The 10 Most Instagrammable Spots in Calgary

Peace Bridge

The famous Peace Bridge, that is featured in most Calgary tourism ads. How can we not include this on the list!? It went from a controversial monument to a source of pride that is now entrenched in Calgary’s identity. When you have friends or relatives visiting Calgary, the Peace Bridge is usually one of the first places you take them to. And for good reason, it is an incredible architectural structure that is both interactive and vibrant.

Calgary Central Library

The new Calgary Central Library took the city by storm as it redefined what a modern library can look like in 2019. It’s easily the most unique looking building in all of Calgary because of it’s modern, elegant, eccentric and streamlined design. It is everything we are looking for in futuristic building and has played a huge part in revitalizing the East Village district in downtown Calgary.

This new addition to the Calgary downtown is simply perfect. Inside and out this library offers multiple amazing backdrops that you can use for your pictures.

St. Patrick’s Bridge

This bridge is much more subtle than the Peace Bridge. It isn’t as colourful or complex as the Peace Bridge, but it’s no less beautiful. St. Patrick’s Bridge is a very elegant representation of a rock skipping over water. When the Peace Bridge is too busy to take the photo for the ‘gram, simply drive, walk or bike east just a few minutes and you’ll see this beautiful structure.

3rd St. Piano or Piano Bar

From the very big, now to the very small. This Calgary staple is a fully functional, beautiful sounding public piano. It is located near the intersection of 6th Avenue and 3rd St. and was commissioned by the Calgary Downtown Association. The goal was to bring visual and audible beauty to the core. However, it is only available in the summertime, so catch it while you can.

The Bounce

The newly opened multi-use public park, The Bounce, has quickly grabbed our attention for all the right reasons. It is in the heart of the East Village and allows everyone to participate in basketball, ping pong, life-sized snakes and ladders and there are plenty of colourful murals that are perfect for Instagram.

Devonian Gardens

The best thing about the Devonian Gardens? It’s indoors! It’s Calgary’s only indoors playground and green space. This means that the public has access to it year-round. It has become this cozy urban oasis for people seeking respite from work, shopping or from the cold.

The Devonian Gardens offers 500 trees, 50 varieties of plans, 900 square feet living wall, a playground, koi fishpond and more! The Devonian Gardens brings nature in the heart of a concrete jungle.

Longest Mural

Thanks to the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and community supports, Calgary became home to Canada’s longest mural. A locally organized and produced project has become this beautiful display of Calgary’s history. It is charming and vibrant and makes a boring space into something notable. It turned a boring walkway into an Instagram hotspot that community members to be proud of.

BUMP

With just a quick drive in Calgary’s downtown, you will notice a variety of murals spread all around the city’s core. This is all part of a city initiative called BUMP, which stands more Beltline Urban Mural Project. What’s great about this project is that it showcases art created by local artists.

This is kind of cheating because it is not really one spot, but multiple spots in Calgary’s Belt Line district. But BUMP is about showcasing multiple artists as widely as possible, therefore, we couldn’t just promote one without promoting all of them. What we love about these murals is that they are available to everyone, instead of locked up in a museum. They are proudly displayed for all Calgarians and visitors to see.

Studio Bell

A multipurpose center that acts as a museum, performance hall, recording facility, a broadcast studio and a cultural institution. Its shiny, curvilinear façade is hard to miss. It is the home of Canada’s National Music Centre and attracts musical talents from all over the world.

Not only is it good for the ‘gram, a large part of experiencing the space is for its acoustic design. There is acoustical “canyons” design to echo and disperse sounds the way an instrument would do.

Inglewood Bridge

This one may be more of an acquired taste. The worn-down Inglewood Bridge is for those who are missing that distinguished rustic look on their Instagram’s and are looking for a refreshing change from the ultramodern aesthetic. Definitely a callback to the days of old, this bridge is the welcoming arms of an old but still very popular neighbourhood in Calgary.

There are plans on a massive replacement of the 100+-year-old bridge. The new designs are obviously much more modern and sleeker as you come to expect with modern architecture, so make sure you take the pictures you need with the old one before this old relic disappears forever. What are your favourite spots in Calgary to snap a quick pic?