5 Season Passes that Will Set You Up for the Summer

Pay now for all-access, all-summer passes to these local favourites that will keep you, your kids and your out of town guests entertained.

May long weekend means opening weekend for a few local attractions, which means it’s also time to start thinking about stacking your summer with easy activities. Annual passes are the non-thinkers solution. They get you into the places you might go anyway and paying upfront means you don’t have to work it into your budget come July or August. And, if you are tempted to spend just an hour at the zoo or hit up Heritage Park just long enough to get some butter tarts, ride the caterpillar and get out, you can without lamenting the $20-plus you spent to get in. For most of these annual passes, using them more than twice means you are saving money.

Calaway Park

May long weekend is opening weekend for Calaway Park and that means the start of unlimited rides from now until Thanksgiving weekend. The new log ride Timber Falls makes its debut this season. During the four-minute ride, you’ll zig, you’ll zag and you’ll drop three times. Plus there are water cannons.

Cost of a seasons pass

$41.95 until May 19 (after they are $109.95).

You can buy passes online through Calaway Park though it will take 12 to 15 days for it to be mailed to you. Your better bet is to go to a Calgary Co-op where you’ll get the pass right then.

What your pass gets you

Admission to the park with unlimited access to all 32 rides. Parking is already free at Calaway Park.

Regular admission prices

$37.95, regular; $31 for kids ages three to six; $29 for adults 50 years and older.

Heritage Park

This weekend is also opening weekend for Heritage Park. And, while last year was its big 50th anniversary, this year offers just as much. The 127-acre park covers prairie history from the 1860s through to the 1930s, including the new Famous 5 Centre for Canadian Women that is now open. The River Forth Dining Car is being restored and will make its debut in 2015. This September, watch for the fourth annual “Sharing Our Culture,” a Treaty 7 Powwow.

Cost of an annual pass

Annual pass: $69; $39 for children three to 17; $51 for adults 65 and older; $169 for a friends and family pass.

Annual pass plus: $82; $54 for children three to 17; $66 for adults 65 and older; $229 for a friends and family pass.

What your pass gets you

The annual pass gets you unlimited admission, express gate entry, unlimited access to the midway, wagon rides, streetcar, steam train, and S.S. Moyie, plus a few other perks.

The annual pass plus gets you all of that, plus discounts to ticketed events, retail and food. It also gets you early booking privileges to Once Upon A Christmas Breakfast Buffet and summer camps.

Both passes are valid for one year after the purchase date.

Regular admission prices

Summer day rates are $25.75; $13.25 for kids three to six years old; $18.50 for youth seven to 14 years old; $20.25 for adults 65 years and older.

Parks Canada Discovery Pass

Parks Canada has a whole network of parks as well as historic sites that you have to pay to access (the fee helps maintain the sites and parks). If you live in Calgary and plan on visiting Banff at all this summer, this pass is probably worth getting (if only because having it displayed means you get to drive right by the lines at the park gate). If you can’t make it to the parks or want a preview of some of the sites, Parks Canada has joined with Google Street View to show us what they looks like right from your computer screen.

Cost of an annual pass

Adult, $67.70; Senior, $57.90; Youth, $33.30.

What your pass gets you

Your pass gets you into 27 National Parks and 77 National Historic Sites across Canada. In Alberta, the list includes Banff, Elk Island, Jasper and Waterton Lakes National Parks as well as Banff Park Museum, Bar U Ranch, Cave and Basin and Rocky Mountain House. If you plan on visiting anywhere else in Canada this summer, remember to take the pass with you.

Regular admission prices

Prices vary depending on site.

Calgary Zoo

The Zoo is open year round and an annual pass is good for a calendar year from when you buy it. If you have kids, you might as well admit to yourself now that you’ll be hitting the zoo enough times to make the pass worth it. If you have friends with kids and want to spend time with them, a pass might also be the right move for you. An adult “connect” pass is $60. Regular admission is $24.95. That means the pass is paid for on your third visit.

Cost of an annual pass

There are three types of passes – connect, engage and inspire. Connect is $60 to $70. Engage is $80 to $90. Inspire is $120 to $130. The Zoo has a comparative chart to help you choose which pass is the best for you.

What your pass gets you

All of the passes get you in the gate. After that some passes also get you free parking, discount guest admission, discounts on Zoolights and the Illuminasia lantern festival, as well as a few other perks.

Regular admission prices

In the high season (now until September 30) admission is $24.95 for adults, $22.95 for seniors and $16.95 for children.

Okotoks Dawgs

This is Calgary’s best baseball experience (even if it is in Okotoks). Seaman Stadium holds 3,000 people with room for another 1,850 on the berm. It has full service bars and a wrap around concession, which makes it all the better to watch the game. It doesn’t hurt that the Okotoks Dawgs are really good. Spending a few hours is a great way to spend a sunny summer day with your kids or friends or out of town guests.

Cost of a seasons pass

Seasons tickets cost between $200 and $275 ($500 for Legacy seats). They can be purchased at the stadium or by calling 403-262-3294.

What your pass gets you

It gets you a seat at all 24 home games.

Regular admission price

Reserved seating is $12.50 and berm seating is $7. Children under 12 can sit for free on the berm when they are accompanied by an adult.