Don the white hat, become a Calgarian
After only being in Calgary for a few hours, I became an official Calgarian. Visiting Smithbilt Hats, the official hatmaker of the Calgary Stampede, I donned the revered white hat, which has also been presented to well-known names like Oprah and the Dalai Lama. This was just the beginning. There was a whole lot more to see and experience.
Meet and Sleep
Smithbilt was also where I saw my first Calgary meeting space. Its main floor meeting space (for up to 100 attendees) is surrounded by Calgary Stampede posters dating back to the very first in 1912. In addition to its spaces, Smithbilt can also take attendees on a custom hat experience and a traditional hatmaking tour.
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Attached to Calgary Marriott Downtown, Calgary Telus Convention Centre, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2024, has become one of the most inclusive meeting venues around. The convention center has partnered with Pedesting, an app created to make venue navigation easier for people with disabilities, as well as parents with strollers. My visit to BMO Centre came after its expansion in 2024. The convention center expanded by more than 500,000 sq. ft., making it the largest convention center in western Canada. The Exchange is a standout in the center, a naturally lit space on the second floor designed to foster connection and communication.
Eat
cheesecake
River Cafe is situated right in the middle of Prince’s Island Park. What started as a park concession turned into a small cafe in the early 90s and is now a restaurant Calgarians know and love. In an attempt to cut down on my alcohol consumption, I opted for one of the restaurant’s mocktails, the apple cider sour, highly recommend for those doing the same.
Major Tom’s open space and large windows provide gorgeous views of Calgary’s mountainous terrain. This vista, plus delicious hors d’oeuvres, like potato doughnuts and tater tots (dubbed “major tots”), mains such as steak frites and cocktails (I had the “former glory”—alcohol was now included at this point), were a great way to end the night.
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Alberta Food Tours took us to four locations around downtown Calgary: Hawthorn Dining Room & Bar, Annabelle’s Kitchen, The Chocolate Lab and Charcut. This tour, “Iconic Eats of Calgary,” was one of five and took us around downtown Calgary’s most well-known food and beverage spots, like the Canada-exclusive Caesar cocktail at Hawthorn, a vodka cocktail that includes a House Caesar Mix (Worcestershire with various spices, vegetables and more). Charcut introduced me to the deconstructed cheesecake, a treat I’ll never forget.
The Wilde on 27 at The Dorian, Autograph Collection, is where I tasted my first-ever Fruit Loop-infused whiskey, poured in a cocktail named “Looped and Loaded.” Named after novelist Oscar Wilde, the rooftop property has numerous touches any literature lover would appreciate, like menus presented as books and courses titled Prologue (appetizers), Narrative (mains) and Epilogue (desserts).
Experience
If hosting an event right across from a flamboyance of flamingos is one of your planner goals, consider Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo’s Grazers Restaurant. The 80-person room features wood-grain walls, industrial lighting and plenty
of windows that provide an airy, open feel. During my visit, these windows looked out to a view of rheas and alpacas.
At Alberta Boot, we walked right in the middle of a corporate group having their boots fitted. We went backstage to see how the boots are made, from choosing one of the many leather options to engraving designs and shaping the boot.
This article appears in the May 2025 issue. Subscribe to the magazine here.
