Road Trip (Avenue Magazine)

Road Trip

There’s nothing like answering the call of the open road. Hop in the car and see what new adventure awaits. Whether you take a quick trip across town to 17th Ave SW or New Horizon Mall, head up the highway to Silvertip Resort in Canmore, Sunshine Village in Banff or Eagle Ranch Resort in Invermere, or go even further afield to explore the bounties of Winnipeg, Manitoba, or the sunny state of Nevada, there’s no shortage of amazing road trips to be had this summer. Read on for tips on what not to miss. Then gas up (or charge up!), and see where the road takes you.

Device-free play zone available for kids at New Horizon Mall

A new attraction at New Horizon Mall in Balzac is aiming to provide a device-free play area for young children to socialize.

A new attraction at New Horizon Mall in Balzac is aiming to provide a device-free play area for young children to socialize in.

The new attraction, located on the second floor of the Asian bazaar-themed shopping centre, is called Mini-town.

“I had some ideas I wanted to do to help keep kids entertained,” said Han Liu, who is the owner, designer, and builder of Mini-town. “We just wanted to do something that is a little bit different.”

According to a press release, Mini-town facilitates the adaptation of a natural social network for young kids. The model encourages socialization as the participants interact with other kids while “running’ the town,” the release stated.

The entertainment centre, which is aimed at preschool-aged children, is a miniature community featuring a fire hall, police station, supermarket, and beauty salon.

“The mini-theme facilitates the adaption of a natural social network for new and younger generations,” the release stated.

The device-free zone is part of New Horizon Mall’s anchor tenant Sky Castle, which is one of the largest family entertainment centres in the Metro Calgary region. According to the release, Sky Castle, which opened earlier this spring, occupies approximately 34,000 square feet of space on the mall’s second floor. It features a climbing zone, mini-carousel, snow castle, ferris wheel, donut slide, toddler jumping zone and other interactive sections.

A key component of Mini-town is the attraction’s focus on being a “device-free” space. Liu said as a father of two, it is often a struggle to get his kids away from their phones, iPads and other devices.

“They are just way too powerful,” he said. “The whole point [of Mini-town] is to pull kids back from devices and teach them the importance of socializing.”

Having been open for a little over a month, Liu said the majority of New Horizon Mall's guests have enjoyed Mini-town, as it provides something new and different.

“We are getting a lot of positive feedback,” he said.

Mini-town’s main goal at the end of the day, according to Liu, is to give children something fun to do. He added moving forward, they plan on collaborating with local organizations to provide learning opportunities for kids who attend.

“In the long run, we do hope we can connect the community and have them bring their own knowledge and experience to teach,” he said.

Sky Castle is targeted at kids 10 years old and under, but kids over 10 are welcome too. Admission prices range from $13 during the week for kids aged one to three, to $20 for ages four and older on the weekend.

For more information, visit skycastleab.ca

Jumbo-sized play place hopes to breathe new life into New Horizon Mall

The opening of Sky Castle, an indoor playground and entertainment centre, is hoped to infuse new life into New Horizon Mall in time for Stage 3 of Alberta’s reopening plan on July 1.

The opening of Sky Castle, an indoor playground and entertainment centre, is hoped to infuse new life into New Horizon Mall in time for Stage 3 of Alberta’s reopening plan on July 1.

The opening of Sky Castle, an indoor playground and entertainment centre, is hoped to infuse new life into New Horizon Mall in time for Stage 3 of Alberta’s reopening plan on July 1.

The jumbo-sized play place for children 10 years old and younger opened its doors to guests for a sneak preview on June 19, with customers lining up to get a peek inside the fantasy fun park on the mall's second floor.

Bob Parsons, the general manager of New Horizon Mall, said he hopes the 34,000-square-foot children’s playground – the Balzac-based mall’s third anchor tenant – will invigorate a new buzz into the Asian-themed shopping centre after COVID-19 health restrictions rendered the corridors and stores mostly empty for the last year and a half.

Prior to the pandemic, the mall struggled to fill its store spaces, with an unorthodox business model and struggling economy. Approximately 80 per cent of the mall’s glass-front store spaces remained vacant at the start of last year, according to a Globe & Mail article.

But since Sky Castle’s soft opening on June 19, Parsons said there has been a notable increase in traffic to the mall.

Several performers at the Sky Castle soft launch stop to take a selfie for social media on June 19 at New Horizon Mall. Photo by Carmen Cundy/Rocky View Weekly

“We think they’ll be a great asset, a good anchor tenant for the shopping centre,” he said. “[Sky Castle] will provide more offerings to more people and that’s good for all of our retailers.”

Unlike traditional shopping centres like CrossIron Mills just across the street, New Horizon Mall operates as a condominium-style collective of entrepreneurs, artisans and fresh-market vendors.  Each store owner is responsible for their storefront, while a condo board operates on behalf of the collective marketplace.

While the unorthodox model has been successful in eastern Canada, it has yet to gain the same kind of traction in Alberta.

According to a previous New Horizon Mall press release, the children’s fantasy playground was dubbed a “game changer” for the mall when its opening was announced last spring, shortly prior to COVID-19-related lockdowns. The pandemic ultimately resulted in the delay of the amenity's anticipated opening date.

Han Liu, director of SkyCastle Family Entertainment, said the facility had to turn families away at the soft launch on June 19 due to constraints on the number of visitors allowed inside the play place at a time. Liu said Stage 3 will bring with it loosened restrictions and greater occupancy limits.

“So many families and parents came out to support us during this time,” he said. “We didn’t anticipate such a big crowd over the weekend. We were only operating at 30 per cent capacity.

“But that’s why we’re actually really looking forward to July 1.”

Two visitors of Sky Castle enjoy some arcade games at the soft launch on June 19 at New Horizon Mall. Photo by Carmen Cundy/Rocky View Weekly

Liu added that he has two boys of his own, three and six years old, and that Sky Castle was designed with this age group in mind.

“I think these kids will absolutely have a blast in there,” he said. “The second floor of New Horizon Mall is perfect for an indoor playground.

“If you come there at the right time of the day the lighting comes into the building... its absolutely gorgeous. We really hope that we can bring more people to the mall."

According to Parsons, as people become more comfortable venturing out to malls and entertainment centres this summer, he expects more traffic at the mall.   

“We’re excited about the opportunity and happy to have Sky Castle on board,” he said.

The entrance to Sky Castle at New Horizon Mall is pictured with prizes for visitors who play their hand at an arcade game or two on June 19. Photo by Carmen Cundy/Rocky View Weekly

 

A massive 34,000 square-foot play place is set to open at New Horizon Mall

Curiocity Calgary Feature

If there’s anything that we miss the most from our childhood, it’s being able to swing, jump and roll our way through an indoor playground. Before we worried about hygiene, ball pits were the absolute best – which is why we can’t wait until the day that Sky Castle, a HUGE new play place, opens its doors to Calgary.

No, we won’t be able to check it out ourselves, but we can live vicariously through our friends’ kids – and that’s good enough.

As announced last year, Sky Castle will serve as an anchor tenant for the recently opened New Horizon Mall, right next door to CrossIron Mills in Balzac.

With 34,000 square feet of family entertainment, this mega space is going to have practically everything to keep your kiddos entertained and excited to go back, time after time.

Sky Castle, a massive family entertainment centre, to open in New Horizon Mall

CTV NEWS FEATURE

CALGARY -- New Horizon Mall in Balzac is set to welcome its third anchor tenant — and its largest to date — this fall.

Sky Castle, a family entertainment centre that is expected to open later this year, is slated to feature:

  • A climbing zone

  • A little kids mini-town

  • A mini-carousel

  • A snow castle

  • A ferris wheel

  • A donut slide

  • Multiple slides

  • A toddler jumping zone

  • A castle stage

  • Interactive games.

The centre has signed a long term lease with New Horizon Mall.

"Sky Castle is a game changer for New Horizon Mall," said Ross Cannata of New Horizon Mall Inc in a statement released Thursday. "There was a lot of interest in this space from many different organizations but we wanted a strong anchor tenant that will attract shoppers and families and we are ecstatic to have Sky Castle on board."

The entertainment centre joins anchor tenants Prairie Horizon Fresh Market that is billed as north Calgary’s largest indoor fresh market and the Best Shop, a 15,000-plus square foot department store featuring unique products.

Sky Castle will occupy 34,000 square feet on the second floor of the shopping centre.

New Horizon Mall Inc. owns 30 per cent of the retail space at the marketplace and now has 86 per cent of its space leased with another seven per cent that is currently under negotiations for additional retail usage. With three anchor tenants secured and more than 100 stores open, approximately 110,100 square feet, 53 per cent, is now leased.

"We are creating a community of local entrepreneurs and small businesses," said Scott Smith, general manager of New Horizon Mall in a release. "The Sky Castle family entertainment centre (FEC) will be welcomed by our community."

New Horizon Mall is located 20 minutes north of downtown Calgary and directly across from CrossIron Mills in Rocky View County. The mall is comprised of unique stores, an entertainment stage and a food court with 300-seats plus indoor and outdoor parking areas.

New Horizon Mall’s visionary retail experience — proven successful in major markets throughout the world — offers the exotic, colourful allure of an international mall set in the comfort and beauty of a sublime, contemporary upscale architectural masterpiece.

For more information visit New Horizon Mall.