SNO-man says
There's a huge choice of activities apart from skiing in Banff during the winter. You can enjoy, heli-sightseeing, bowling, canyon icewalks, hot springs, carriage rides, ice fishing, ice skating, curling and ice hockey, mountaineering, sleigh rides, fitness facilities, snowmobiling, snowshoeing and tobogganing. Mountain Mushers Dog Sled Tours offer multi-day dog sled adventures whereby you can trek by sled into the wilderness of the Rocky Mountains to authentic trappers cabins. These tours range from overnight to full weeklong excursions. Travel as the trappers did during the early days of Banff National Park.
There are several museums, galleries and similar facilities in Banff. An interesting way to discover these buildings is by taking the self-guiding "Banff Historical Walking Tour", which takes you to some of those silent witnesses of our past. The Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies houses four art galleries, exhibiting works of contemporary and historic art, often incorporating a mountain theme, a heritage collection of artifacts, archives, museum shop and six heritage homes on its grounds. Secondly The Walter Phillips Gallery presents the latest in contemporary art, with exhibitions by national and international artists investigating the issues and ideas of our time. The gallery maintains a permanent collection and organises nine shows of art, video screenings, lectures and performances every year.
Banff Park Museum National Historic Site is Western Canada's oldest natural history museum, circa 1903, housing wildlife specimens dating back to the 1860's. Learn how animals were studied in the Victorian Era at this, the "University of the Hills", and find out how the animals are now studied in National Parks. The Natural History Museum traces the geological evolution of the Rockies. There are displays of rocks and minerals, fossils and dinosaur bones, flowers and plants, a film on the eruption of Mt. St Helens, and a life sized model of "Big Foot," the legendary giant ape said to live in remote mountain regions. For those interested in Banff before skiing, trains or Europeans at all, the Buffalo Nations Luxton Museum offers an experience of the rich culture of the Natives of the Northern Plains and Canadian Rockies. Life sized scenes featuring ornamental costumes, teepee, travois and other artifacts depict Native arts and daily life.
A visit at the Upper Hot Springs is a must at the end of your day. Bathe in the "Sacred waters of the mountains" and discover a power over mind and body that is centuries old. Unwind in a spectacular mountain setting and soak in waters that have travelled deep into the earth returning to the surface hot and loaded with natural minerals. Indulge yourself with a massage, or let the cleansing power of aromatherapy or the deep penetrating heat of a mineral plunge bath restore body and soul.