Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, Alberta

Canada Olympic Park is one of the most recognizable legacies of the 1988 Winter Olympic Games hosted in Calgary, Alberta. This was the primary venue for bobsleigh, luge, ski jumping, nordic combined, and freestyle skiing. It was also here that two of the most memorable moments to come out of the Games occurred, involving ski jumper Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards and the debut of the Jamaican National Bobsled Team. Both stories have been made into feature films. 

Today, Canada Olympic Park is operated by Winsport and is still a popular destination for skiing and snowboarding, as well as a year round training facility for winter and summer athletes. It remains a fascinating location to explore the heritage of Calgary's Olympic past, as well as a great place for outdoor recreation right in Calgary's own backyard. Canada Olympic Park is also home to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, another great attraction, which was opened in 2011.   

Explore more of Calgary's landmarks in my growing Around Alberta series, including other attractions from the 1988 Winter Olympics like Olympic Plaza in downtown Calgary.

Poster for the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta.

Eddie "the Eagle" Edwards at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta.

The bobsleigh from "Cool Runnings" on display at Canada Olympic Park.

Jamaican Bobsleigh Team at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta.

Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton Lakes National Park

Completed in 1927, the Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta is one of the great Canadian railway hotels. Interestingly, it was actually built by an American railway company, the Great Northern Railway. This landmark property became the sole Canadian link in the Great Northern's chain of resort hotels. Fittingly, the Prince of Wales was used as an attraction for affluent tourists visiting from Glacier National Park in Montana.

Today, the Prince of Wales Hotel is still a big draw, not only for the structure itself, but because of the unbelievable views the location offers. Unlike many other historic properties in the Rocky Mountains, the exterior of the Prince of Wales appears almost unchanged from how it looked when it was first completed. The architecture echoes that of a European alpine chalet, and the original timber-framed interior still remains. Appropriately, the Prince of Wales Hotel was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1995.

Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton Lakes National Park ca. 1930s

Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton Lakes National Park ca. 1930s