Enjoy the Best of Downtown Canmore and Escape Frigid February

No one wants to be outside, gallivanting around the mountains when it’s absolutely freezing, so we’ve come up with some ways you can experience all that Canmore has to offer, while remaining (mostly) indoors. Spring will be here before you know it, but until then, experience the best of downtown Canmore while you wait for it’s arrival. The bonus? Everything downtown is super close together, with coffee shops closing the gaps and offering a way to warm up your fingers and toes while dashing around the streets.

Foodies rejoice, this is the perfect weather for you to fully justify restaurant hopping, so wrangle up your closest pals and head off on a restaurant crawl. Start off with breakfast at Harvest Cafe Canmore,  Communitea, or Rocky Mountain Bagel Co and then head off to Goodearth Coffee, JK Bakery or Beamers Coffee to get your sugar fix (and your second cup of coffee, because let’s face it– one is never enough). For your next snack, treat yourself to a clean and healthy juice from Mountain Juice or Toniq Juice Bar as you peruse the shoppes. Be sure to stop off at Old Tyme Candy Shoppe, and gather a few of your favourite candies from your childhood. Trust us, they have all the best ones! Next, set off on a beer and cocktail tasting trail — be sure to stop off at Tavern 1883, The Grizzly Paw, Where the Buffalo Roam Saloon, and the Wood Canmore— until you find yourself at dinner time. Your options here are endless; a Mexican fiesta at Aroma, a tidbit at Tapas, decadent dining at the Trough Dining Co., all you can eat at Gaucho’s Brazilian BBQ, or a taste of italy at Santa Lucia Trattoria. Dessert goes without question, and that means a stop off at Beavertails, a true Canadian delicacy.

If you want to skip out on a few stops of the foodie tour, and are more of a shopper instead, downtown Canmore welcomes you with open arms. There are plenty of shops to browse and you can find yourself everything from skincare to pajamas or climbing harnesses. If you’re looking to add to your wardrobe, stores like Toccata for Her, Blue Moon Canmore, or Indigo Bay  are right on trend, and you can find shoes to match your new outfit at Shoes T’Boot. If you’re more on the wild side and are looking to add to your outdoor gear collection, we recommend stopping off at Valhalla Pure Outfitters or Switching Gear. Lastly, if you’re looking for a memorable piece to add to your household decor, check out the local art galleries like the Avens Gallery, or head to Project A Shop and Alberta’s Own Marketplace who carry nothing but locally made artisan items.

For the smarties of the bunch, stop off at the Canmore Museum and learn a little about Canmore’s rich mining history. The museum is good for all ages, and offers a great deal of information about where Canmore came from. If you want to continue the learning, head to Cafe Books to pick up a fresh read, and settle in with a cup of coffee for a while.

Lastly, for those of you looking to get a little R&R on this trip, there are loads of spas, yoga studios, physiotherapists, natural health practitioners and pilates studios, for you to get everything you need out of your trip to Canmore. We recommend hot yoga at Canmore Hot Yoga or barre class at WildHeart, a massage at Etana Wellness or Mindful Massage, a wonderful deprivation-meditation at Float Canmore, a mani-pedi at Mountain Glow followed by a tan (if you need some vitamin D), and a facial at Verde  or Skin RNI.

Overall, there are SO many options, it will be easy for you to fill your day so full of wonderful activities, you’ll be ready to hit the hay and say goodnight to the mountains until next time, when hopefully the weather is a bit more welcoming of outdoor activities.