The Calgary Zoo is by far the best zoo in Alberta. I took a weekend trip down to Calgary for Thanksgiving and planned a trip to take my kids to the zoo on the sunday afternoon. It was the day after their night time luminary party, so lots of the lanterns were still setup and gorgeous. unfortunately what they don't tell you when you're paying your admission is that because of the cool fall weather a lot of the exhibits have moved inside and most of the restaurants and what not are closed. They still charge full price, but most of the flair is gone. The signage is very sparse.... ie. we went to the giraffe pen and looked around for 5 minutes to see if they were hiding in a corner, but no, they were not.... we found the giraffe's 20 minutes later inside their enclosure (I assume to stay warm)...it's not a big deal, but would it be the end of the world to put up a sign that says "we've moved indoors, come see us this way! (with a giant long necked arrow)"?
Overall the zoo was a fine experience, but when you're carting around an eager 4 year old and 2 year old it's a lot of miles to cover in order to find a bunch of empty enclosures