Originally Posted By KyleCanuck:
IDK dude, I live in Alberta but I try to avoid Calgary entirely unless forced. The zoo there is really good, one of the best in Canada. Banff National Park is close, but it has been overwhelmed by kitsch and tourist trap shit - the town of Canmore is just outside the park and much nicer all around. Go the opposite direction and about 2 hours drive east is Drumheller, that has a world renowned paleontology museum. Calgary has the Calgary Tower and it's pretty cool. Kinda like the Space needle, I think you can still go up to an observation deck. There is decent shopping and all that civilized nonsense around. The food scene is pretty decent from what others tell me but I'm not super knowledgeable. If you want a good guideline, there used to be a knockoff of Diners Drive-ins and Dives on Canadian TV called You've Gotta Eat Here and they did a bunch of restaurants in Calgary, it's been a reliable starting place for me for years.

Originally Posted By shagrat:
@KyleCanuck

We had an amazing time!

So far as "big" cities go, Calgary might be our favorite.  On the foodie side of things, Vintage Chophouse and Tavern tops my list.  Loads of small restaurants, never a bad meal.  Stampede was a blast, recommend it to anyone looking for a good time.

Banff was amazing.  Well more specifically Lake Louis and Moraine.  Made friends with our shuttle driver, heading back up in September for camping/climbing.  

You've got a beautiful country up there!  Look forward to exploring it more.