Stephen Avenue Walk

It is Calgary’s historic pedestrian mall, complete with benches, restored buildings, restaurants, cafes and statues. Its best use is for people watching, strolling and taking in interesting statues and sculptures. The Galleria Tree sculptures are an important part of this avenue; there are 10 of them, which have been designed to reduce the wind gusts, outfitted with programmable lighting and speakers. Other notable statues include ‘The Conversation’, a bronze statue with two businessmen and ‘the Famous Five’, a tribute to the five women who played significant roles in Canadian and British politics. During the summer, free noon-hour performances are held every Tuesday through Saturday. Visitors get to see bands, comedians, DJs and dance troupes. The summer season is also the prettiest time to take this walk as the streets are lined with hanging baskets and the posted signs about Calgary’s history are easy to read. You don’t have to spend any money walking around here but once you get a look at some of the shops and restaurants, you may just want to!