2025 Fun: 25 Everyday Tourist Photos
One of the fun things to do at the end of each year is to take an hour or so and go through the photos on your phone. They are a great reminder of the fun times you’ve had over the past 12 months. It is like a photo diary.
In this blog I have selected 25 photos that reflect the 100s of fun “everyday” experiences from the past year.
The year started off with a trip to the Alberta University of the Arts where we discovered the “Graffiti Staircase.” If you want to learn more about this adventure click on this link “AUArts Graffiti Staircase.”
Perhaps our best 2025 architectural find was the Post Office Museum in Charlotte, South Carolina and its ornate staircase.
One of the best surprises of 2025 was a trip to Conway, South Carolina in February to visit family, where we enjoyed the town’s fun downtown Valentine’s Day Festival.
While flaneruing Edmonton’s river valley I found this huge robot looking climbing wall - too much fun!
I love window linking i.e. window shopping. Some of the best window are eye glass retailers.
The windows are works of art, mini exhibitions.
On a trip to London Ontario, I found this fun ice cream stand. I am a sucker for ice cream and for quirky things.
This is the new facade of the Glenbow Museum in downtown Calgary. I love what looks like an eye ball peeking out onto the street. The new facade shouts out “this is a fun place!”
A summer bike ride took me to Edworthy Park and the Christmas Tree Trail. This is where the City of Calgary deposits the ground-up Christmas trees it collects each year. The bonus was at the end of the trail on the shore of the Bow River were several Saskatoon berry bushed full of berries.
I was invited to explore one of Calgary’s best private gardens this past summer. To learn more click here “Fun-Filled Backyard Gardens and Art Bar.”
In the spring we had lots of fun strolling along the Bow River promenade and meeting strangers like this couple also having fun enjoying the urban outdoors.
One of the fun things to do in Calgary each summer is walk along the Bow River and watch and wave to people floating along the river having, like this couple.
The most moving experience of 2025 was the trip to the Majorville Medicine Wheel, located on undisturbed land in southeastern Alberta near the Bow River. Learn more: Majorville Medicine Wheel Road Trip.
On the same road trip we also happened upon an abandoned school house. Learn more: Reflecting on One-Room School Houses
We had a fun Sunday morning wandering Bowness Park.
As did hundreds of families who loved the little train and the lagoon.
On one of our summer walks along the Bow River promenade we found the Suitcase Theatre Arcade. For a donation of your choice, you get a personal puppet show - about 5 minutes long. How fun is that?
The misting feature at the new Eau Claire Plaza added some fun to downtown for families.
Perhaps the best urban experience of 2025 was in September in Calgary’s Victoria Park neighbourhood’s. The Night Lights was a great family event. Downtowns need more fun things to see and do for all ages.
I visited London Ontario twice in 2025, on my Fall visit I found this wool display in a fabric store and it reminded me of the famous painting by Wassily Kandinsky, “Colour Study: Squares with Concentric Circles (1913).” I wonder if this was by design or chance.
Here is the painting above the wool display.
Calgary is known for its bold blue skies. While flaneuring in the Sunalta neighbourhood I enjoyed the whimsy of these whirligigs on the roof of Levis Fine Art and Auctions.
2025 was a good year for thrifting. One of my best fun finds was this collection of books at the Bible for Missions in Killarney.
How many mannequin heads can you find in this photo? Yes I get enjoyment from the simple things in life, like this collection of heads with hats at the Mennonite Thrift store.
While in Victoria, we enjoyed a lovely Saturday morning exploring the colourful and thoughtful exhibitions at the Victoria Public Art Gallery.
One of the most memorable experiences of 2025 was Ronnie Burkett’s “Little Dickens” puppet show. Two hours of fun.
One of my fun projects in 2025 was creating a “speak easy” under the stairs in my basement man cave.