STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

I live an hour and half away from Banff. Banff is so great, you'll love it.

Its a pretty quaint and cosy town, it's pretty small. The people are really friendly but the weather (as in all of Alberta) can be a bit unpredictable so it may still be warm or it could start getting cold already. Bring layers.

Activities:
-go look around The Banff Springs Hotel, which is a beautiful old hotel.
-go to the Upper Hot Springs for a dip
-check out Bow Falls (right near the end of Banff Ave) and hike up to the pub for a drink
-check out the Indian Trading Post for really silly kitchy souvenirs and see "the Mer-man"
-hiking near Lake Minnewanka or Two Jack
-walk around the Cascade Gardens
-drive out to see Lake Louise
-ride the gondola up Sulphur Mountain is an absolute must!http://www.banffgondola.com

http://www.bestofbanff.com/tours/ This is a pretty good website

Food:
-Welch's Candy Shop has awesome candy as well as there are a few great places that make homemade fudge
-The Rose and Crown pub does good pub/lunch stuff
-The Balkan has excellent Greek
-Magpie and Stump good Mexican food
-there is a couple of great sushi restaurants too because there are a lot of Japanese tour groups that go through Banff
-Giorgios Trattoria is pricey but really great

Pretty much everything-shops, restaurants, nightlife- is along Banff Ave, which is the main street. However it will be closed to traffic for most of the summer for repairs. But all the shops etc are still open as usual.

I'll try to add more if I can think of it or if you have anything specific ask me.