Kart World or Kart Gardens? (2014)

Kart World or Kart Gardens? The folks that ran this Calgary family-fun business sure made things confusing and a sign in front lists BOTH names. No matter which you choose, the place is now closed and the site (on this visit in 2014) was quickly falling into disrepair. You’ll hear no screaming kids nor screaming go-karts. Now there’s only the sounds of passing cars and the occasional train.

Join us as we have some fun checking out what’s left of this venue…officially it functioned as Kart World.

This is a repost of an article from 2014 that got wiped out in a recent server crash. Rather than simply restore from a backup, it got a make-over, with new and updated information. For example – the place is now an empty lot. The original photos have been reused, since the business is long gone and there’s no chance for a reshoot, but reedited for more clarity. Still, they’re not great (horrible, ugly contrast that day), but for memories sake we’ll have to accept them.

Dated aerial photos show a go-cart track of some sorts operated here since the late 1970s but with a different layout. At least for some of the time, it operated under the name FunWest Karts. We’ve seen it spelled Fun West – two words – as well. The track in its current form dates to the early 1990s and about that time the name Kart World appears.

Welcome to Kart World Calgary (from 2014).

“…The Calgary Kart Racing Club used this facility (FunWest) for a couple events before the bridges were put in many years later. For serious kart racing the club found the facility a little too small, so most of the club racing took place at Kart Gardens from then on. It is a shame to see the facility in such disrepair but nothing lasts forever…the Calgary Kart Racing Club has built a new facility in Strathmore.” – John Kwong President Calgary Kart Racing Club 11/2014.

Earlier, this property was industrial (beginning in the 1920s at least) and the main building used by the kart track first shows up in aerial photos a couple decades later.

At one time, a second go-kart track could be found up near the airport and it operated under the name Kart Gardens International. It and Kart World were connected for a time and this sort of explains the confusing signage. A bit at least, but no where close to fully. Reusing a sign that makes no sense, makes no sense, yet here we are.

Kart Gardens did close long before Kart World (due to an airport expansion), so maybe they had intent to use some of KGI’s goodwill. Maybe? By the chatter, Kart Gardens seemed to be a more serious venue and had a superior track, so perhaps they hoped to bank on that. We visited Kart Gardens with our kids a couple times, back when they were kids, but never Kart World. KGI always seemed the better choice.

In ads, online and anywhere else we’ve looked, this facility used the name Kart World or a number of similar incarnations. In later years it more often used the name Kart World Family Fun Centre and this reflects all the other things to do here.

“…I’ll fill in a few of the blanks. I started with KGI (Kart Gardens International) when they first opened and stayed for almost 7 years. I rode my bmx on the dirt while they were building it. After the original owner of KGI sold, two brothers ran the place and eventually bought Kart World. The sign in the photo is from the airport location. In the early days, my future father-in-law was the mechanic, my future wife worked the snack bar and my brother was my fellow track rat. Lots of great memories.” – Richard 10/2022.

In addition to go-karts, Kart World offered a games room, laser tag, mini-golf and something called “Euro Bungee”. They also had a snack bar serving all manner of “gourmet” fare. You know, hot dogs, burgers, popcorn, pizza pops, big icy cokes and lots of sugary-sweet stuff to further jack-up already overstimulated kids. Michelin five star dining is ain’t but no kids were heard to complain.

In the last few years of operation the business didn’t get properly maintained and one can find numerous complaints about it online. They speak of a place run down and neglected. Mortified customers (rightly) talk of out of order games, gross biffies and badly running karts. There’s complaints about stinky helmets(?), indifferent or uncaring staff and wild, out of control kids. That last one is the parent’s fault. The general consensus: the overall state of apathy, decay and uncleanliness was completely unacceptable. For most anyway.

This “glowing” review sums it up pretty well…

“Went to Kart World today. First of all they had a flood and the laser tag or washrooms were not working – not mentioned on their website. So they had porta-potties that patrons could use that were absolutely disgusting – the waste was nearly to the top and there were flies and larvae and other crawling things in the waste – absolute health hazard. Needless to say, my son or I couldn’t use them.

Kart World is run by teenage kids who really don’t care about safety and customer service. Avoid this place, it just has a general feel that not much money is invested in it to the detriment of safety and cleanliness. I guess the car that was parked outside the main entrance with 2 flat tires and that had obviously been sitting there for some time should have given me a clue!” – A happy customer!

The words “lame”, “Scheiße-hole” and “ripoff” appear with alarming regularity when the track is spoken of.

The business limped through 2013, hoping to get what ever they could out it we suppose, but knowing very well that things were falling apart fast. They must have known time was limited and this would be their last year. Kart World closed at the end of that season and never reopened. As of the writing of the original 2014 report, the company website remained up and claimed the venue would be open in spring 2014. No sir.

Kart World was located in a light industrial and therefor less-pretty area of Calgary. South-central and in Manchester Industrial. This sort-of out of the way location probably did not help things in regards to business, although a noisy place like this has limited options where they can locate.

Busy MacLeod Trail is only a block or so away, but since the track can’t be easily seen from that road, they couldn’t rely on much spontaneous business from families driving past. Visually, the surrounding area is not that appealing and who wants to look at a power substations, tire shops and trains. Wait…we like trains. It’s a great spot. It’s perfect!

A restaurant at the far end of the main building (the part closest to the street) operated for a time in the 1990s, but not as part of Kart World. You can see the boarded over entrance under the Kart World sign. Not a great location for an eatery.

Let’s take a tour and note that all photos were taken without entering any fenced-off areas…

A peek inside the main building, through grimy windows, shows it’s completely empty. And filthy – nothing to see here. Okay, let’s move on to the “golf course” (called Wacky-Putt). Mini-golf aficionados might find it a bit underwhelming, the play uninspired and the hastily put together look. Where the hell is the windmill shot? That’s a mini golf staple and it’s missing here. This course was built from pre-made kits and we found the manufacturer online.

There’s a couple abandoned karts on the oval-ish shaped kiddy track.

The main track is lined by tires for crash mitigation and one can’t help think back to the days when the karts would scream past (or maybe putt-putt past given the lack of maintenance). Now it’s all quiet. More go-karts, full sized ones this time, can be seen in back and even from this position it’s clear most are in rough shape.

A sign on an overpass warms drivers not to bump cars (so don’t be a general nuisance). They won’t let us have any fun! Make it a mini-QE11 and allow full-on contact! Channel your inner Mad Max.

There’s a view of the pit area where karts were worked on and perhaps others cannibalized to keep the remaining ones running. Pick and Pull for go-karts. From this angle the whole place looks like the city-dump. There are old tires everywhere, ripped up tarps and lots of junk.

We didn’t see the “Euro Bungee” mentioned earlier but it must have been inside the now empty building. It’s a trampoline type thing and you wear a bungee suspended harness. This allowed one to bounce higher than typical and safely do flips. Stuff like that.

There were bumper boats here at Kart World in the 1990s but they didn’t last long. They were once located to the right of the kiddie track.

So ends the tour. Calgary is now down one family-fun place but given that the business was driven into the ground (get it…driven), I doubt anyone will miss it in this form. Perhaps back when it was in better shape, but not as you see it here.

The last season was the year before.

2024: All of what you see in this post has been bulldozed or removed. Empty lots in Calgary don’t often stay that way for long, so presumably someone, somewhere has plans to place something here. A faint outline of the kart track is still visible on Google Earth’s 2023 capture but not from ground level. At various times, we’ve seen trailers on the property and other stuff seems to come and go too.

This…

“I loved taking my kids here every year. Despite the disrepair, it always put a smile on my kids faces! From the unpredictable kart performance and handling to the awkward lazer tag, it was always a blast. Old school fun. Kartworld, or Kart Gardens…you will be missed.” – billybowbob 09/2014.

Know more (new tabs): Kart World Family Fun Centre Calgary and for reference: Kart Gardens International Calgary.

They’re saying…

“We’ve been following your adventures for years and…thanks for being such a great resource!” James and Ashlee Sandler.

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Date of adventure: June, 2014.
Location: Calgary, Alberta (Manchester Industrial).
Article references and thanks: City of Calgary, John Kwong of the Calgary Kart Racing Club and Medicine Hat & District Genealogical Society.

Through this door passed a million screaming kids…😉

The Wacky-Putt course.

This site is now an empty lot.

A bit of a disappointment for mini-golf aficionados.

Kart World or Kart Gardens?

The flyover.

Faint outlines of this track can still be seen from the air.

They don’t let us have any fun.

Its cousin lives in our back alley.

The pit area.

Abandoned at the kiddie track.