Travel
How to spend 4 days in beautiful Manitoba
Travel Manitoba
Travel
How to spend 4 days in beautiful Manitoba
Fill a four-day weekend with prairie flavour and lakeside fun at three of Manitoba's most popular destinations: Winnipeg, Gimli and Wasagaming.
Day 1: Winnipeg
Winnipeg's Exchange District | Image by: Mike Peters
Pick up a rental car at the Winnipeg airport and head to the iconic Exchange District – a National Historic Site spattered with brick warehouses, cobblestone streets and colourful alleyways – to browse local shops, such as Tiny Feast (stationery and prints), Tara Davis Studio Boutique (handmade art, jewellery and home décor) and Mud + Stone (pottery). Stop in at Outworks Art Gallery, Aceartinc and Urban Shaman, three art galleries located in a single building, then savour a slow-roasted meat sandwich and pickle at King + Bannatyne, and a fresh-made doughnut at Bronuts. Spend the afternoon in one of two places: at Thermëa by Nordik Spa-Nature, slipping in and out of the saunas and pools and indulging in a Hydrothermëa Massage, which uses heat and cold friction to improve circulation; or at Assiniboine Park Zoo to experience the award-winning Journey to Churchill, a 10-acre love letter to the Arctic that houses rescued polar bears who were unable to survive in the wild. Make a dinner reservation at Asian-fusion resto Máquè and share the jumbo crab in coconut red curry bisque, crispy baby potatoes with Kewpie mayo and shaved beef brisket. Drive back to the Exchange District to spend the night at the boutique Mere Hotel, which overlooks the Red River.
Day 2: Gimli
Polar bear watching at Assiniboine Park Zoo | Image by: Assiniboine Park Zoo
Begin your day with a latte and avocado toast at Forth, then hop in the car and take Hwy 9 toward Gimli, a beach community located one hour north of the city on Lake Winnipeg. Pass the Gimli exit and continue 30 minutes to Integrity Foods to visit the hobby farm's wide assortment of animals and purchase wood-fired bread and baked goods made from ancient grains. Next, drive back toward Gimli and stop at Arnes Farmers' Market (open Saturdays and Sundays until 2 p.m.) to sift through antiques, crafts and snacks. Continue south to Gimli and tour the New Iceland Heritage Museum to learn about the Icelandic settlers that founded the community in 1875. Spend your afternoon sampling vinarterta – an Icelandic layered cake filled with prune jam – and imperial cookies at Sugar Me Cookie Boutique, pick up a souvenir at H.P. Tergesens general store on the main drag, stroll the boardwalk and catch a few rays on the beach. For dinner, order battered pickerel with fries from Kris' Fish & Chips, then return to Winnipeg. Walk from the Mere Hotel to Albert Street Cocktail Company for a carefully crafted bevvy before turning in for the night.
Day 3: Wasagaming
Gimli's Viking statue | Image by: Travel Manitoba
Check out of your hotel and nosh on a brekkie of chicken and waffles at The Tallest Poppy, then pick up a smoothie to go from Winnipeg staple, Stella's, across the street. Spend the next three hours blasting music along wide-open prairie roads on Hwy 1, then Hwy 16 to Riding Mountain National Park. Stop at Poor Michael's Emporium in Onanole to browse gifts and used books and pop into The Foxtail Cafe for wood-fired pizza. Try "The 204" (named after Manitoba's area code), which is loaded up with potatoes, bacon, caramelized onions and sour cream. Continue 10 minutes on to Wasagaming to rent fat bikes from the Friends of Riding Mountain shop and explore the lakeside town, making sure to visit Prairie Supply Co. to snag a "Cultivated in Manitoba" hoodie. Check into the Lake House – a modern hotel with a quaint vibe – and enjoy an ice cream sandwich (choose your own cookie, ice cream and toppings!) from the hotel's ice cream shop before taking a kayak out on scenic Clear Lake. Nosh on a light dinner at Italian restaurant TR McKoys, then catch an 8 p.m. flick (available Saturday and Sunday) at The Park Theatre, the largest log cabin movie theatre in North America.
Day 4: Wasagaming/Winnipeg
Picture-perfect views on the Gorge Creek Trail | Image by: Travel Manitoba
Check out of the Lake House and pick up coffee and steaming cinnamon buns from Whitehouse Bakery, then take Hwy 10 to Hwy 19 and drive toward Riding Mountain National Park East Gate – the oldest existing national park gate in Canada. Before hitting the gate, you'll see a sign for Gorge Creek Trail, the most scenic hiking route in the park. Make sure to bring your hiking shoes because the hike takes six hours (three hours in and three to return), though you can turn back at any time. Be sure to check trail conditions with Parks Canada before setting out. After your hike, take a pic with the East Gate before heading to Winnipeg. Hungry? Grab food at Brews Brothers Bistro in Neepawa on your way back.
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