From The Fairmont Palliser Best Nearby Tours and Excursions (Attractions & Activities) (10 Overall Closest) Metro: Calgary, AB Fort Calgary Historic Park (Attractions & Activities - Tours and Excursions) 750 9th Ave SE, Calgary  AB  T2P 2M5 • 403-290-1875 Distance: ~0.684 km         Description: This historic attraction is located on the site of Calgary's original settlement. The town was founded in the late 1800s, when the North West Mounted Police (later to become the RCMP) arrived to stop settlers from selling liquor to Native Americans. That first fort gave rise to the metropolis that is Calgary today. The site that it occupied is now a 40-acre park along the river and features a visitor center, a host of exhibits, videos, trails and the reconstructed fort itself. Displays track the city's history with artifacts, memorabilia and interiors. The nearby Deane House, also an historic building, offers weekday lunches, Sunday brunch and occasional evening dinner theater. Canada Olympic Park (Attractions & Activities - Tours and Excursions) 88 Olympic Rd SW, Calgary  AB  T3B 5R5 • 403-247-5452 • 403-247-7669 Distance: ~0.988 km         Description: Originally built for the 1988 Winter Olympics, this park remains an integral part of the city's recreational life. Nowadays, it serves as a training facility for athletes and is used by the city's residents throughout the year. Although the original ski jumps are off-limits to the public, you'll find ski and snowboarding slopes, winter bobsleigh rides, a park for mountain biking, summer luge rides and year-round zipline rides. You can also take a bus tour of the facility or visit the Olympic Hall of Fame and Museum. Several restaurants and a gift shop are also located on the premises. Athletic facilities have different hours depending on season. Big Rock Brewery Ltd. (Attractions & Activities - Tours and Excursions) 5555 76th Ave SE, Calgary  AB  T2C 4L8 • 403-720-3239 • 800-242-3107 Distance: ~10.187 km         Description: This local brewery has grown from a small enterprise to a slightly larger, and critically respected, enterprise. Begun in 1985 by a former lawyer, barley farmer and beer aficionado, the brewery now produces some of the best independently-crafted beer in North America. Batch-brewed ales are the specialty, and they've become incredibly popular throughout Canada and the States. Sporting whimsical names like Cold Cock Winter Porter, Grasshopper Wheat Ale, and Warthog Cream Ale, the beer has a sense of humor in its advertising while cultivating a seriousness in its approach to production. Visitors may tour the modern facility Monday through Wednesday and are provided samples of the product so that they may taste the quality for themselves. Bar U Ranch National Historic Site (Attractions & Activities - Tours and Excursions) Hwy 22 8 mi south of Longview, Longview  AB  T0L 1H0 • 403-395-2212 • 888-773-8888 Distance: ~59.177 km User Rating: 10 / 10         Description: For a first-hand view of ranching and its significance in Calgary's history, this complex is exemplary. Set on 360 acres at the base of the Rockies are 35 buildings that have been gathered to showcase the workings and heritage of an authentic ranch. You'll find barns, stables, outbuildings, horse-drawn wagons, and all the other accoutrements that went into the running of a productive ranch. Costumed guides point out interesting facts and details about the era and lead groups around the facility. Depending on the season, you can also watch demonstrations on branding, roping, making hay and more. On the premises is also a visitor center, restaurant and a gift shop with locally-made items. About 1-1/2 hours southwest of Calgary. Head – Smashed – In Buffalo Jump (Attractions & Activities - Tours and Excursions) Secondary Hwy 785 PO Box 1977, Fort Macleod  AB  T0L 0Z0 • 403-553-2731 Distance: ~154.603 km         Description: For more than 10,000 years, Plains Indians drove herds of buffalo off the cliffs to their deaths at this historical site. In a highly organized and choreographed effort, the tribe collaborated to obtain meat and other animal goods for their subsistence. Visitors can learn all about the Native American culture at the incredible interpretive center that's built into the cliff. A variety of exhibits provides details about the Indians, the geography of the plains, and the presence of Europeans in later days. Along with the realistic displays, visitors may walk outside to the jump and catch a glimpse of this centuries-old site. Ongoing archeological digs continue to add information to the center. Also on the premises are a cafeteria and gift shop. Located about 2 hours drive from Calgary. Copyright ©2001 10Best Inc. All rights reserved.