Stephen Avenue Walk forms a part of 8^th Avenue South, bounded by 4^th Street SW at its west end and 1^st Street SE at its east end.  Home to some of Calgary’s finest restaurants, pubs, bars and cafes, this pedestrian mall offers its foot-travellers uninhibited access to some of downtown’s key attractions and facilities, including Banker’s Hall, the CORE Shopping Centre, the Telus Convention Centre, the Glenbow Museum, Arts Commons and Olympic Plaza.  Visitors will also find several Canadiana curio stores here.  However, it will be the atmosphere that you’ll most want to somehow capture, package up and take home with you as a souvenir.

Stephen Avenue is a bustling hive of activity during the warmer months, with many dining venues offering outdoor patio facilities.  Hanging flower baskets, live and piped music, festivals, food trucks and buskers all come together to make the short-lived outdoor season on The Avenue a memorable visit.  Experience Stephen Ave at it’s pumping best during the annual Calgary Stampede when Cow-Town explodes with creativity and fun.

In the winter, Stephen Avenue is significantly quieter but no less charming when blanketed under snow and dressed up in seasonal lights. The annual YYC hot chocolate festival, the YYC Glowfest and perhaps the Buds Collective augmented reality art works are just some of the numerous winter events that will lure you to explore this part of the city’s wonderland.

Popular destinations

Not too unlike the allure of the nearby bustling 17th Ave south retail and entertainment district, Stephen Ave is home to numerous popular attractions as well as dining, drinking, connecting, and shopping destinations.

Here is a summary of some of the most popular go-to spots, according to Google ratings.

If outdoor patios are your summer-thing, then look out for our ⛱-icon denoting whether this location boasts a patio for your outdoor pleasure.

🍴Dining

(locations are listed based on heading eastbound along Stephen Ave from 3rd Street SW to Macleod Trail, just beyond its eastern boundary):

• The Metropolitan: restaurant | ⛱
• The Guild: steak house 💰💰💰
• The Wednesday Room: restaurant 💰💰💰
• Blink Restaurant & Bar: restaurant 💰💰💰
• SALTLIK Calgary: restaurant 💰💰💰
• Thomsons Restaurant: Canadian restaurant 💰💰💰
• Teatro Ristorante: Italian restaurant 💰💰💰
• Anatolia Turkish Restaurant: Turkish Restaurant 💰💰

☕️ | 🍻 Coffee, Pubs, & Bars

(locations are listed based on heading eastbound along Stephen Ave from 3rd Street SW to Macleod Trail, just beyond its eastern boundary):

• National on 8th: bar 💰💰| ⛱
• The Unicorn: gastropub 💰💰
• Bank & Baron P.U.B: pub 💰💰| ⛱
• James Joyce Irish Pub & Restaurant: Irish pub 💰💰
• Phil and Sebastian’s Coffee Roasters: coffee 💰💰| ⛱
• Rosso Coffee Roasters: coffee 💰💰

📸 Attractions, Museums and Performing Arts

(locations are listed based on heading eastbound along Stephen Ave from 3rd Street SW to Macleod Trail, just beyond its eastern boundary):

• The Palace Theatre: live music venue
• Calgary Telus Convention Centre: Convention centre
• Glenbow Museum: museum
• Arts Commons: performing arts theatre
• Olympic Plaza: city park

🛍 Shopping

• The CORE: shopping Mall
• Lammle’s Western Wear: clothing and Canadiana
• Kanata Trading Post: Canadiana, gift shop

Discover more of what we recommend seeing along Stephen Ave and in downtown in our blog proposing what to do as a visitor if you have two hours, a half-day or a weekend staycation to enjoy in the City. Our previous blog about detouring through the Plus 15 Skywalk also has some valuable insights.

Watch a few stop motion and time lapse videos from Stephen Avenue on our YouTube channel here:

• walk-through of Stephen Ave in during Stampede 2018;
• Gary, our mascot, does some stop motion filming from the plus 15 over Stephen Ave.

If walking the streets for food and fun is up your alley, then check out our blog about what you can see and enjoy along nearby 17th Avenue SW.

Getting there

Stephen Avenue is accessible by public transit (bus and C-train), private vehicle, taxi, bicycle or on foot.

• For public transit access, you can plan your visit using the City of Calgary transit website;
• If you are arriving in your own vehicle, limited street parking is available in the downtown area and parking can be pricey. Parking may be found along 9th Ave SW or else consult local signage or calgaryparking.com for more options. No parking is available on Stephen Avenue itself;
• If you are arriving by bicycle, consult the City of Calgary’s bicycle pathway maps here. Bike racks are available at numerous locations along Stephen Ave. For security reasons, remember to bring your own bicycle lock.

Featured image courtesy of Ottawa Citizen