2h 30m
Guided in English
Instant confirmation
Private tour

Highlights

A native Calgarian writer, documentary producer, and historian whose work has taken him from London and Paris to monasteries in Germany and political circles in the Middle East. He has spent much of his career uncovering the hidden human stories behind politics, landscapes, and historical events. Today, he brings that same eye for detail and narrative to personal historical tours of Calgary and Southern Alberta. He has developed dramatic projects rooted in early Southern Alberta history, including extensive work on the first cattle drives into the province and the ranching culture that followed. His historical interests lean toward social history and the original voices that shaped the West: cowboys, railway workers, immigrants, Indigenous communities, drifters, entrepreneurs, and political outsiders Rather than treating history as a formal, he is interested in the lived experience of ordinary people and the atmosphere they inhabited.

Inclusions

What's included

Personal guided tour by myself

What's not

Gratuities
Personal Expenses

Itinerary

Built in 1968 to prove Calgary was thinking bigger than oil rigs and cattle. At 191 metres, it was once the tallest structure in Canada and gave the city an instant landmark. This is an exterior stop. I'll explain the quirky history. The tour does not enter the building. If you do want to visit the tower later Adult admission is currently about $24 plus GST. With tax, that is $25.20. Prices vary by date, and online orders have a $1.50 booking fee per order. The Calgary Tower recommends booking ahead for its best rate.
Passes by
We pass Calgary City Hall, take a moment to look at one of the city's oldest public buildings. Completed in 1911 from locally quarried sandstone, it has served as the Centre of civic government for more than a century. A few steps later we'll walk through the Municipal Building, its much younger neighbour. Opened in the early 1980s, it reflects a very different era of architecture, but together the two buildings show how Calgary has expanded without completely leaving its history behind.
Passes by
Studio Bell is the home of the National Music Centre that contains the history of Canadian music under one roof. The building is hard to miss. Its unusual shape was inspired by the curves of musical instruments, although most Calgarians have their own theories about what it looks like. We will also have a look at the legendary radio station and the King Eddy the home of the blues. This is an exterior stop. IF you do want to visit exhibitions the current admission cost is: Studio Bell admission: Adults: $24.50 Students and seniors aged 65+: $19.50 Youth aged 4–12: $16.50 Children 3 and under: free Seniors on Wednesdays: free
Passes by
The Confluence marks the meeting of the Bow and Elbow Rivers, the place where Calgary began. Long before the city existed, Indigenous peoples gathered here to trade, hunt and travel, making it one of the oldest continuously used sites in the region. Later it became the location of Fort Calgary, established by the North-West Mounted Police in 1875. Today it is less about old buildings than the stories attached to the ground beneath your feet, a reminder that Calgary's history started here long before there was a skyline. This is an exterior stop. The tour does not enter the building. IF you do want to tour the Confluence admission at this time is General: $15 Senior: $10 Student: $10 Youth aged 10–17: $10 Child aged 4–9: $5
Passes by
Following the Elbow River, we arrive at Stampede Park, home of the Calgary Stampede. What began in 1912 as a celebration of the ranching culture that built southern Alberta has grown into the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth. We will delve into the world's biggest rodeos colorful and eccentric past. The Stampede Park is far more than the home of the rodeo. It has become one of Canada's premier venues for concerts, festivals, conventions, exhibitions and major sporting events, drawing millions of visitors each year. As we explore the area, we'll see how this historic site has continually reinvented itself and how the surrounding Rivers District is transforming into one of Calgary's most ambitious cultural, entertainment and business developments, ensuring that this part of the city remains at the heart of Calgary's story for generations to come.
Passes by

Cancellation

All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.

Know before you go

Meeting point: I'll meet you in Wonderland. Or at least in front of Wonderland, the remarkable public art that sits in front of the Bow Building.
Pickup: Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
Ticket type: Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Operated by: Christopher Leeson

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Admission fee - Calgary Tower admission is not included (approximately CAD $25.20 plus any applicable booking fees). CAD 25.00 per person
Admission fee - Studio Bell admission is not included (current admission fees vary by visitor type). CAD 24.50 per person
Admission fee - The Confluence admission is not included (current admission fees vary by visitor type). CAD 15.00 per person
The tour is a walking tour and will take up the entire 2.5 hours. We pass by four places that charge admission; however, there is no time to enter these attractions during the tour.

How it compares in Calgary

Its from-price is 68% below the median of the 556 experiences we list in Calgary.
It is shorter than most of them.

About Calgary

Calgary is the Alberta city where the prairies meet the Rocky Mountain foothills, a place of rodeo traditions, river pathways and big-sky sunshine.

Calgary sits on the Bow and Elbow rivers, with the snowy Rockies visible to the west on clear days. The Calgary Tower, from 1968, is the older landmark of a skyline now crowded with glass towers, and Fort Calgary marks the Mounted Police post that started the town in 1875. Prince's Island Park and the curving Peace Bridge are favourite spots along the river, and Heritage Park recreates an early prairie settlement.

Top-ranked sights in Calgary: Calgary Tower, Wonderland Sculpture, Calgary Stampede.

See all 556 experiences in Calgary