Saturday

4) 9:30 A.M. Snow Biking

With some 500 miles of multiuse pathways, Calgary claims to have the most extensive urban recreational network in North America, and Calgarians cycle in all seasons, including winter. Make like a local and arrange to have a fat-tire bike, designed to ride in the snow, delivered from Nomad Mobile Gear Rentals (60 dollars for one day). For a scenic ride from downtown, cycle the paths that follow the city-bisecting Bow River. A series of pedestrian and cycling bridges crosses it, including the tunnellike Peace Bridge, designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.

5) Noon. Special Rations

Work up an appetite for lunch at Deane House. The retrofitted 1906 home, originally part of the frontier outpost Fort Calgary, is now under the management of the team behind the acclaimed River Café in Prince’s Island Park. The menu champions contemporary Canadian cuisine, drawing on local ingredients in seasonal dishes that recently included hangar steak tartare with puffed barley (17 dollars), cured Alberta trout with beets (14 dollars) and duck confit pirogi (21 dollars). Tables fill sunny wraparound porches, and interior rooms channel the wild yonder in landscape paintings, mounted animal heads and a chandelier made of branches.

The cocktail bar at Proof. Credit Colin Way for The New York Times



6) 1:30 P.M. Artistic License

Public art animates Calgary’s downtown, and Jaume Plensa’s gigantic wire-mesh head “Wonderland” is a popular selfie stop. For a more thoughtful exploration of contemporary art, make your way to the Esker Foundation (free) on the fourth floor of an Inglewood office building. The privately funded, noncommercial gallery, named for the ridge left behind by a retreating glacier, aims to stimulate discussion on contemporary affairs via three shows staged each year. Winter shows survey the color effects explored by the artist Kapwani Kiwanga (Feb. 3 to May 6) and the fantastical beasts created by the duo known as DaveandJenn (Jan. 29 to April 29).

7) 2:30 P.M. Indie Shopping

Across the Elbow River from downtown, Inglewood makes a funky first impression, and its collection of independent boutiques maintains that vibe. Troll for locally made ceramics and wood-turned bowls at Galleria Inglewood. Among several resale shops, Antiquaire Boutique assembles good-condition vintage apparel. Shop Purr Fine Clothing & Accessories for retro-inspired looks, the Uncommons for wearable sleeping bags and the Silk Road Spice Merchant for herb blends. Lodged in a former stable, the Livery Shop stocks clothing and accessory brands with rustic character, including Brixton flannel shirts, Fjallraven backpacks and the shop’s own Camp Brand Goods T-shirts.

8) 4:30 P.M. Beer Break

Since December 2013, when the province dropped its minimum production levels, microbreweries have exploded in the city. Eighteen are now plotted on a new map available free at many breweries. While in Inglewood, take a break with a refreshing Dandelion’s Blonde or a fruity This Must Be the I.P.A. (5 dollar pints) at Cold Garden Beverage Company. The 2017 newcomer occupies a garage-like industrial space with thrift-shop couches and wooden tables in view of the brewing tanks.

The coal-roasted beet salad at Charbar. Credit Colin Way for The New York Times



9) 6 P.M. Three-in-One Dinner

New construction is filling the redeveloping East Village near the river. But one prominent historic address, the former Simmons mattress factory, has been saved and now hosts three acclaimed restaurants. Try them all by dining at one, Charbar. Here the chef Jessica Pelland butchers animals, ages steaks and cooks them on an Argentine-style wood-fired grill. This is a steakhouse that meat-averse diners can embrace, with loads of vegetable options, including a charred and raw vegetable salad (14 dollars), best ordered with a side of Sidewalk Citizen sourdough (6 dollars) from the neighboring bakery. Grilled “asado style” steaks (market price) come with beef fat fries. Start with a spicy rum-citrus Boxspring cocktail (13 dollars) and end with an espresso (5 dollars) from Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters, another Simmons tenant.

10) 7:30 P.M. Arts in Common

Calgary may be most associated with cowboys, thanks to its 10-day summer rodeo, the Calgary Stampede, but its actors, dancers and musicians contribute to a thriving performing arts scene over the rest of the year. Though influential groups, including Lunchbox Theatre and the Alberta Ballet, perform elsewhere, the Arts Commons complex of theaters downtown makes handy one-stop cultural shopping. Resident companies include the polished Alberta Theater Projects, staging new works and, often, those by Canadian playwrights, and the innovative One Yellow Rabbit Performance Theater.