Things to do in Manitoba
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A
Alycia's
One of those must-visit places without any real draw except that it's Winnipeg's favorite Ukrainian restaurant. Everything is deliciously bad for you and daily made pierogi has a tendency to sell out.
reviewed
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B
VJ's Drive-In
Across from Union Station, VJ's is a fave for take-out grease fixes. There may be a lineup at lunchtime, but overstuffed chili dogs, greasy cheeseburgers and fries consistently voted the best in Winnipeg won't disappoint.
reviewed
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C
Eskimo Museum
The Eskimo Museum is really just a bunch of stuff in an unexciting room with linoleum floors, but there's no denying its charm. The obvious standouts - stuffed polar bear, musk ox, wolf and walrus - are immediate attention-grabbers, but closer inspection reveals tiny arrowheads, big harpoon blades and hundreds of carvings. The staff are informative and approachable, and recorded narratives elicit new appreciation for the people who survived and prospered on such a desolate landscape.
reviewed
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D
Gypsy's Bakery
Experience Churchill at this fun local hangout. The walk-up counter and cafeteria-style eatery have basic settings with a touch of local charm and the menu is extensive with a touch of international flair, or vice versa. Everything from cappuccino to pastries to grilled char is made fresh and delicious.
reviewed
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E
Dandelion Eatery
Open a funky orange-green restaurant next to an organic grocer and you get this popular eatery. Extensively inventive menus for any meal: grilled apple and cheese sandwiches for lunch, coffee-rubbed elk for dinner.
reviewed
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Wapusk National Park
Established primarily to protect polar bear breeding grounds (wapusk is Cree for 'white bear'), the remote and young Wapusk National Park extends along Hudson Bay's shores 45km east of Churchill. Its location between boreal forests and arctic tundra gives it importance for monitoring the effects of global warming. Changes in sea-level, temperature, vegetation, and polar bear and other animal patterns happen here first.
The park's ecological sensitivity has required a lot of proactive thinking and red tape. It's possible to visit, but only through licensed tour operators.
reviewed
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F
Forks National Historic Site
The Forks National Historic Site attracts people for recreation, transportation, trade, culture and ceremonies. In a beautiful riverside setting, modern amenities for performances and interpretive exhibits outline the area's history. Maintained footpaths line the riverbank with plaques in English, French and Cree. The Market Building and Johnston Terminal buzz with shoppers at produce stands, international art and craft shops, multiethnic food stalls and restaurants.
reviewed
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G
Manitoba Legislative Building
Designed during Winnipeg's optimistic boom of the early 1900s, the Manitoba Legislative Building flaunts neoclassical beaux-arts design, limestone construction and governmental importance. Surrounded by impeccable gardens, ancient gods and contemporary heroes are immortalized here, including the Louis Riel monument facing St Boniface. 'Eternal Youth and the Spirit of Enterprise' - aka Golden Boy - shines his 23½-carat gold-covered splendor atop the copper dome.
reviewed
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Fort Prince of Wales
It took 40 years to build and its cannons never fired a shot, but the star-shaped stone Fort Prince of Wales has been standing prominently on rocky Eskimo Point across the Churchill River since the 1770s. As English-French tensions mounted in the 1720s, HBC selected the site for presence and strategy, but surrendered during the first French attack. The walls are currently under a stabilization project but the site can still be toured.
reviewed
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York Factory National Historic Site
Even more remote, 250km southeast of Churchill, the HBC trading post, the York Factory National Historic Site, near Hayes River, was an important gateway to the interior and active for 273 years until 1957. The stark-white buildings are an amazing sight contrasting with their seemingly middle-of-nowhere setting. York Factory is accessible only by air, boat or (for the very determined and experienced) canoe.
reviewed
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H
St Paul's Anglican Church
The historic and illuminating St Paul's Anglican Church is about 100 times more beautiful on the inside than the outside. The stained-glass windows seen in afternoon light are simply breathtaking. Behind the church is Thanadelthur's Cairn, a small tribute to a Chipewyan woman who helped HBC arrange a treaty between her tribe and the rival Cree, allowing the fort to be built in Churchill.
reviewed
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I
Manitoba Museum
This is hands down one of the best locally focused museums on the continent; if you're not going elsewhere in the province, definitely visit the provincial Manitoba Museum. Nature trips through the sub-Arctic, history trips into 1920s Winnipeg, cultural journeys covering the past 12,000 years - if it happened in Manitoba, it's here.
reviewed
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Sloop's Cove
Four kilometers south of the fort, Sloop's Cove was a harbor for European vessels during Churchill's harsh winters. The only indications of early explorers are simple yet profound: names such as Samuel Hearn, local 18th-century governor and first to make an overland trip to the Arctic Ocean, are carved into the seaside rocks.
reviewed
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J
St Boniface Museum
Next door to the St Boniface Basilica, a mid-19th-century convent is the St Boniface Museum, Winnipeg's oldest building and the largest oak-log construction on the continent. It focuses on the establishment of St Boniface, the birth of the Métis nation, and the Grey Nuns' 3000km journey.
reviewed
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K
Salisbury House Esplanade Riel
Sal's is an expanding local diner chain part-owned by Burton Cummings, with signature dishes 'Nip' (spiced beef patty with fried onions) and 'Winni' (grilled hot dogs). This location, literally over the Red River, is the latest installment with views more memorable than the food.
reviewed
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L
Chez Sophie
A neighborhood fixture for decades - corner store, launderette - has become a neighborhood favorite bistro. It's cozy, meaning few tables, with an authentic French menu, meaning crêpes and tartes(pies), and a definite bargain considering portions and quality.
reviewed
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M
North Star Tours
This third-generation Churchill family has been giving natural and cultural tours for decades. Tour the western banks of Churchill River with Mark to find millennia-old tent rings and European artifacts, and learn everything Churchill you could ever know.
reviewed
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N
St Boniface Basilica
Mostly destroyed by fire in 1968, the original facade still stands as a 100-year, imposing, God-fearing reminder of the St Boniface Basilica , that once stood here. A more current structure was rebuilt on the ruins and Louis Riel rests in the cemetery.
reviewed
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Royal Canadian Mint
Got around C$19 in change dragging your pocket? Thank the Royal Canadian Mint. The pyramid-shaped glass facility offers tours showing how it makes every single Canadian coin, as well as pieces for other countries, at a rate of 15 million per day.
reviewed
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Graffiti Gallery
Street artists need a place to showcase their work and the Exchange's vibrancy provides a natural fit. Inner-city Graffiti Gallery teaches development by taking young artists away from tagging buildings and focusing their energy on creativity.
reviewed
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The Lineup
You want it? You got it. This place is guaranteed to satisfy everyone. Choose from worldwide take-out with authentic packaging, from fish and chips to deep-dish pizza to Chinese, and enjoy it on the huge outdoor patio or at Old Market Square.
reviewed
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R
Fort Gibraltar
Behind the wooden walls sits this re-created 1809 fur trade fort, Fort Gibraltar. Inspired interpreters, real clothes, tools, furs, bunks, bannock and blacksmith shops re-create 1810 life at The Forks, the fort's original location.
reviewed
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Cape Merry
A lone cannon behind a crumbling wall is all that's left of the battery built at Cape Merry, 2km northwest of town. It's an incredibly beautiful location in its own right and, during summer, belugas can be seen from the shore.
reviewed
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Dalnavert Museum
Restored to its original Queen Anne Revival architectural style, the Dalnavert Museum is the former home of Sir Hugh John MacDonald, son of Canada's first prime minister. It has been refurnished with original pieces.
reviewed
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Upper Fort Garry Gate
Under threat from development, the original oak, stone and mortar at this small site of the Upper Fort Garry Gate stoically and bravely stands, where four different forts have stood since 1738, amid modern Winnipeg.
reviewed
