But the city is in the middle of a boom fueled by cash from its burgeoning oil industry and is discovering the high life, as it melds its cowboy roots with eastern sophistication.

Here are some tips for making the most of your time in the heart of Canada's New West.

Friday
5 p.m. Take a few minutes to stretch your legs with a walk along the banks of the Bow River. Calgary's pathway system is North America's biggest, with 360 kilometres of paved trails. Some of the best of the system lies adjacent to the city's downtown, following the river's bends and rapids.

5:30 p.m. Take the pathway and head to Prince's Island Park in Calgary's Eau Claire District for dinner. Prince's Island is the venue for local festivals and celebrations, but it is also the home of the River Cafe, a perennial award winner that focuses on regional cuisine sourced primarily from Alberta and British Columbia.

The cafe has a wine cellar with 490 selections and 3,500 bottles. The spotlight is on smaller producers, including selections from Canada's major wine regions in Ontario and British Columbia, but there are offerings of the world's great vintages as well.

8 p.m. Head to the theater and check out the latest from the city's One Yellow Rabbit troupe. The cutting-edge OYR ensemble is known for staging offbeat works like Five Hole: Tales of Hockey Erotica and Ilsa, Queen of the Nazi Love Camp.

11 p.m. Head out to Calgary's eclectic Inglewood neighbourhood and the Ironwood Stage and Grill, the city's best Folks and Roots music venue featuring independent musicians and songwriters.

Saturday
9 a.m. Head to the 1886 Buffalo Cafe in the Eau Claire Market for breakfast. The restaurant specializes in morning fare, but be warned, it's a popular spot.

11 a.m. Feeling a bit extreme? Head to the city's Calgary Olympic Park, which features facilities from the 1988 Olympics. In the winter the park is a destination for skiers looking to get some turns in on a black diamond run just 15 minutes from downtown. Visitors can also use the refrigerated bobsleigh run for a 1.5 kilometre run that reaches speeds of up to 120 kilometres an hour.

Canada Olympic Park also uses its ski jump tower for a zip line that carries passengers half a kilometre down the hill at speeds of up to 140 kph (87 mph).

1:30 Head for a late lunch at the Deane House, which was built in 1906. Some people claim it is haunted but the food is fresh.

3:00 p.m. Check out Calgary's art scene. Art Central is worth a look. It's in the heart of downtown, with 57 studios and boutiques. If you've something a bit more upper end in mind, take a walk down 11th Avenue in the southwest quadrant, which is home to a number of galleries. The Paul Kuhn Gallery concentrates on contemporary Canadian art.

6:00 p.m. Calgary is ranching country and Alberta is famous for its beef. Head to Buchanan's Chop House and Whisky Bar and try ordering a 32-ounce Porterhouse steak, or, if you're not that hungry, the 26-ounce T-Bone. Wash it down with a whisky. They have 200 malts on hand. Maybe treat yourself to a shot of the fino sherry cask aged Bowmore 1964, at C$165 a glass, or a shot of the Bruichladdich Forty, at C$199.

9 p.m. Go bar-hopping down 17th Avenue Southwest, a trendy neighbourhood flush with lounges and nightclubs. The Ship & Anchor Pub is a popular spot, with live bands on Saturday nights and a high-energy crowd.

Sunday
9 a.m. Head back to Art Central for breakfast at the Siding Cafe. Try the stuffed French toast.

11 am Head to Spruce Meadows, on the city's south, one of the world's leading equestrian facilities. It frequently hosts show-jumping tournaments on weekends running from February through November. The best of the lot is the Masters in early September, when $2 million in prizes attracts the world's greatest horses and riders.

3 p.m. Before leaving the city, visit the Glenbow, Calgary's premiere museum. The Glenbow has a first-rate collection that focuses on the natives of the Northwest Plains, including the Nisitapii, Tsuu T'ina, Cree and Anishinabe nations.