Shopping malls are a refuge for parents who need to get out of the house. You don’t need to worry about the weather, it’s easy to navigate your stroller, and you can get a few errands done or meet a friend for coffee. But it’s even more fun when you squeeze in visits to your favourite shopping mall play places!
Check out our Guide to Shopping Mall Play Places, and find a place to burn some energy! All of the places listed below are free to visit and be sure to bring socks for everyone. (Not me running to a store to buy new socks before playtime! Oh, wait.) If you’re looking for something a little bigger or more involved (where the fees vary), check out our Guide to the Best Indoor Playgrounds.
Click each title for the mall services website.
CrossIron Mills
The Little Fossil Fun Zone is a dino-themed playtime adventure for babies and toddlers at CrossIron Mills. Located near entrances 3 and 4, this interactive play park is designed to give parents a break while their little ones burn some energy. Your child will have a blast climbing, crawling, sliding and jumping on the soft dinosaur play structures that call the play area home. They can learn from the interactive games that decorate the walls of the fun zone, all placed at their level to ensure an interactive and fun playtime. Children must be under 42” to use the play area.
Market Mall
Located by Guest Services, the 1,800 square-foot Wildlife Park for Kids provides a fun, safe environment for preschool children to climb, jump and play (maximum height restricted to 46″). Playtime is limited to one hour and you need to register your child online. It does get busy here, and only 30 kids are permitted at a time. Socks are mandatory for both adults and children and there is comfortable seating for adults. The Park is closed daily from 2:30 – 3:30 pm for cleaning.
Southcentre Mall
Calgary families can go wild while enjoying a shopping break at Southcentre Mall. The ROAR Play Park, located on the lower level, next to SportChek, was created in partnership with the Calgary Zoo. This free, unsupervised play space has a zoo theme and interactive components like a crawl-through tunnel, a slide, and climb-on creatures. This is a great spot to take a well-deserved time out from shopping and enjoy watching your kids unwind through play. Note that the play area is closed for cleaning from 9 – 10 am and 3 – 3:30 pm.
The Core – Devonian Gardens
The Core, Calgary’s downtown mall, takes the indoor play area to a new level with Devonian Gardens. This urban oasis has lush vegetation, fish ponds, and a good-sized playground. It’s the perfect place to take a break from shopping or just a break from winter.
Honourable Mention: Calgary Farmers’ Markets
While not a mall, Calgary Farmers’ Markets are an indoor space with shopping, food vendors, and a kids’ play place! So we give them an honourable mention in our guide. The South and the West locations both have an indoor kids’ playground with a barnyard theme. The Market is only open on select days, however, so be sure to check before you go. (The South location is usually open from Thursdays to Sundays and the West location is open from Wednesdays to Sundays.)
