When we moved to Calgary, one of the first day trips we did was a trip to the Calgary Zoo. I have been to a few zoos in my travels, but nothing compared to the Calgary Zoo!
C-Train access is great! Come down off the platform and you are right in the ticket kiosk area. Tickets are affordable for one time visits, or if you plan to go a few times through the year (like we ended up doing), then get the annual pass.
The zoo is very well laid out, lots of bathrooms and rest areas, food and drink is easy to find (will touch on that again later!), staff is friendly and helpful, and it is a teriffic way to spend a half day to a full day depending how fast you go, and how many sections you see. That is the nice thing about an annual pass, you don't HAVE to see everything in one day.
Some of the animal high points for me were the penguins, tigers and the rainforest building. Depending when you go, there may be a line up for the penguins. They have markers as you move up in line saying how long you can expect to wait, We always move a bit faster than the signs say. And the wait for the penguins is well worth it!
Our monthly zoo visits got thrown off track when the flood happened. It took zoo staff a lot of money and time to get the zoo back up and going, and I was very pleasantly suprised at the state of the zoo when we went back this summer, the first time since the flood. Minus a few animals that they had to move to other zoos, the place looks incredible! Some new additions as well was great to see. Kudos to the staff who made it happen!
One new addition that could still use some work though, is the new restaurant called Grazers. It is a much needed alternative to the hot dogs and fries that can be found at the food area, but the menu and food prep needs work. The menu is written very well, claiming the use of local, sustainable products. The descriptions made us very excited to get lunch. The service and food was a major let down. We had to chase down a waitress to place an order, get refills and even to pay the bill. The food was not quite as advertised. Nothing spectacular about anything with it. The sandwiches were disproportionate, huge amounts of bread, less filler. Mine advertised a corn, apple and fennel slaw on my pulled pork. I literally had 8 kernels of corn, 3 thick un-edible pieces of fennel, and no apple to be seen. The side "caesar" salads were mixed greens, no romaine, barely any dressing, no croutons. A bit disappointing, but they were newly open so hopefully they get it together. Would be a very nice lunch spot to frequent if things improve.
We have been twice to Zoolights as well. Open every night for about 1 month around Christmas, they put on spectacular light displays, hot chocolate, fire pits and so on around the entire zoo. It is a great night! Highly recommended.
Whether you live in Calgary or visiting, a trip to the zoo is always a fantastic day out!