I’ve been in Calgary for five days, and not one person has said “Howdy!” There are no cowboy boots in sight and the first Stetson I spot is a celebrity country singer’s relic — in a museum.

Instead, on my first visit in over a decade to Alberta’s biggest city, I find an increasingly sophisticated, outdoorsy, friendly and laid-back prairie metropolis. To my surprise — having visited Calgary many times — I am hopscotching from one cool restaurant to another, sampling a spectrum of creative dishes from locally sourced contemporary Canadian cuisine to killer tacos, Alberta/Asian fusion and fine vegetarian fare — major inroads into Cowtown’s trademark steak and ribs menus.

I sip microbrews in swank and funky bars, prowl museums, and bike amid fit cyclists and joggers on riverside paths as rafters float by and surfers — yes, surfers — ride a cluster of waves against a backdrop of skyscrapers. “Yup,” says my waitress plunking down a cocktail made with local Eau Claire’s Prickly Pear liquor that contains a cactus essence, “this is Calgary 355 days of the year.

“When the Stampede is not happening.”

The Calgary Stampede has been a renowned 10-day July shindig of rodeos, concerts and chuck wagon races since 1923 and now attracts over a million people annually. It’s a boisterous, heartfelt celebration with line-dance-loving locals wearing Western gear to work at shops and offices decorated with bat-wing doors and hay bales.

Most folks come to Calgary either for the Stampede or on a stopover en route to the Rocky Mountains, whose snow-capped skyline is visible from downtown, but the city is becoming a more diverse, interesting and character-rich destination on its own, with several newly gentrified urban enclaves I plan to explore.

I check into the Kensington Riverside Inn in the Kensington neighborhood, my longtime favorite Calgary hangout, especially when it was a liberal oasis in a predominantly redneck city. I grab one of their Brooklyn Cruisers and head off along North America’s most extensive urban pathway and biking network — over 550 miles. Calgary is also Canada’s sunniest major city (2,405 hours per year), and it’s a scorcher as I follow the northern shoreline of the Bow River as it bends around downtown.

There are kayakers on the river, and there is a lineup of surfers waiting to get on the Tenth Street Wave, a friendly, crazy-popular patch of Bow whitewater that has its own Facebook page. It’s easy to rent a board and wetsuit and even take an hour’s lesson.

Being pancake flat is great terrain for cyclists, but not so good during floods. In 2013, Calgary was slammed by its worst flood in history with downtown and 26 neighborhoods under water. Afterward, the city undertook a huge riverside restoration project, including upgrading and extending bike routes along both river shores.

I cross over the unique red pedestrian Peace Bridge and veer onto Prince’s Island, riding cherry-blossom-lined routes and through forested parkland, feeling like I’ve detoured into the countryside.

Back on the south shore, buskers are jiving and food trucks are feeding a crowd taking in an outdoor circus show at Eau Claire Plaza. I pass Calgary’s small Chinatown and continue onto the new Riverwalk extension into East Village, a waterfront and once-derelict part of town badly hit by the flood.

Now undergoing a major face-lift, condos are blossoming among historic, 20th century landmarks. The quickly gentrifying neighborhood’s hub is the heritage riverside Simmons Building, a brick 1912 former mattress factory with heavy beams and original wooden floors that is now home to trendy Sidewalk Citizen Bakery, Phil & Sebastian Coffee and the Charbar restaurant. I head to Charbar’s rooftop terrace for lunch with a view of the river and previously inaccessible St. Patrick’s Island, now connected with a pedestrian bridge so that locals have a 3-acre forested backyard complete with a beach and amphitheater.

Up-and-coming East Village is also the site of Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre that opened a year ago, an architecturally stunning building that spans Fourth Street SE to a second building. It’s home to three Canadian Music Halls of Fame with memorabilia from dozens of Canadian musicians, from Paul Anka and Leonard Cohen to Shania Twain and Drake. There are numerous stages and theaters. Solar Drones, an innovative installation in the skywalk linking the two buildings, harnesses solar power to create ambient sound in the hallway using pianos damaged in the 2013 flood.

For a rock fan like me, however, the museum’s highlight is touring the second building where the Centre’s collection of 2,500 instruments and artifacts spanning centuries is housed. Collections Access Manager Jason Tawkin shows off rare vintage recording studio equipment still used by artists looking for new and different sounds. “All of the museum’s collection of instruments can also be requested for recordings,” he says.

For me, the piece de resistance is the Rolling Stones Mobile Recording Studio, a truck where not only the Stones, but also Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin, Bob Marley, Dire Straits and many others recorded albums. Sitting at the historic console playing Deep Purple from an analog tape, Jason explains: “Their song ‘Smoke on the Water’ mentions this mobile studio. It almost went up in flames when the nearby Montreux Casino in Switzerland was set on fire.”

This wing of the National Music Centre sits atop the reconstructed King Edward Hotel’s famed blues lounge, now a concert and recording space. The “King Eddy” was — and is — part of the Music Mile, a string of live music venues along and near Ninth Avenue SE all the way into the Inglewood neighborhood.

Calgary’s oldest district, Inglewood dates back to 1875, when Fort Calgary was built by the North West Mounted Police across the Elbow River where it joins the Bow. It’s not only a hub of local music at spots like the Ironwood Stage and the Blues Can, but also a collection of eclectic specialty shops, hip cafes and artisanal boutiques. Three fine-dining restaurants operate in the area’s historic buildings — the Nash, Rouge and the new Deane House in a beautifully restored 1906 home serving contemporary Canadian cuisine.

Inglewood was originally known as Brewery Flats, so I felt it fitting to finish my cycling tour with a craft beer among a welcoming local crowd at the colorful, end-of-the-road Cold Garden microbrewery.

Though the aroma of grilling steaks still pervades downtown Calgary at lunchtime when I cycle there the next day, there are now dozens of creative and trendy cafes as well. And there is great public art everywhere, easy to explore with the city of Calgary’s public art map. Among them are the spectacular Wonderland sculpture — a giant white see-through head — and outdoor art along Stephen Avenue Walk, a pedestrian street lined in historic buildings.

I never miss a visit to the Glenbow Museum, with its strong focus on Canadian and First Nations’ art and history, and to soar up the Calgary Tower for a bird’s eye view of the city, river and distant Rocky Mountains.

Since you can’t leave Calgary without sampling the city’s signature drink, I start my last day at my hotel’s Oxbow Restaurant, having Sunday brunch and a Bloody Caesar. Dreamt up by a hotel manager in 1969, they are so popular that there is now a National Caesar Day (May 18) to celebrate this spicy Canadian cocktail made with vodka; pinches of horseradish, Tobasco and Worcestershire sauces; and Clamato (clam and tomato) juice, over ice. Recipes become creative with glass rimming— in this case Montreal steak spice — and garnishes which can range from celery or beef jerky to shrimp and even mini-sliders.

Then I explore the surrounding old-soul, community-oriented Kensington neighborhood, dropping in at Naked Leaf Tea, at the Beehive for all-things-beewax, and at the new Hexagon Board Game Cafe, whose owners are successfully dragging locals away from video games with old-fashioned entertainment.

To finish off the day and ease my cycle-weary muscles, I visit chic Swizzle Sticks Spa for a unique South Asian and First Nations treatment called Heaven and Earth and drift off to paradise under the hands of a Cree massage therapist named Melissa.

Margo Pfeiff is a freelance writer based in Quebec. Email: travel@sfchronicle.com

If you go

All prices in U.S. dollars.

WHERE TO SLEEP

Kensington Riverside Inn: 1126 Memorial Drive NW, Calgary; (877) 313-3733 or (403) 228-4442, www.kensingtonriversideinn.com. Relais & Chateaux boutique hotel alongside the Bow River pathway in the Kensington neighborhood. Its new, intimate Oxbow Restaurant (www.kensingtonriversideinn.com/dining-en.html) serves local gourmet dishes. Free bikes for guest use. From $195 double/night.

Hotel Arts: 119 12th Ave. SW, Calgary; (403) 266-4611; www.hotelarts.ca. Chic contemporary downtown hotel with dining at its Yellow Door Bistro (www.yellowdoorbistro.ca) and Raw Bar. Double rooms from $158.

WHERE TO EAT

Deane House: 806 Ninth Ave. SE, Calgary; (403) 264-0595; www.deanehouse.com. Elegant fine dining with strong Canadian regional cuisine — as in the owner’s first restaurant, the River Cafe on Prince’s Island, www.river-cafe.com — using local products in a character-rich, recently restored heritage house in the Inglewood neighborhood. From $80 for two.

Native Tongues Tacqueria: 235 12th Ave. SW, Calgary; (403) 263-9444; www.nativetongues.ca. Authentic and creative Mexican street food — tacos and platters — in a cool environment with echoes of a Mexican cantina. No reservations and very popular. From $35 for two.

Hayden Block Smoke and Whisky: 1136 Kensington Road NW, Calgary, (403) 283-3021; www.haydenblockyyc.com. Lively, casual barbecue spot with a great selection of pulled pork, sliced brisket and ribs as well as salads and accompaniments, and a fine cache of whiskeys. All meats half-price after 10 pm. From $40 for two.

Ten Foot Henry: 1209 First St. SW, Calgary, (403) 475-5537; www.tenfoothenry.com. Popular bright all-day dining spot serves fresh, interesting locally sourced, shared-plate meals from a vegetable-forward menu. From $45 for two.

Foreign Concept: 1011 First St. SW, Calgary, (403) 719-7288; http://foreignconcept.ca. Stylish pan-Asian/Alberta-fusion restaurant with delicious and creative takes on predominantly Vietnamese and Korean dishes. From $60 for two.

Charbar: Simmons Building, 618 Confluence Way SE, Calgary, (403) 452-3115 www.charbar.ca. With an eclectic and innovative Argentine-flavored menu featuring a wood-fire grill, prime Alberta meats, a ceviche and raw bar, and a full vegetarian menu, Charbar is one of the city’s most popular haunts. From $45 for two.

Proof Cocktail Bar: 1302 First St. SW, Calgary; (403) 246-2414; www.proofyyc.com. Cool and cozy with a remarkable selection of liquor, both local and imported. Excellent small bites as well.

THINGS TO DO

National Music Centre: 850 Fourth St. SE, Calgary; (403) 543-5115; https://studiobell.ca. A Canadian music-related museum collection and performance center with events to develop and promote music in Canada. $14 admission.

Glenbow Museum: 130 Ninth Ave. SE, Calgary; (403) 268-4100; www.glenbow.org. Art and history museum with a strong focus on Canada and First Nations. $12 admission.

Calgary Brewery Tours: (403) 299-4910 or (866) 279-1999; www.calgarybrewerytours.beer. Offers a selection of different craft beer and other tours with tastings.

Nomad Rentals: 803 64th Ave. SE, Unit 1174, Calgary, (587) 585-6531, www.nomadgearrentals.com/home. A mobile gear rental company that will conveniently deliver bikes (and more) to your hotel.

Rocky Mountain River Surfing: info@rockymountainriversurfing.com; www.rockymountainriversurfing.com. Board and wetsuit rentals as well as surfing lessons on Calgary’s Bow River in the shadow of downtown.

Lazy Day Raft Rentals: 720 Third St. NW Calgary; (403) 258-0575; www.lazydayraftrentals.com. Raft rentals for floating down the Bow River. From $42 for a four-person raft.

Alberta Food Tours: 327 Whispering Water Bend, Calgary; (844) 535 5239; www.albertafoodtours.ca. Half-day neighborhood food tasting tours. From $85.

Swizzle Sticks Salon Spa: 1211 Kensington Road NW, Calgary; (403) 270-7333; www.swizzlesticks.com. Elegant spa retreat in the Kensington neighborhood. Heaven and Earth body treatment $125.

MORE INFORMATION

Tourism Calgary: www.visitcalgary.com

Travel Alberta: www.travelalberta.com