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Alberta has made plenty of cameos in films and TV shows in recent years.
Sometimes it’s our Canadian Rockies standing in for post-apocalyptic America. Other times our cities, towns and prairies set the scene for frosty crime dramas or modern westerns.
These shows and movies share at least one thing in common: Their cast and crew all got a chance to fall in love with Alberta. Here are some of their top spots and how to experience them.
When comedy star Lamorne Morris (New Girl) was prepping to film Fargo, he expected Calgary to be a freezer-burnt city. The reality, though?
“It’s one of the most beautiful places I've ever been,” he told Condé Nast Traveler.
“Some of the best restaurants I've ever been to in my life are in Calgary, and people don't talk about it!” he told the magazine. “It feels better than L.A.’s food scene.”
Mad Men star Jon Hamm also dipped into the food scene during Fargo shooting. He visited friendly indie coffee shop Aggüdo in the vibrant neighbourhood of Kensington more than once while in town.
And one of the undisputed gems for stars recently in Calgary is Model Milk. Daisy Edgar-Jones (Under the Banner of Heaven, Where the Crawdads Sing) and Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us, The Mandalorian) joyfully connected over the memory of dining there when they mentioned it on the James Corden show.
That’s only scratching the surface of the food scene in Calgary. Plot your own culinary odyssey in Calgary by starting with Model Milk on 17 Avenue SW, which is easy to access by rideshare, taxi, bike or even scooter from downtown. Or try some of the countless other locally beloved eateries nearby.
When the conditions are just right, the northern lights in Alberta are dazzling.
"We were driving from Calgary to Edmonton to go and shoot,” Pascal recalled, again on the James Corden Show. “It was one of the most unbelievable things that I'd ever seen.”
The best time of year to chase that midnight rainbow is from November to March. Get to a dark sky preserve, like Jasper in the Northern Rockies or Waterton Lakes National Park three hours south of Calgary, or book a luxurious sky watching dome at Métis Crossing 1.5 hours north of Edmonton to up the odds of seeing the northern lights.
Alberta’s smaller towns are crammed with character and the perfect destinations for road trips—especially if you’re a Heartland fan.
Colossi’s Coffee House in High River is a go-to spot for locals as well as cast and crew of Heartland, plus Tin Star and past seasons of Fargo.
A road trip from Calgary to High River rolls past prairie and farmland with mountain views never far off. Plan stops in Diamond Valley for brunch at The Westwood or the Chuckwagon Cafe, favourites of Heartland’s Amber Marshall.
The Last of Us stars saw loads of Alberta, filming at more than 180 spots around the province.
“My favourite place that we went to was Canmore, for sure,” Bella Ramsey told Mobile Syrup.
“Every inch of Canmore was just this magical little town… with really great fudge,” Pascal said. (He didn’t reveal which shop he got his fudge from, but Black Rock Fudge & Gift and Olde Tyme Candy Shoppe are just steps away from each other on 8th Street, so why not try both?)
Canmore is a relaxed mountain town, just as stunning and full of great things to eat and see as its busier sister, Banff. In summer, plan a weekend of hiking to Grassi Lakes, river rafting, and Canadian cuisine. For a winter getaway in Canmore, try cross-country skiing, sleigh rides, and pizza.
It’s a picturesque 45-minute drive from Calgary. In late spring and summer, hop on a $10 On-It Transit bus to get to Canmore from Calgary.
British actor Edgar-Jones joked about how silly “Banff” felt to say (say it a few times yourself), but called it “the most beautiful place.”
With the Rockies surrounding you on all sides in town, it’s easy to enjoy a self-guided walk around adorable Banff, popping into shops and restaurants to warm up as needed.
Pascal also hyped up dog-sledding in iconic Lake Louise, 45 minutes north of Banff (Kingmik Dog Sled Tours is the place to book those adventure tours).
Lamorne Morris is a Banff fan too. But he’s less about what he calls the “snowy stuff,” he said. “I'm just hanging out in the hot tub… do the sauna, walk around with a robe on me, maybe drink an old-fashioned… That’s my energy right there.”
Lean into that energy at Banff’s Park Distillery, where they craft spirits like spruce tip-spiked Alpine Gin. Or step into a vintage swimsuit for a dip in the iconic Banff Upper Hot Springs.
Banff is a 90-minute drive from Calgary, or you can book a bus straight from the airport or downtown. In summertime, grab a $10 ticket from Calgary via On-It Transit.
“Any time off we were constantly going up to Banff,” Marc Blucas of My Life With the Walter Boys told Global News Calgary. “I did the Icefields Parkway… We really couldn’t get enough, it was such a beautiful location."
The Icefields Parkway is one of the most gorgeous road trip settings on the planet. The drive between the towns of Banff and Jasper takes about 3.5 hours—but that doesn’t count all the times you’ll pull over for photo ops or a picnic.
