoy climbing before you pay for a session at a climbing gym.
The Calgary Farmers' Market
There are a few farmers' markets around the city, but our favourite is the Calgary Farmers' Market, just up the hill from Deerfoot Meadows. Like most farmers' markets, there are vendors selling local produce, artisanal goods and handmade products, plus lots of stalls selling hot and cold food. There's also a soft play area for the kiddos, which is perfect for kids under 8.
The South location is open Thursday to Sunday, 9am to 5pm. There's also a West location near WinSport, with many of the same vendors, open Wednesday to Saturday, 9am to 7pm, and Sunday, 9am to 5pm.
The Chinook Mall
Chinook Mall is one of Calgary’s largest and most popular shopping malls, featuring over 250 stores, including a variety of luxury boutiques and well-known mainstream brands. The mall is located on Macleod Trail in the south of the city and is easily accessible by car, with both above-ground and underground parking options. It is also conveniently near the Chinook Calgary Transit C-Train station.
The mall also features a cinema and bowling alley, and regularly hosts special events (we've been to a light show there called 'Mirror Mirror'). You can see what's on here.
Active Indoor Activities in Calgary
Indoor Ice Skating in Calgary
Ice skating is one of Canada's most iconic winter pastimes, and we love heading out onto a frozen lake for a night skate during the colder months. But when temperatures drop too low, or warmer weather makes outdoor skating unsafe, Calgary has plenty of excellent indoor rinks too.
Our favourite is the University of Calgary's Olympic Oval, which was built for the 1988 Winter Olympics. If you can, visit on a Monday for the Toonie Skate, when everyone can skate for just $2. It runs on Monday nights from September to March, 6pm to 8pm. You can check the schedule at oval.ucalgary.ca.
Other good indoor rinks around the city include:
SW – Westside Recreation Centre: a huge indoor leisure rink, open for skating from September to March.
SW – Southland Leisure Centre: two indoor rinks with public skating every day, plus parent-and-child skates where strollers are allowed on the ice.
SE – Brookfield Residential YMCA at Seton: an indoor rink in the same complex as the pools, so it's easy to combine a skate and a swim.
NE – Vivo for Healthier Generations: an indoor ice rink alongside its pools and indoor park.
Citywide – City of Calgary arenas: the City runs 19 arenas at 12 locations, with public skate times listed at calgary.ca/dropin.
Indoor Golf in Calgary
Calgarians love their golf, and a bit of snow isn't going to stop them! Once the courses close for the season, the city's golfers simply head indoors, so there's no shortage of places to keep your swing in shape until spring.
I've played at a few, but our favourite is LaunchPad Golf at Heritage Pointe, just south of the city. It's a driving range so technically it isn't indoors, but you hit from covered, heated bays that keep you warm even in the depths of winter.
We've been lots of times with the kids, and it's fun for everyone because the games adjust to each player's level, so anyone can win, whether they golf or not. You can also play full rounds on famous courses like Pebble Beach, hitting real balls while Toptracer tracks every shot. It has 40 bays, plus a full restaurant and two bars, so even if you're not interested in golf you can come along.
Here are some other good options around the city, from a second LaunchPad to fully indoor golf simulators:
N – LaunchPad at Mickelson National: a smaller, 16-bay version of LaunchPad on the north side of the city.
NW – Elevate Golf: a 24/7 self-serve venue with five TrackMan simulators, and no membership needed.
NW – K Indoor Golf: year-round simulator golf with spacious private rooms.
Central – Sportech Indoor Golf: five private simulator bays just west of downtown, with rotating hitting mats.
SW – GO GO GOLF: a 5,600 sq ft golf lounge with six simulators, plus food and drinks.
SE – JJ Golf: five private simulator rooms with food and drinks, leagues and junior camps.
Skydiving at iFly
Don't fancy jumping out of a plane when it's -30°C and snowing? Don't worry, Calgary has you covered! iFly Calgary is an indoor skydiving experience where you can feel the rush of freefall without leaving the ground. iFly uses a vertical wind tunnel to create a smooth, controlled flying experience suitable for all skill levels, including kids. It's a fantastic way to experience the thrill of skydiving without having to jump from a plane (which is just fine with me)!
Indoor Climbing in Calgary
Calgary has plenty of indoor climbing walls, from bouldering-only gyms to full-scale climbing facilities with ropes. Climbing is a great activity to get kids active, as they quite literally get a full-body workout. Plus, with the Rockies nearby, it's a great skill to develop! You can hire all the gear you need if you don't have your own.
For rope climbing, our favourite is the Calgary Climbing Centre's Rocky Mountain location, just west of Canada Olympic Park on the way out to Banff. Its walls reach up to 65 feet, and there's also a bouldering area, a dedicated speed wall, a ClimbPark and even an outdoor climbing wall.
For bouldering, we love SoCal Bouldering in Shawnessy, in the south of the city. It has 100 bouldering problems, including four articulating walls, and it's open to climbers aged 7 and up.
If you just want to try it out first, MEC's free Sunday climbing (see above) is a great place to start.
Other climbing gyms around the city include:
NE – CCC Hanger: lots of bouldering and 40-foot walls, plus a ClimbPark.
Central – CCC Stronghold: just north of downtown, and best known for its long routes.
SE – CCC Chinook: the original Calgary Climbing Centre, with a massive bouldering area and auto-belays, so you can climb even if you're on your own.
Activate Calgary
Activate is an active gaming facility where you take on competitive, arcade-style challenges across a series of interactive rooms. Each room uses real-time technology that responds as you jump, climb and problem-solve through agility and speed-based tasks. Whether you're dodging lasers (like those guarding the crown jewels!), scaling glowing walls or shooting hoops, the games are designed to be fun for adults and kids.
You wear an electronic wristband to track your progress and see how you rank on the leaderboard, so it can get competitive! There are two locations in Calgary, one in the north and one in the southwest.
Speeders (Chinook)
Speeders Chinook is one of the best multi-activity destinations for kids and adults in Calgary. The main attraction is its indoor karting, where you can choose between adult speed or family speed. Junior packages are for racers aged 14 and under, and everyone needs to be at least 4'7" to race, which was somewhere between 9 and 10 years old for our kids. Adult karting starts at 15 and needs a minimum height of 5'1".
As well as karting, Speeders has a multi-level laser tag arena, an 18-hole mini golf course, duckpin bowling, augmented reality (AR) axe throwing, AR darts and an arcade. With so many activities, there's something for everyone in the family! There's also another location near the airport, but it's less extensive.
Flying Squirrel
On a rainy day, why not spend a few hours at Flying Squirrel, one of the world's largest indoor trampoline parks? It's not just trampolines: there are freestyle areas, ball pits, rope swings, dunk hoops, a battle beam and a dodgeball zone, so there's plenty to keep you entertained. For more advanced jumpers, there are four Olympic-sized trampolines.
There's also a large arcade, which makes it extremely popular for birthday parties (both of our girls have had one here). The café sells all the usual party food, and the pizza is actually really good and quite reasonably priced.
B-Line Indoor Bike Park
B-Line Indoor Bike Park has plenty to offer riders of all ages. Younger and beginner riders can enjoy pump tracks, jumps and a kid-friendly area with a seesaw track, while older or more advanced riders will find more challenging pump tracks, wooden boardwalks and foam pit ramps to practise their jumps. It's a great option for families in the colder months, and an excellent place to sharpen your skills before hitting the outdoor trails in spring and summer.
Indoor Swimming Pools in Calgary
Swimming is one of our go-to rainy-day activities, and our local favourite is the Brookfield Residential YMCA in Seton.
We've been many times, and it's a great option if you're in the south of the city. It's an amazing facility, and a fantastic place to swim, whether you're doing laps, playing in the kids' pool or floating down the lazy river. The 50m competition pool is a world-class venue, and many of Canada's Olympians have trained there.
For families, there's a lazy river, a huge waterslide, plenty of basketball hoops and balls to play with in the pool, and even a surfing simulator. The complex also has a well-equipped gym, a skating rink, a running track and much more.
We haven't been to all of these ourselves, but they're the best-known leisure pools in other parts of the city:
NW – Shane Homes YMCA at Rocky Ridge: a wave pool, lazy river and waterslide.
SW – Westside Recreation Centre: a wave pool, waterslide and lazy river, plus a leisure skating rink and climbing wall.
SW – Southland Leisure Centre: a tropical-themed water park with a wave pool, dive tank and waterslides.
NE – Vivo for Healthier Generations: a play pool with a lazy river, rope swing and climbing wall, plus an indoor park with lights that change colour through the day to mimic the sun.
NE – Village Square Leisure Centre: a safari-themed water park with a wave pool and waterslides. Note that it's closed for upgrades from August 31, 2026, until the end of 2027.
Indoor Playgrounds and Kids' Activities in Calgary
The Big Box
The Big Box bills itself as the biggest indoor play space in Canada, and it's a great way for kids to burn off some energy on a cold or rainy day. There are two locations, one on Canyon Meadows Drive SE and one on 64th Avenue NE, and both have a café for the grown-ups.
Our girls have been to the south location, in Deer Valley Marketplace for a birthday party and they loved it.
Treehouse Indoor Playground
Treehouse is a fun indoor playground designed for children aged 13 and under. There are two locations in the city, one in the NE and one in the SE.
There's a variety of activities for kids to enjoy, including large play structures, slides, arcades, a small climbing wall, ball pool rooms and soft play areas for toddlers. There's also a large café, so parents can relax while their little ones explore. Our kids went there many times when they were younger, and they always had a great time.
KidzGo
KidzGo is a lively indoor play space in southeast Calgary, designed for young children, with a variety of interactive play zones. There are climbing structures, ball pits, slides and obstacle courses for kids to explore. There's also a large café with a pretty extensive menu, which gives parents the much-needed chance to relax while their little ones play!
More Indoor Playgrounds in Calgary
We haven't made it to these yet, but they're worth a look if you're in another part of the city:
NW – Cloud Land (Sage Hill): Calgary's first immersive indoor playground for ages 1 to 12, mixing physical play with interactive projection games.
SE – Luv 2 Play: an indoor playground for kids up to 12, with a four-storey play structure, an arcade and a café.
NE (just outside the city) – Big Fun Play Centre: billed as North America's largest indoor inflatable park, with over 25 attractions, including obstacle courses, mazes, giant slides and a mechanical bull.
Horsin’ Around
Horsin' Around is a great facility in the south of Calgary that offers pony rides, riding lessons and even a petting farm. Thanks to its spacious heated indoor arena, you can arrange pony rides all year round. The facility also has permanent bouncy castles, and our daughters have been to birthday parties there; they're lots of fun.
The petting farm is home to a variety of animals, including rabbits, goats, pigs and chickens. You can even walk through the horse stables and pet the horses.
Monster Mini Golf
Monster Mini Golf is a unique glow-in-the-dark, monster-themed mini-golf experience located in the NE of Calgary. The course is filled with animated, talking 'Monsters', vibrant blacklight artwork, and lively music—making it a hit even for kids who aren’t golf fans!
It’s especially fun during the Halloween season. As well as the mini golf there is also a pretty fun arcade too.
The Calgary Selfie Museum
If your kids are anything like mine, they absolutely love taking selfies! Well, Calgary now has its very own Selfie Museum. It's a one-of-a-kind experience with 25 permanent backdrops full of quirky props, plus seasonal exhibits for occasions like Christmas and Halloween. It's great for families, and they even allow dogs if you want to get your pooch in on the act!
Honestly, it's pretty tacky, but that's the point! The kids will have a blast.
Indoor Activities for Adults
Afternoon Tea at the Fairmont Palliser
If you are looking for a little bit of indulgence, then why not try an afternoon tea at the Fairmont Palliser in downtown Calgary? The hotel is located just a few steps from the Calgary Tower and is one of Calgary's most famous and luxurious hotels. It's one of our top recommendations for where to stay in downtown Calgary.
The afternoon tea includes a large selection of pastries, scones, finger sandwiches, sweets and of course a huge selection of tea. Sometimes it's just nice to get dressed up and do something a little bit posh!
A Show at the Jubilee Auditorium
The Jubilee Auditorium, known locally as the 'Jube', is one of Calgary's top performance venues, with live shows throughout the year. From Broadway productions and concerts to ballet, orchestras and comedy, it always has an impressive line-up. We saw the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra play the score to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and it was an unforgettable experience. The kids absolutely loved it.
Watch a Hockey Game
Hockey is a huge part of Canadian culture, and if you're visiting during the hockey season, watching a game is well worth it. Even if you're not a hockey fan, the energy in the arena is amazing, making it an unforgettable experience, and about as Canadian as it gets! The Calgary Flames are Calgary's NHL team, the highest level of professional hockey in North America. The Calgary Hitmen play in the Western Hockey League (WHL), a major junior league in Canada.
If you happen to be in Calgary in early December, the Hitmen are famous for their Teddy Bear Toss, an annual game where fans throw stuffed animals onto the ice after the home team scores its first goal. In 2025, fans threw 26,828 toys onto the ice, taking the total collected over three decades past 500,000. It's well worth going if you're in town with kids!
Ticket prices vary, with budget-friendly options starting around $30 and premium seats going for $300 or more. You can buy tickets here:
The Rec Room (Deerfoot City)
The Rec Room at Deerfoot City, in the northeast close to the airport, is a two-storey entertainment venue with over 100 arcade games, a restaurant, bars and a stage for live entertainment.
We've been a few times for work events, and it works really well for groups. There's no admission fee; instead, you load credits onto a wristband to play the games. Kids are welcome until 10pm, after which it's adults only.
Calgary Breweries
Calgary has a fantastic craft beer scene, and a brewery taproom is a great way to spend a cold or rainy afternoon. We've been to lots, but two of our favourites are:
Cabin Brewing Company in the Manchester brewery district (the 'Barley Belt'). Their Super Saturation hazy pale ale is the one to try, and the family-friendly taproom has a cozy, cabin-inspired feel.
Cold Garden in Inglewood, which is dog-friendly, and that makes it a lot of fun. It has an eclectic taproom, and you can bring your own food or have it delivered.
Escape Rooms at The Locked Room
Calgary has several escape room experiences, but the one we tried was The Locked Room, and we all really enjoyed it. If you've never done an escape room before, it involves solving puzzles and finding clues to 'escape' within a set time. It's a fun activity for couples, groups of friends or families with older kids.
The Locked Room has three locations, each with four different puzzle scenarios, so you can pick the one that interests you most. Exit Calgary and Escape 60 offer similar experiences.
Paint Night at Raw Canvas
We haven't tried this one yet, but it's on our list for a date night. Raw Canvas runs paint-and-sip nights where an instructor guides you through a painting step by step, so you don't need any experience.
They also host blacklight paint nights and 'paint your pet' sessions, where you paint a portrait of your own pet.
Visit the Regal Cat Café
If you are a cat lover you can book a slot at the Regal Cat Cafe and enjoy stroking a cat with your coffee! They have a separate area where you can play with the cats, and the café has been owned by the MEOW Foundation since 2022, so every visit supports cat rescue, so if you REALLY fall in love with a cat, you might even be able to adopt it.
Fun fact, the last time we went was when we discovered that Evelyn is allergic to cats, so we haven't been back for a while!
Things to Do in Calgary on a Rainy Day (and Other Bad-Weather Days)
Not every bad-weather day is the same, and the best indoor plan depends on what the weather is doing. Here's how we'd approach each one.
On a Rainy Day
Rain is more common in early summer than most visitors expect, with June typically Calgary's wettest month. Rainy days are when TELUS Spark, the Calgary Zoo's indoor buildings, Flying Squirrel and The Big Box can get busy, so arriving early helps.
For a lower-key day, pair the Central Library with Cochu next door, or combine a swim at the Seton YMCA with the Seton Library.
On a Really Cold Day
When it's -30°C, the less time you spend walking between places, the better. Downtown works well, because the Plus 15 connects the Devonian Gardens, the malls and many of the hotels without you having to step outside.
Otherwise, pick places where you can park close by or underground, like Chinook Mall, and save the Calgary Tower for a clear, sunny day, when the views are at their best.
On a Smoky Day
In wildfire season, check Calgary's Air Quality Health Index before you head out. On smoky days, choose places you can drive straight to and spend the whole visit inside, such as a museum, a pool or a play centre, rather than anything that involves walking between buildings. And skip the Calgary Tower, as the view will be hazy.
Save Money on Calgary Attractions
If you're planning to visit a few paid attractions, sign up for the free Calgary Attractions Pass from Tourism Calgary, which gives you discounts at some of the city's top attractions.
It lives on your phone, so you just scan the QR code at the ticket desk. Tourism Calgary releases a new pass each year, so make sure you sign up for the current one.
Many of the best options on this list are also completely free; see our free indoor things to do above.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some fun indoor activities for adults in Calgary?
For a night out, try the Rec Room, a craft brewery like Cabin Brewing or Cold Garden, an escape room, or indoor golf at LaunchPad. For something more relaxed, book afternoon tea at the Fairmont Palliser or a show at the Jubilee Auditorium.
What are some free indoor things to do in Calgary?
The Central Library, the Devonian Gardens, the Plus 15 walkways, the Esker Foundation, Nickle Galleries and the Chinese Cultural Centre are all free, as is the Calgary Police Discovery Centre. MEC also offers free climbing on Sunday afternoons, and the Calgary Farmers' Market is free to wander (just budget for the food!)
What can you do in Calgary on a rainy day with kids?
Our top picks are TELUS Spark, the Calgary Zoo's indoor buildings, Flying Squirrel and The Big Box. If you'd rather not spend anything, the Central Library and the Devonian Gardens are both free and great for kids.
Where to Stay in Calgary
If you're visiting in winter, or you're worried about the weather, we'd recommend staying downtown.
Many of the best indoor attractions, including the Calgary Tower, the Central Library, Studio Bell, the Devonian Gardens and Chinatown, are within walking distance, and the Plus 15 means you can get around much of downtown without going outside.
For our full list of recommendations, from luxury hotels like the Fairmont Palliser to budget-friendly options, see our guide to Calgary's Best Hotels: Where to Stay for Every Budget.
Enjoy Calgary, Whatever the Weather
We hope this guide has given visitors some ideas for a rainy day in Calgary, and helped those of us who live here find a few places we hadn't come across before.
And when the weather clears, Calgary is one of the best places to get outside and be active.
Our 40 best things to do in Calgary mixes indoor and outdoor ideas, our guide to 12 foods to try in Calgary will keep you fed, and if you're heading to the mountains, our 2-week Canadian Rockies itinerary and our winter hikes, like Grotto Canyon in winter and Johnston Canyon in winter, are great places to start.
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