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CM . . . .
Volume VII Number 18 . . . . May 11, 2001
At last, a guide has hit the market that will ease the life of every parent living around or
traveling through Calgary with children! The Lobster Kids' Guide to Exploring Calgary is
the fifth installment in "The Lobster Kids' City Explorers Series." Like the companions to
Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa-Hull, The Lobster Kids' Guide to Exploring
Calgary lives up to its promise of "being small enough to fit in a back pack but huge on ideas
for all seasons, birthday parties and school field trips".
Are you wondering which restaurants welcome children with smiles, playrooms, special treats
and menus aimed at their conservative tastes? Check the Kid-Friendly Restaurants section for
lists of moderately priced eateries, buffet and fast-food establishments. Are you looking to
immerse your children in a local history lesson? Find out which attractions have interactive
displays, videos and activity centres in the Museums section of the
Guide. You'll be
surprised at the wide variety of attractions available, from the Calgary Police Service
Interpretive Centre, Glenbow Museum and Olympic Hall of Fame to the Western Heritage
Centre and Museum of the Regiments.
Calgary may be a large, metropolitan city, but at its heart and roots are the horse, cattle and
farming industries. Children can experience hands-on fun at Butterfield Acres Children's
Farm, saddle up at the Bar U Ranch Natural Historic Site, stay at a guest ranch or watch
world-class show jumping at Spruce Meadows. Whether whooping it up at the Calgary
Stampede, going for gold at Calgary Olympic Park, ogling creatures at the Calgary Zoo,
getting wet on the Calaway Park rides or reaching for the clouds in the Calgary Tower, you
will find the unique Lobster Rating System invaluable.
Particularly useful for residents of Calgary and the surrounding area are the sections of the
Guide which explore the city's neighbourhoods and the multitude
of free or inexpensive
activities found there life craft and athletic venues, libraries, markets and green spaces.
There is a list of places where you can sneak a bit of education without interrupting the fun,
like helping the staff at the Calgary Sun bring home the news, or touring a former prisoner
of war camp for German officers at the Barrier Lake Field Station.
Children love the performing arts, and Calgary has a rich assortment of artistic venues of
particular appeal to kids. From Storybook Theatre, Loose Moose Theatre Company,
Decidedly Jazz Danceworks and Alberta Ballet, to the Imax Theatre and the numerous
multiplexes, kids can be entertained in style.
The nearby Rockies, foothills and prairies offer a wealth of attractions for day trips. Included
in the Guide are several destinations like Head-Smashed-In-Buffalo-Jump Interpretive
Centre, The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology, Sulphur Mountain Gondola and Wild
Rapids Water Slide.
Complete street, web site addresses and telephone numbers are listed for each attraction.
Frequent sidebars highlight the seasons and times open, the cost and travel instructions.
Verification of some of these attests to the accuracy of the information provided. And a 12-
month directory of events gives an added approach to planning outings for the whole family.
A detailed, alphabetical index with added entries like Birthday Parties, Free/Family Deals and
Workshops/Camps/Programs can only increase its usefulness.
Punctuated with small whimsical, black and white drawings, the wealth and variety of
information contained in The Lobster Kids' Guide to Exploring Calgary renders it an
invaluable resource that local parents, educators and libraries cannot pass up.
Highly Recommended.
Carole Marion is the Youth Services Librarian at Calgary Public Library where her
responsibilities include coordinating the two annual reading games and author readings for
children and teens. She has been working with youth and their caregivers for over fifteen
years.
To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.
Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association.
Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice
is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without
permission.
Published by
TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE - May 11, 2001.
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