July 2012

Guest Post by Jenny Hill

We took a family trip to Heritage Park along with a girlfriend and her daughter last week, my first since Junior High! Since neither the kids nor Hubby had ever been, it was pretty much a new experience for all of us. Off we went, with a backpack full of snacks, water, wipes, a camera and of course sun screen. Knowing the day was going to be a scorcher, we arrived right as the park opened, to avoid both the heat and some of the crowd that would arrive later in the day.

First stop was the rides. It was fantastic being there early; no lineups and hardly anyone on the rides and the kids got to do any ride they wanted – okay, that was every single ride. (Note: the antique amusement park opens a half hour after the park does).

Jackie on Heritage Park Carousel

Heritage Park Ferris Wheel

I have never been a big rides person (I get nauseous pretty quickly) and even though these rides are tame in comparison to today’s newest and latest, by the time I pulled myself off the last ride, I was done!

After the rides there was no holding the kids back from the train!

Train Conductor at Heritage Park

They liked the train but got pretty restless during the 10 minute stops to unload and reload passengers, so we decided this was perfect for snack time.

Heritage Park Street

After the train ride, we walked around and I would highly recommend that you bring a stroller or wagon along with you if you have small children. The park is huge and involves quite a bit of walking.

There were plenty of food options for lunch from hot dogs and hamburgers to fresh baked goods and home-style soups. We settled on the Club Café where the food on the limited menu was good, service was great and most importantly with little children, it was fast. And what trip would not be complete without ice cream at the Vulcan Ice Cream Parlor?

Ice cream at the Vulcan Ice Cream Shop in Heritage Park

Knowing the window of good behaviour was going to close soon, we headed inside to the new section – Gasoline Alley which is also air conditioned; a plus on this hot summer day!

Gasoline-Alley at Heritage Park

The kids weren’t too interested in the old cars, but they did love the kids play section set up with colouring books, a car they can climb into and ‘drive’ and trikes to ride around a track on.

Anderson-driving a car in Gasoline Alley at Heritage Park

I liked that there is a height restriction for the trikes; nothing makes for a bad experience like kids that are too old for something running all over your little ones, but I did not like that there were only 3 trikes – makes it hard to get some time on them when there are a bunch of kids not getting off after 10 minutes or longer.

Trike-course in Gasoline Alley at Heritage Park

Over all, it was a fantastic day, the rides were a huge hit, and this is a wonderful place to go back time and time again and always see and do new things. We still have to hit up the SS Moyie boat ride and a wagon ride or two so I will definitely consider getting the season’s pass next time!

Jenny is a Calgary mom of two and blogs at MiniVan Stiletto