Visiting Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame #MOMblr

Sports isn’t really my thing. I grew up being “that girl”. You know the one….always picked last for teams in gym, always flinched away from a ball thrown at me, etc. Yep. I am not Sporty Spice by any stretch of the imagination. However, I heard over and over that the Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame was worth a visit. I wasn’t sure but I thought we should give it a try.

When you arrive, you are greeted by Hidy and Howdy, the mascots from the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. Dewey, my husband, went to some of the Olympic events when they were in Calgary and seeing the Olympic artifacts up close was really cool. As you move up the stairs to the gallery, you take in the soaring metal and glass structures of the 40,000 square foot building. On the second floor landing, a bronze statue of Wayne Gretzky stands. Even non-sports nuts like me know who HE is! The ramp up to the main exhibit area is one of the coolest areas. It cycles through different sports as you walk up it. One minute you are walking on a curling rink, then a swimming pool, then a golf course, etc. Evan danced around on it for quite a while before we let him know that this wasn’t actually the exhibit just the entrance.

The main hall is a large open space with screens around the top highlighting different sports hall of fame members. Around the center area are different themed galleries. On our visit we visited the Splash, Ride and Motion galleries. I really like how they’ve grouped  the exhibits. Artifacts from hall of fame members and interactive exhibits tell the story of sports in Canada.

In the Splash Gallery, Evan and Dewey got to try their hands at being rowers (see photo above). We also learned about Olympic swimmer Mark Tewksbury and hi gold medal performance in 1992.

Next up was the Ride Gallery. Dewey loved this gallery because he is really in to racing. In the interactive exhibit, you get a taste of what it is like to be an F1 racer.

We also had a little chat with the Ron Turcotte statue. Dewey almost had Evan convinced that it wasn’t a statue at all. He would say “See! He blinked!” Evan would say “No he didn’t” but he wasn’t completely convinced. It was hilarious.

Next up was the Motion gallery where we got to race paralympic champion Chantal Petitclerc. Of the three of us, I could roll the fastest. Evan tried to beat me but I won. Yep, sometimes you just have to show Evan that I am NOT going to just let him win. Hehehe.

Even though we loved the museum, we only got to go through 3 galleries before Evan had a melt down. We are definitely planning to go back to experience the rest of the museum soon. The interactive exhibits keep adults and kids alike engaged with the museum…..even those that are not Sporty Spice-like at all.

I didn’t take as many pictures as I would have liked. I can’t wait to see the video made of our visit. Check the MOMblr site as it will be posted there soon.

Want to visit Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame? Here’s the details.

Hours:

Tuesday to Sunday 10am – 5pm and Mondays June 20 – Sept 1.

Admission:

GENERAL:$12

SENIORS (65 yrs +):$10

YOUTH (4-18 yrs):$8

CHILDREN (3 yrs and under):Free

FAMILY (2 adults & 2 youth):$35

HONOURED MEMBERS:Free

Also check out the Winsport Family Combo:

Enjoy WinSport’s mini golf, Skyline Luge and Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame as a family outing for one low price of $85.

Each combo pass provides admission for two adults and two children. Additional children extra. Visit guest services at WinSport or buy online at sportshall.ca

Disclosure:  I am part of the Calgary Hotel Association Blogger Campaign and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this campaign. The opinions on this blog are my own.