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 Winnipeg 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 University of Winnipeg 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, Manitoba’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 Canada), 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.