Going to Banff

[cujo_cjc]

Hey guys Im taking my girlfriend up to Bannf next Saturday (24th) for our anniversary and was wondering if I could get some ideas on what to do up there?

I was thinking of taking her for the day and probably arriving around lunch time or so. Grab something quick to eat and then take her on the gondola (is there only one place with those?). And probably go to the downtown there or whatever and just shop/walk around for a bit. I was also thinking of taking her our to eat dinner there too so do you guys have any suggestions? Or should I just bring her back to Calgary for dinner?

Any help is appreciated! Thanks guys :)

[Singel]

Melissa's MisSteak (I think it's the same as Bumpers) makes a pretty good meal, not too too fancy but not really cheap either (For my money I'll take the Old Spaghetti Factory:thumbsup: ). Another option is called Canadian Eh! in Canmore, it's a dinner theatre and is pretty entertaining, but also quite cheesy and you may find it lame, so it may not be the ideal thing for an anniversary.

For stuff to do in Banff the gondola is good (there is only one, and u could consider hiking up to have a free ride down;) ) There's also the hotsprings, but $7 is a lot to pay for just hanging out in a hot tub when everythingaround you isn't covered in snow (I went with the gf a few weeks ago). Other than that you can just walk around and stuff...

[AllGoNoShow]

When I took my gf there, shop/walk we did for a good 4 hours, then I thought maybe she would want to see some things, well we ende dup sight seeing for another 4 hours, suprised what some people haven't seen.

Took her up to the Banff Springs Hotel and a little tour through there, now she wants to go back and stay there.

Dinner? Depends how much u wanna spend. There are a couple of so so places around the town/shopping area. We went to tony Roma's ourselves, good food :)

[FiveFreshFish]

Try the Grizzly House. They have fondues if you're into cooking your own stuff at the table.

There are telephones at each table so you can chat with other tables if your gf takes too long in the washroom! :D

[Redlyne_mr2]

They have some crazy dishes at the grizzly house, take her up to the hot springs near Banff springs hotel.

[Tyler883]

Johnson's Canyon

Johnson's canyon is about 5 minute drive north of Banff on the highway 1A ( bow valley parkway) to lake loiuse. When you get there, you will find a big parking lots, and about a 10-15 walk up a paved walking trail that winds it's way through a canyon. There's 2 awesome waterfalls that you can see. 1 of them, you can walk through a small cavern and get so close to the water fall that the noise and the mist may overwhelm you.

Very cool trip. It won't cost you a penny. And, it doesn't take up the entire day.

Have fun!

[Mckenzie]

:werd: x 2 on Johnsons Canyon

As for dinner, grizzly house will break the bank. See list below.

Here is a list of inexpensive and cool things to do on an anniversary in Banff:

1) Walk around Banff Springs Hotel
2) Go to hot springs
3) Georgios Italian Restaurant: The prices are great ($15-$25 entrees) but the atmosphere is superb and the food is very good. I have always gone here when going to Banff and never had one complaint.
4) Short hike somewhere, scenic. Elbow Falls is nice. Johnsons Canyon is gorgeous. Tunnel Mountain if you really want to be romantic.

:love:

Whatever you do, try and stay away from the boring/touristy places. Grizzly house is very nice but expensive. Dont go to the mall. Just do things you cannot do in Calgary and it should be great. :thumbsup: Good pick for a venue though...

Good luck :angel: :clap:

[Lo)2enz0]

Hot springs all the way, and get a good hotel room and treat her like a queen.

just make sure you not like me and you slip out some stupid comment and your in a fight for days after.

[Proboscis]

well it wasn't my girlfriend, but when my cousins came here from Boston, they had a good ole time in the fresh aire in Banff. Too much it made them sick :). Gotta love Alberta

[HRD2PLZ]

The Grizzly House is worthwhile just for the different dining experience. I thought it was really interesting (ofcourse, I wasn't stuck with the bill!).

The only place in the mall we ever bother to Check out is the Louis Vuitton store. The Banff Springs is interesting for sure, but after you have been a few times (and stayed there a few times) it loses its allure.

[Lex350]

Originally posted by HRD2PLZ
The Grizzly House is worthwhile just for the different dining experience. I thought it was really interesting (ofcourse, I wasn't stuck with the bill!).

The only place in the mall we ever bother to Check out is the Louis Vuitton store. The Banff Springs is interesting for sure, but after you have been a few times (and stayed there a few times) it loses its allure.

the grizzly house shouldn't break yuor budget. It isn;t really anymore expensive than the keg.


Are you staying there for the night? Ifso there are some nice alternatives to the big hotels. The wife and I like Buffalo Mtn Lodge. All rooms have their own wood busrning fireplace. Its a nice place and a bit out of the way.

[GoChris]

Originally posted by Singel
(For my money I'll take the Old Spaghetti Factory:thumbsup: ).

For stuff to do in Banff the gondola is good (there is only one, and u could consider hiking up to have a free ride down;) )


:thumbsup: to old spaghetti factory

and you DO NOT get a free ride down, it costs money if you hike up and want a ride down. I was just there this summer.

[RC-Cola]

Another great restaurant that's not too expensive is the Maple Leaf Grill. Have the Mussels for an appetizer, you won't regret it. :thumbsup:

If you want to do your homework, ask some of the locals where a "private" hotspring is. There are quite a few natural hotspring that flows up. Saves dollars for getting in and more importantly it gives you absolute privatcy. :bigpimp:

[cujo_cjc]

Thanks for all the ideas guys! The day went great yesterday
Here are the things I did:

-Went on that gondola ride and walked around up top for a bit. It was a tad cold but thats alright!
-Grabbed a quick bite to eat downtown before heading to Johnston's Canyon. We only went to the lower falls part but even that was great
-Shopped a bit downtown because my girlfriend wanted to take a look at the little shops and walk around.
-Had dinner at Grizzly House. The food was good. Especially the tobelerone fondue :D

The only complaint I had was the service at Grizzly House. Our waiter treated us like we didnt even really belong there (19 and 18 year old). We needed a few extra minutes to order and he didnt come back for literally 30 minutes. After our food came he never came to check up on us either. And then what topped it off he wrote what 15% of the bill was for his 'tip'. Maybe this is regular at places like that but Ive never had someone write 15% of what the bill was.

Other than that the day went well =)