SPRING | SUMMER 2012

full week itinerary- spring & summer Day 1 Rise and shine for a “‘Peg City Breakfast” at Dessert Sinsations. are connected to each other, via the skywalks through MTS Inside this downtown eatery, from scratch, house-made meals Centre. Portage Place is in the hub of downtown are the kitchen’s specialty. Breakfast includes all the greatest with more than 100 services, restaurants and shops, hits including eggs and bacon, French toast and waffles. including Shoppers Drug Mart, Holt Renfrew Winnipeg Gluten-free and vegetarian options are also available. For a Personal Shopping & Cosmetics and the spectacular break from the expected, try the breakfast ramen noodles or entertainment level featuring IMAX, the Globe Cinema and the steelhead trout scramble at Elements Restaurant, inside Prairie Theatre Exchange. Meanwhile, city place is a retail the Richardson’s College for the Environment and Science service centre in downtown Winnipeg. City place offers a Complex at the on Portage Avenue. relaxed environment and features a Liquor Mart, Rexall Or grab one of many sweet or savory deluxe cinnamon buns Pharmacy and Boston Pizza. at Jonnie’s Sticky Buns. This postage-stamp sized niche bakery serves its signature buns from the oven starting at 8 Located in the city’s south end, St. Vital Mall has more a.m. Bun varieties change daily. than 160 stores and services including a movie theatre and children’s play area as well as Walmart, Sears and the Bay. After breakfast, it’s time to get shopping. Winnipeg has many great malls selling everything under the sun. Shopping can leave anybody famished. All of Winnipeg’s malls have great food courts with a variety of chain and With more than 300 stores on site, ’s largest independent restaurants. From sushi to poutine to chicken shopping centre Polo Park Mall has a shop for everyone. souvlaki to fat-boy burgers and thai green curries, eating at Some of the newest additions to the mall roster include the mall has been elevated to new heights. Kiehls, Forever XXI (the biggest location in ), Coach, and Bath & Body Works. Or hit the road and head to any one of three of The Fyxx locations in Winnipeg for its signature sandwiches and Garden City Shopping Centre offers more than 75 retailers salads. The tandoori chicken sandwich, with its grilled and services including: Sears, Winners, Canadian Tire, and chicken breast and mango chutney redefines what tastes GoodLife Fitness. good between two slices of bread.

With more than 100 stores and services, Kildonan Place is If burgers and fries are what you’re craving, step up to in the northeast area of the city. one of Winnipeg’s numerous drive-ins that all serve up old standards with a helping of nostalgia. VJs Drive- Winnipeg’s two main downtown malls, Portage Place and Inn, Mrs. Mike’s, Blondie’s and Dairi-Wip Drive-In dot city place feature a wide variety of shops and services and neighbourhoods throughout the city.

Page 1 Day 2 Start the morning with breakfast at Sals on the Bridge at With sunny skies above, head to nearby Broadway to The Forks. Located on the Esplanade Riel, a pedestrian sample the great street eats from one of many food-trucks bridge spanning the Red River from the Forks to St. parked along the thouroughfare. Keep your eyes peeled for Boniface, Salisbury House is a Winnipeg institution. Eggs, specialty eats from El Torrito Taco & BBQ , Sis & Me and waffles, French toast and all the other breakfast fixings are Lovey’s Hog Mobile, to name a few. dished up in this diner overlooking the meandering river. If sitting down is more your style, head to East India After breakfast its time to explore The Forks Market and Company for the huge lunch buffet, which boasts a multitude National Historic Site. As the birthplace of Winnipeg, of curries, tandoors and dahls with all the extras like naan aboriginals began using the site, the intersection of the bread, rice dishes and chutneys. At The Ground Floor tuck Red and Assiniboine Rivers, as a meeting place 6,000 into a grilled chicken burger with maple barbeque sauce at years ago. Later, fur traders sold and traded their wares this family-friendly soup, salad and sandwich urban diner. at the site. Today it is one of Winnipeg’s most popular destinations for locals and travelers. This buzzing Digest and relax after lunch with a spa treatment inside the shopping, recreation, entertainment and dining area has Fort Garry Hotel’s Ten Spa. This luxurious spa, located on something for everyone. the 10th floor, offers a complete menu of spa and esthetic Independent shops inside the market stock great services inside a sumptuously serene setting. Try the souvenirs and gifts inside the main market. Inside Kite Hamam, a relaxing and rejuvenating salt and soap scrub and Kaboodle at Johnston Terminal, stock up on unique and massage. toys, hobby gifts, collectibles and books. On the main floor, stop by Wah-Sa Gallery, a Winnipeg-owned gallery After your treatment, head downstairs to the lobby and have specializing in aboriginal art. a pre-dinner cocktail inside The Palm Room, a refined and elegant space that is favoured by locals and hotel guests Take a guided tour of The Forks grounds with the help of alike. Order dinner from the hotel menu, which offers an a Parks Canada costumed interpreter. Tours run throughout impressive collection of continental cuisine with twists on July and August. Stop by Travel Manitoba’s Explore tradition. The meat loaf is some of the best around and the Manitoba Centre to catch a tour or pick up countless roast chicken is a savoury and succulent delight. brochures and pamphlets about Winnipeg sights, tours, sporting events, festivals and arts organizations. Watch the If a big steak is your craving, walk over to The Keg for a skateboarders land tricks at the on-site outdoor skateboard meaty meal inside of this popular steakhouse and lounge. park, the largest in the city. For fine dining, try Lobby on York. This modern seafood and steakhouse grills prime cuts with unexpected sides You’ll also spot the new Canadian Museum for Human like mushroom risotto and sweet potato mash. The grilled Rights, a massive glass and rock structure dominating the double cut pork chops with Guinness mustard and apple skyline. The museum is scheduled to open in 2014. salsa hits all the right notes.

Page 2 Day 3 Today is the day for outdoor adventures and enjoying park, hedge musicians and several climbing structures will Winnipeg’s parks and green spaces. Take the first meal burn off energy. of your day at Buffalo Stone Café at FortWhyteAlive, a 600-acre urban nature preserve, wetlands and interpretive For a posh lunch overlooking the verdant lawns of the park, centre inside Winnipeg. After breakfast, walk along the take a seat inside Terrace 55 at the Pavilion. Chow down on waterfront and by the marshland’s boardwalks, in the prairie the Manitoba pickerel po-boy or take on the Montreal-style grasslands, or into the woods along the parks’ myriad trails. smoked meat sandwich served on famous Winnipeg rye It is truly one of Winnipeg’s most serene places. bread. The kitchen prides itself on using Manitoba regional ingredients in creative and inspired dishes. After waking up your body with a nature walk, head to Assiniboine Park’s English Garden. If your timing is just After lunch make trails for Assiniboine Park Zoo for up close right, you’ll arrive for the blooming of thousands of tulips and personal looks at animals from around the globe. The in late spring. The meticulously planted, manicured and zoo features more than 400 species in indoor and outdoor maintained garden has countless flowering plants and spaces, specializing in cold climate species from northern shrubs alongside brick pathways. Wander into the Leo Mol latitudes and mountain ranges. Check out the visitor centre Sculpture Garden, an impressive collection of the Winnipeg at the newly opened International Polar Bear Conservation artist’s works set in its own garden alongside two nearby Centre. For hours of great fun, check out all the clowning ponds. (It’s a favourite spot for wedding photos.) around at the monkey house and prairie dog enclosure.

Afterwards, grab a coffee to go from the Park Café, located End your day with dinner at Star Grill. This intimate eatery beside the duck pond across from the English Garden. is located across the footbridge from Assiniboine Park on Listen in on the ducks before heading to the new Nature Portage Avenue and features an eclectic menu of pastas, and Adventure playground. A climbing hill, small water stir fries and entrées.

Day 4 Order a large latte and settle in for a breakfast wrap or a Big fabulous roasted beet salad with creamy goats cheese and Breakfast (three eggs, toast, ham, breakfast potatoes, coffee peppery arugula or share a bowl of mussels of the day. and juice) at Grace Cafe behind Winnipeg’s City Hall. This bright cafe is a favourite breakfast and lunch spot for city If artisan poutine is what you’ve been missing, check out staff, local politicians and Exchange District denizons. Smoke’s Poutinerie on the edge of Old Market Square, the heart of the district and home to Winnipeg’s International Walk across Main Street to The Manitoba Museum Fringe Festival. Signature poutines like curried chicken and complex, which also includes the Science Gallery and nacho grande take the humble potato, cheese curds and Planetarium, for a day of history made fun. Inside the gravy dish uptown. museum, step aboard a life-sized replica of the Nonsuch ketch. Wander the circa 1920s streets of Winnipeg and At Deer + Almond, this upscale urban diner serves ethnic- learn about the land before time along Churchill’s shoreline influenced plates like crispy skin chicken with tart Chinese 450 million years ago. Travel back to fur trading times to vinegar and cilantro for dipping. Benny and the Jets, the discover Canada’s modern roots. Revel in the extremely eatery’s take on eggs Benedict, is a masterpiece of thick precise and detailed dioramas depicting aboriginal life on cut pork belly, perfectly poached eggs, luscious citrus the prairies before settlers came. hollandaise on a thin slice of lightly toasted brioche.

Downstairs, get your hands and head in the game at the Spend the rest of the day exploring the Exchange District, Science Gallery. This kid-friendly gallery features hands- one of Winnipeg’s original neighbourhoods, a National on exhibits and experiments that demystify the laws of Historic Site and home to some of the city’s oldest buildings. science. Catch a scheduled stars and space show inside the Many independent shops, home decor and furniture stores, Planetarium. art galleries and clothing and accessory stores populate this trendy area. Inside Rhymes with Orange pick up a circa With your head filled with facts, figures and history, walk to the 1950s and 60s frock, slacks or sunglasses in this vintage nearby Exchange District to Peasant Cookery for a fresh and unisex clothing and home decor boutique.

Page 3 Be sure to visit Toad Hall Toys, a fabulous hobby and toy If history strikes your fancy, book a walking tour with the store loaded with unique gifts, kids books, dolls, arts and Exchange District Walking Tours. crafts, toy trains, figurines, collectibles and a gag section that is guaranteed to make you giggle. Finish the day with dinner at Hermanos on the east side of Main Street in east Exchange District area. This buzzing Find vintage jewelry and quirky laptop and iPhone holders, and boisterous slick South American steakhouse delivers among other Canadian-designed treasures inside Tara expertly grilled picanha steak with chimichurri and a ceviche Davis Studio Boutique. loaded with tangy Manitoba Pickerel. Finish dinner off dolce de leche, a traditional Argentinean caramel crepe. On-trend urban clothes for men and women line the racks at Ordnry. Down the way, sushi is king at Blufish, a sophisticated spot in the heart of Winnipeg’s theatre district. Innovative rolls Head to Interior Illusions for accent pieces and objects and creative Japanese entrées like blufish tempura scallops d’art among the collection of beautiful home furnishings. with tangy Japanese aioli and hatchimitsu ebi, prawns tossed with honey cajun sauce, don’t disappoint.

Day 5 Let someone else do the planning today. Winnipeg has Muddy Waters Walking Tours offers 10 themed summer numerous companies offering a variety of guided and self- tours of downtown. History and so-called dark tourism is guided tours highlighting the best of the city. Below are at the heart of many of the tours. Learn about Winnipeg’s some of the tour companies and their specialties. paranormal activities, murderous history and visit the city’s haunted places. City Cats Fishing Tours is your fishing connection for Winnipeg, Lockport, Whiteshell and Selkirk. All the gear is provided. Explore Winnipeg’s vibrant and ethnically diverse West End on a guided Mural Tour. The artistic and colourful Vigils, a musical mystery tour, and haunted places are just a murals painted on the sides of many of the neighbourhood few of the signature city tours offered by Heartland Tours. buildings all tell stories about the present and past.

For an all-in-one city tour, get on board the bus with O Tours. Strike out on your own on a self-guided walking, paddling, Departing from Union Station, O Tours will take you on a cycling or walking and driving tour by Routes on the discovery of Winnipeg as you visit the majestic Legislative Red. More than 20 self-guided tours uncover the history, Building, the St. Boniface Basilica, downtown and the well- geography, culture and wildlife of Winnipeg and the Red known Forks Market. Walk through the English Gardens River Valley. with its lush greenery and flowers and the Leo Mol Sculpture Garden in Assiniboine Park.

Page 4 Day 6 Today’s the day for exploring Winnipeg’s vibrant entertainment, madame with its lightly toasted, thick-cut slices of Koilech shopping and dining districts: Osborne Village, Corydon (egg) bread, oozing oka cheese and generous pieces of pork Avenue and Academy Road, where people live, work and belly. A perfectly fried egg tops it all off. play. Home to primarily independent, locally owned stores and boutiques, each neighbourhood boasts its own vibe and After lunch, head to Osborne Village to explore this bustling offers great people watching and patio life throughout spring shopping and dining district just south of downtown. Home to and summer. Start with breakfast at Fresh Café on Corydon an eclectic mix of boutiques and restaurants, Osborne Village Avenue. Fresh isn’t just a name, it’s a mantra. Order a fresh- is a hub for hipsters and professionals alike. pressed or squeezed fruit or vegetable juice at the bar and then saddle up to sweet potato latkes with poached eggs and Custom-made jewelry and statement pieces are the specialty house-made tomato sauce with kale. at David Rice Jewelry and Objects.

Stroll or drive the avenue, stopping and shopping at will. For on-trend clothing, check out Luxe and Charm, sister stores Make pit stops at Paper Gallery, Blue Moon, Green Apple, Hush and Shout, Sew Dandee and American Apparel. Stop Second Sensation, Lux for Sprouts, Diamond Gallery and in at Desart for out-of-the-box treasures, home decor items, Luxe Label. kitchen gadgets and kids toys.

Head over to nearby Academy, which runs parallel to Finish the day with an appletini or cosmopolitan and a Corydon, for more boutique shopping. Check out Moulé, dynamite roll at co-businesses Meiji Sushi and G Martini. Mad About Style, European Shoe Shop, Comics America, Divine and Conquer, 9 Boutique (maternity wear), Loka and If you have a hankering for cervasas and nachos, among other Glitz, to name a few. Mexican favourites, head to Carlos & Murphy’s.

Take your lunch at The Frenchway on Lilac Avenue just off Pub food can be had at the The Toad in the Hole while Corydon. This French cafe and bakery serves house-made Manitoba regional cuisine is served in all its glory upstairs at soups, salads and sandwiches and an amazing selection of fruit Fude. tarts, chocolate eclairs, chocolate croissants and macaroons for dessert. Head to nearby Baked Expectations for an apres dinner coffee and a decadent slice of creamy rich cherry cheesecake. For modern French with made-in-Manitoba twists, take a seat This sweets boutique serves epic, house-made desserts inside inside In Ferno’s Bistro on Academy Road. Order the croque a red, white and black, retro-chic diner.

Day 7 Breakfast calls at Kelekis, a famous Winnipeg diner serving and wildlife preserve is great for outdoor enthusiasts. up breakfast and lunch favourites for more than 75 years. Spend the day exploring the 32-square-kilometre preserve Take a seat at the counter and peruse the wall of fame and interpretive centre. You’re sure to spot at least a few with its autographed pictures of famous patrons who have of the estimated 300 species of birds and other wildlife frequented the Main Street institution over the years. who call the area home. Take a guided tour or make treks on 30-kilometres worth of trails on your own. Discover the Drive north on Main Street to the perimeter and follow marshlands, set out in a canoe or watch a film inside the the signs to Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre. multimedia theatre. An on-site cafe serves breakfast and Located northwest of Winnipeg, this award-winning nature lunch overlooking the picturesque marshlands.

Day 8 Take a scenic drive down Wellington Crescent along the definite must-see for visitors before they head home after Assiniboine River. The neighbourhood boasts some of the their Winnipeg adventure. biggest, most posh and storied homes in the city. This is a

300-259 Portage Avenue P 204.943.1970 Winnipeg, MB, Canada R3B 2A9 TF 1.855.PEG.CITY