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High River Day Trip

ByFiona Hours

Last week I visited High River for the first time. Though I’ve driven through it many times when I was going to university in Lethbridge, I’d never stopped in it. I’m so glad I did because High River is such a cute small town – I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did!

A collage of 4 photos from High River featuring a flower garden, Maggie's Dinner sign, bagels on a table, and a downtown street with text that reads "High River Day Trip: what to see, do, and eat in small town Alberta".

Honestly, I feel like High River has a bit of a Stars Hollow feel to it. There’s a small downtown with the cutest buildings and even a diner, not unlike Luke’s. There’s a big beautiful park to walk through, as well as a little historical village with beautiful gardens. I knew that one of the 80’s Superman movies had filmed in High River, but I didn’t realize that Heartland also filmed there as well. More on both of those below. In this travel guide, expect history, film trivia, a pretty walk in the park, and a perfect little coffee stop.

Getting to High River

I live in the north side of Calgary, so it took just under an hour to drive south to High River. The weather was good and there were no accidents along the way, so it was pretty quick. There’s a couple exits to High River from the highway, so the town is hard to miss. If you don’t drive you can always take the On It bus from Calgary to Okotoks, which gets you close to High River.

Museum of the Highwood

My first stop in High River after I parked was to go to the Museum of the Highwood. Not only is it the High River museum, it’s also the visitor information centre. It’s located in an old Canadian Pacific railway station.

They had a bunch of props from different films and TV shows that have filmed in High River. I thought this Superman cape worn by Christopher Reeve was pretty cool. High River was where they filmed the parts of the movie set in Smallville. In fact, the Superman house is still in High River, though I didn’t go see it. Apparently it’s haunted and they now do ghost tours in it! That would be a fun thing to do closer to Halloween.

A Superman cape from the movie Superman III is in a display at the Museum of the Highwood.

Heartland is a TV show that’s also partially filmed in High River. I haven’t watched it, but apparently there’s 18 seasons of the show, so it must be good. While they weren’t filming the day I was there, there were some crew working in one of the sets downtown, so I assume they were prepping to film in the next day or two.

In addition to Superman III and Heartland, Fargo (Jon Hamm) , Unforgiven (Clint Eastwood), The Last of Us (Pedro Pascal), and Black Summer (Jamie King) were also filmed in High River. I didn’t realize it was such a hot spot for movie and TV making.

A framed poster of Heartland, which is filmed in High River is in the Museum of the Highwood.

In addition to the movie memorabilia, there were also artifacts about High River’s history as well as the Indigenous Peoples who lived there. Around downtown there were lots of murals showcasing various historical moments.

Downtown High River

Next we spent time walking around downtown High River. Granted, it’s really only a few blocks, but there was quite a bit to see. There are a bunch of old buildings there that were really pretty. Check out this beautiful old door surrounded by ivy.

An old, colorful door in a building in downtown High River. The door is surrounded by ivy.
The front of Evelyn's Diner in downtown High River.

I was told that if I was in High River I had to eat at Evelyn’s Diner. Although I tried twice the day I was there, it was packed both times and I couldn’t get a table. I’ll have to try next time I’m in High River.

The exterior of The Lark Cafe, which is a set for Heartland, in High River.
A display of pretty red and purple flowers in downtown High River.

The Lark Cafe was part of the set for Heartland. This is where I saw some of the crew working. When I was having lunch I heard one of the employees explaining that some of the storefronts downtown were sets for Heartland and weren’t actually functioning businesses, even though they looked like they should be open. Downtown High River felt very cozy. It was so clean and there were flowers everywhere. I almost felt like I was in Stars Hollow.

A mural in downtown High River featuring planes and men in air force uniforms and suits.
The exterior of Maggie's Diner, a set for Heartland, which is filmed in High River.

This is one of the many murals downtown. Maggie’s Diner is another set for Heartland. All the sets downtown looked so realistic, if they didn’t have signs in the windows saying that they were sets, I would have thought that they were real businesses.

A stroll through George Lane Park

Just west of downtown High River is George Lane Park. I figured I’d take a walk through there. I’m so glad I did because it was so pretty! There were paved pathways through tall, leafy trees, so it was nice and shady. The park also has lots of benches to stop and sit if you need a break.

A selfie of a white woman with dirty blonde hair. She's walking on a paved path in George Lane Park in High River, surrounded by green grass and trees. There's a playground and a baseball diamond in the distance.
A red and green gazebo in the George Lane Park in High River.

There was even a big gazebo just like in Gilmore Girls. All I needed was Taylor to walk by complaining about kids playing at the park too loudly. In addition to the green space, the park also has a baseball diamond, playground, and even a camping section in the northern part of the park.

Sheppard Family Park

Our last stop before lunch was the Sheppard Family Park. It was a quick 5 minute drive south from downtown High River. The park was a former homestead, and since the 90’s has been a public park that has historical buildings and gardens.

And old white house with grey shingles in Sheppard Family Park in High River.
A red and white barn with a wooden fence in front of it in Sheppard Family Park in High River.

I had no idea about this park until I saw something about it online. I’m so glad I did because it was one of my favorite parts of High River. I don’t know if any of the buildings were open to go in (I didn’t try), but I had a fun time walking around taking in the old architecture and gardens. They even had a one room schoolhouse. I can’t even imagine what it would have been like to attend school in one of those.

A flower garden with pink, red, orange, yellow, purple, and blue flowers in Sheppard Family Park in High River.
The corner of an old white and red house with a flower garden in the foreground. The garden has yellow, orange, red, blue, and purple flowers in it.

This flower garden was absolutely gorgeous! It had a bunch of wildflowers (Gaillardia, Echinacea Lupine) , native to Alberta, which was great to see. It doesn’t get much more authentic than that! Clearly, it takes a lot of work to keep the garden looking that good. I’m so impressed with the people who take care of it. There’s a ton of greenspace at this park, so if you wanted to bring a picnic lunch and eat it here, you’d have a beautiful spot to eat.

Colossi’s Coffee House

At this point I was getting hungry for lunch. Like I mentioned before, I tried Evelyn’s Diner again, but it was still full from the lunch rush, so instead I went next door to Colossi’s Coffee House. I’m so glad I did because it was delicious! It was quite busy while we were there, with lots of people coming in for drinks.

The interior of Colossi's coffee shop in downtown High River. There are several tables with plenty of chairs around them, and a large window overlooking the front sidewalk.
The menu board and food case with sandwiches and baked goods in Colossi's coffee shop in High River. In the background behind the counter are two female employees making drinks and food.

There was seating both inside and outside on the sidewalk. We opted to eat indoors. Colossi’s had that cute and cozy coffee shop feel to it. There were lots of seating options – we chose to sit next to a big window. They had lots of local artwork on the walls.

A small coffee shop table has two mis matched plates on it, both containing bagel sandwiches. There are also two plastic to go cup with straws that have smoothies in them.

They had a pretty big menu considering Colossi’s is a coffee shop. I’m not a coffee drinker, so I ordered a strawberry banana smoothie to drink. For lunch, I went with a turkey sandwich on a plain bagel. It came out pretty quick and was really good. It hit the spot after all the exploring we had done.

Final thoughts on High River

If you’re looking for a charming small-town getaway not far from the city, I can’t recommend High River enough. From cozy coffee shops and historic parks to movie sets and murals, it’s packed with personality and heart. I loved how walkable everything was and how much pride the town clearly takes in its history and community. Whether you’re a movie buff, a history lover, or just someone who enjoys discovering new places, there’s something in High River for everyone.

It definitely won me over, and I already can’t wait to go back – next time I’m making it a point to finally try Evelyn’s Diner! If you’re planning a day trip soon, I hope this post gives you some ideas to create your own perfect itinerary.

If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out more of my travel adventures here or explore more fun things to do in and around Calgary.

Have you ever been to High River? I’d love to hear your favorite spots – leave a comment below and let me know what I should check out on my next visit! And if you found this post helpful, feel free to share it with a fellow travel-loving friend.

My name is Fiona and I'm a CSEP certified personal trainer, yogi, soccer player, and foodie (baking is my thing) living in Calgary. Thanks for visiting Get Fit Fiona. I hope you enjoy the sneak peek into my life and the workouts and recipes that I share.