Recreation centres are great places for families to stay fit and have fun together. Work out with weights or cardio machines while your kids play in childcare or go for a swim or a skate … there are lots of different options in the city, and that’s especially great when the weather is unpredictable. Here’s where to find all of them in Calgary!

Please note: always check with the location for the latest details.

Within Calgary City Limits

Cardel Rec South

In addition to being the home of the Shawnessy YMCA and a branch of Calgary Public Library, Cardel Rec South also has four ice arenas, a community gymnasium, meeting rooms and more. They run programs for kids and families including preschool classes, skating lessons, clubs and day camps.

Address: 100, 333 Shawville Blvd SE, Calgary, AB
Websitewww.cardelrec.com

City of Calgary Aquatic & Fitness Centres and Arenas

In addition to the city’s two Leisure Centres (listed here separately), the City of Calgary maintains 11 Aquatic Centres and some also have Fitness Centres. Plus, they run 19 arenas throughout the city.

Aquatic & Fitness/Recreation Centres Websitewww.calgary.ca
Arenas Websitewww.calgary.ca

Genesis Centre

Along with indoor soccer fields, the Genesis Centre provides a wide variety of services from fitness, health, and recreation services to cultural events and social activities. They partner with the Saddletown YMCA and the Calgary Public Library. Note: Genesis Centre does not have any swimming pools or arenas.

Address: 7555 Falconridge Blvd NE, Calgary, AB
Website: genesis-centre.ca

JCC Calgary

JCC is a non-profit organization offering social, educational, recreational, and cultural programming to individuals and families of all ages, stages and backgrounds. The recreation centre facilities include a pool, hot tub, fitness facilities, a climbing wall, an indoor play structure, and more. While the centre has a thriving Jewish community, anybody is welcome to be a member, sign their kids up for programs, or pay a day admission to use the facility.

Address: 1607 90 Avenue SW, Calgary, AB
Websitewww.calgaryjcc.com

MNP Community & Sport Centre

MNP Community & Sport Centre offers many activities for all ages and abilities all under one roof! A membership or drop-in admission gets you access to some amazing amenities like:

  • 2 Olympic-sized pools with public swim times
  • 20 Person hot tub
  • Steam Room
  • 5 Gymnasiums
  • 2 running tracks
  • 700+ pieces of cardio and weight training equipment
  • A variety of Group Fitness classes including yoga, Power Cycle, Boot Camp, Kickboxing and much more

Address:  2225 Macleod Trail South, Calgary, AB
Websitewww.mnpcentre.com

Mount Royal University

Mount Royal University Recreation Centre offers an energetic, social environment for everybody and the public is always welcome. They offer fitness training and classes, drop-in play, a climbing wall, and an Aquatic Centre featuring a hot tub, an eight-lane saltwater pool, and an open dive tank area.

Address: 4825 Mt Royal Gate SW, Calgary, AB
Website: www.mtroyal.ca

SAIT Wellness Centre — Currently Closed to the Public

The SAIT Wellness Centre offers a variety of facilities that include: a weight room, featuring cardio and weight lifting equipment, and a basketball court. At the time of writing (January 2024), this temporary Wellness Centre is only open to currently SAIT and AUArts students and employees. A new building is being constructed

Address: 1301, 16 Avenue NW, Calgary, AB
Websitewww.sait.ca

Southland Leisure Centre (City of Calgary)

Southland has a tropical beach-themed AquaPlay structure within its spectacular waterpark, which includes a wave pool, dive tank, water slides, kiddies pool, hot tub, and steam room, as well as swim lessons and aqua fitness programs.

Other amenities include twin arenas, which offer seasonal public skating and shinny hockey, a dry sports area which includes multi-use rooms, a gymnasium, a rock climbing area, a gymnastics gym, racquet and squash courts, three playhouse classrooms, a babysitting room, a children’s playroom, and a birthday room.

Programs within the dry sports area include fitness, sports training, gymnastics, racquet sports, skating, dance, martial arts, pre-school, registered and non-registered programs, leagues and tournaments, drop-in sports, and day camps during school breaks and more!

Address: 2000 Southland Drive SW, Calgary, AB
Website: www.calgary.ca

Trico Centre for Family Wellness

Trico Centre is a neighbourhood active-living recreational facility, offering a vast range of programs and services. They run a variety of registered programs for all ages and interests, rent out the facility to user groups, offer day camps, childcare services, before & after school care programs, and birthday parties, and offer specialized community and school programs. Some of the features of the facility include:

  • 13,500 sq ft fitness centre
  • 3-lane running track
  • 2 fully equipped fitness studios
  • 316 ft indoor waterslide & wavepool
  • Hot tub, sauna, steam
  • Arena
  • Gymnasium
  • Multipurpose rooms
  • Childcare

Address: 11150 Bonaventure Dr. SE, Calgary, AB
Website: www.tricocentre.ca

University of Calgary

The University of Calgary offers a wide range of recreation facilities and programs. On-campus facilities include a pool, gyms & courts, fitness studios, climbing/bouldering walls, a gymnastics centre, a racquet sports centre, ice surfaces, and more. There is also an excellent Outdoor Centre, which runs programs on and off campus. Kids’ programs, including day camps, are very popular.

Address: 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB
Website: www.ucalgary.ca/activeliving

Vecova Recreation Centre

The Vecova Recreation Centre is a public facility that provides recreation and leisure opportunities to Calgarians of all ages and abilities. The barrier-free facility in northwest Calgary has a specially heated saltwater pool, a full-size gymnasium, an aerobics studio, and two arts and crafts classrooms. They offer a wide variety of programs such as adult health and wellness, children’s swimming and dryland lessons, preschool classes, day camps, birthday parties, yoga, first aid, and leadership courses.

Address: 3304 – 33rd Street NW, Calgary, AB
Website: www.vecova.ca

Village Square Leisure Centre (City of Calgary)

Village Square consists of a safari-themed water park including a wave pool, dive tank, three water slides, kiddies pool, hot tubs, and steam room, as well as swim lessons and aqua fitness programs.

Other amenities include twin arenas, which offer year-round public skating and shinny hockey, a dry sports area which includes multi-use rooms, a gymnasium, activity rooms, a fitness/dance studio, playschool classrooms, a babysitting room, a Jungle Gym playroom, and birthday party rooms.

Programs within the dry sports area include fitness, Mom & Baby classes, dance, sports, skating, martial arts, pre-school registered and non-registered programs, leagues and tournaments, drop-in sports and day camps during school breaks, and more!

Address: 2623 56th Street NE, Calgary, AB
Website: www.calgary.ca

Vivo for Healthier Generations

Vivo is a large LEED Gold Accredited Facility that finished a huge renovation in 2023. It’s a bright, comfortable, inviting space for a wide range of spontaneous and structured activities for individuals and families of all ages and abilities. Facilities include a climbing wall, fitness centre, gymnasiums, ice rink, an indoor park, and more. There is an aquatic centre with a play pool, lap lanes, a hot tub, a steam room and sauna, a rope swing and climbing wall, and a spray park and lazy river. The Calgary Public Library also has a location here.

Where: 11950 Country Village Link NE, Calgary, AB
Website: www.vivo.ca

Westside Recreation Centre

Westside bills itself as ‘a leisure lifestyle centre for the whole family in southwest Calgary’.

The aquatic park includes a wave pool, waterslide, lazy river, lap pool, waterslide, and hot tub. The indoor leisure ice skating facility, 25’ climbing wall, and three gymnasiums welcome people of all ages and abilities. A 15,000-square-foot fitness facility with a 500-metre running/walking track has state-of-the-art equipment and a team of fitness consultants to meet your fitness and training needs. The one-of-a-kind youth wellness centre is a place for teens and pre-teens to enjoy active recreation in their own space. Party rooms are available for a variety of social and business functions and childcare is available for parents using the facility. Outside, everyone can enjoy the skateboard park, shoot hoops at the hard court, or access the multiple pathways connected to the city’s system.

Address: 2000 69 Street SW, Calgary, AB
Website: www.westsiderec.com

YMCA Calgary

There are seven YMCA facilities in Calgary, located throughout the city. Facilities vary by location but generally have a workout area with cardio and weight machines, a gymnasium, and a pool. The larger centres also have skating rinks. They have open gym and swim times where you can go with the kids to burn off steam, plus childcare if you’d rather fit in a little healthy ‘me time’!

Melcor YMCA: 8100 John Laurie Blvd NW
Saddletowne YMCA: 180, 7555 Falconridge Blvd NE
Shawnessy YMCA: 400, 333 Shawville Blvd. SE
South Health Campus YMCA (no pool): 4448 Front Street SE
Remington YMCA: 108 Quarry Park Rd. SE
Shane Homes YMCA at Rocky Ridge: 11300 Rocky Ridge Rd. NW
Brookfield Residential YMCA at Seton: 4995 Market Street SE

Websitewww.ymcacalgary.org

Nearby Facilities Outside Calgary City Limits

Genesis Place (Airdrie)

Genesis Place features an aquatic centre, arenas, dry land fitness & leisure facilities like indoor and outdoor soccer fields, gymnasiums, indoor running track, and more. Many drop-in and registered programs are available.

Address: 800 East Lake Blvd NE, Airdrie, AB
Websitewww.airdrie.ca

Okotoks Recreation Centre (Okotoks)

The Okotoks Recreation Centre is home to indoor pools, a hot tub and sauna, a fitness studio, ice arenas, a curling rink, a child-minding service, a youth centre, and more. Many drop-in and registered programs are available.

Address: 99 Okotoks Drive, Okotoks, AB
Websitewww.okotoks.ca

Spray Lakes Sawmills Family Sports Centre (Cochrane)

SLSFSC boasts an expansive facility with 3 NHL Size ice surfaces (plus the Original Cochrane Arena), full indoor soccer turf, indoor running/walking track, full gymnasium, climbing wall, multi-purpose space, childminding centre, University of Calgary gymnastics facility, martial arts centre, Cochrane Sport Physiotherapy/Massage, Edge Sports, the Skating Lab, and Lifestyles Fitness Centre. Many drop-in and registered programs are available.

Address: 800 Griffin Road East, Cochrane, AB
Website: www.slsfamilysportscentre.com