Vacationing in Winnipeg: An International Perspective

Steve and I have visited many stunning places in the world as a result of his globetrotting job. Many of Steve’s international colleagues have welcomed us to their cities, favourite restaurants, and other attractions, which makes tagging along extra fun and meaningful. This summer, Steve invited a slew of his fellow Scrum.org trainers to our home town. I was curious to find out what vacationing in Winnipeg would be like from an international perspective. 

Vacationing in Winnipeg

I adore my home town of Winnipeg, especially in July, when the weather is almost always perfect. Aside from consistent 25-30 °C temperatures, we also enjoy many festivals in the summer, and my favourite is the Winnipeg International Fringe Festival. For these reasons, we chose to invite guests to visit during Winnipeg’s most perfect summer month.

International visitors new to Canada do not usually make Winnipeg their first destination. Higher profile cities such as Vancouver, Toronto, or Montreal are typically top picks. So, even though we knew the appeal of vacationing in Winnipeg, we weren’t sure if anyone would take us up on our invitation.

We had a terrific response, with more than a dozen people showing interest in visiting us in Winnipeg. As July grew closer, however, some folks had to decline due to various circumstances. In the end, we had seven guests, which turned out to be the perfect sized group.

Meet the Travellers

Mikkel and Henriette; Copenhagen, Denmark

Mikkel and Henriette visited Winnipeg the longest – a full week. This was their first time in Canada and high on their agenda was to experience nature. Flora and fauna are what they think of as quintessentially Canadian. You know,  pine trees, mountains, bears, and eagles—that sort of thing. We had to break it to them that they were visiting the prairies and that mountains were more than a thousand kilometres away. Nature, though, that’s an easy drive to discover in Manitoba.

Will and Maura; Utrecht, Netherlands

Utrecht is a ridiculously picturesque city. So, I was a little nervous about Will and Maura’s impressions of Winnipeg. How would it compare in their eyes? This was their first trip to Canada too.

Maura, who was born and raised in Germany,  said top-of-mind associations with Canada are maple syrup, Tim Horton’s, and the word “sorry” (pretty standard stuff). Will, on the other hand, pointed to a historical event I knew nothing about. Dutch royalty, Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard, relocated to Canada for a period after Nazi Germany occupied the Netherlands. During that time, the Queen gave birth to Princess Margaret. Usually, when individuals are born in Canada, they automatically have Canadian citizenship. In this case, the royal couple’s first-born child required sole Dutch citizenship as a potential heir to the throne. The Canadian government declared the Ottawa hospital maternity ward outside of Canadian territory until after the birth to accommodate the royal couple. This gesture on the part of Canada has always struck Will as “a very bro thing to do.”

Stephanie; Columbus, USA

Over the years that Stephanie has worked with Scrum.org, she and I have shared a few travel experiences. We’ve been to India, Spain, and Boston at the same time. I visited Columbus on a tag-along trip that blew me away. It has a lot in common with Winnipeg, in my opinion, in that it is generally underrated. I love Columbus, Ohio!

Stephanie vaguely remembers visiting Waterloo, Ontario and Niagara Falls as a young teen on a school trip, but this was her first trip to Winnipeg. She said that she accepted our invitation because in her experience, viewing a place through the eyes of locals is always special.

Jill and Mike; Ottawa, Canada

You’re correct, astute reader, a traveller to Winnipeg from Ottawa is not considered “international.” However, this was Jill’s first visit to The Peg (as it is sometimes referred to by locals) and Mike had not spent time here in more than 30 years. Also, in a country as vast as Canada, sometimes visiting another province feels like international travel! Jill says she loves hanging out with Scrum.org staff, trainers, and their spouses, and so accepted our invitation without hesitation.

What we did in Winnipeg and beyond

With various arrival times, durations of stay, and priorities, our guests had the freedom to pick and choose what to do and we provided whatever guidance they needed.

Most of our recommendations were centred in the downtown area of the city, including the Exchange District, where we live. We also took the whole crew on a two-day excursion to Lake of the Woods, Ontario, where Steve’s family has a cottage. That was a huge hit!

Winnipeg Attractions

The Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival

With more than 178 shows in venues scattered across downtown, hosting our Winnipeg visit during the Fringe meant that if nothing else our guest would be well entertained. In all, we saw a half dozen shows ranging from one-person storytelling, madcap improvisation, and stand-up comedy. None of our guests had been to a Fringe Festival, and all agreed it was a terrific experience. I’ve always thought this festival is the perfect time to visit Winnipeg. Exchange District streets are lively, and people are extra friendly—eager to ask you what you’ve seen and what you liked.

“The Fringe is really worth coming over for. There’s something for everyone! I was really glad to have some local assistance, though, for finding everything and getting tickets as I probably would’ve missed things otherwise.” – Will

“The Fringe exceeded my expectations. I saw three shows and wish I could have squeezed in more.” – Stephanie

The Forks

The Forks is a favourite spot for tourists and Winnipeggers alike. This all-season recreational and gathering space is located where Winnipeg’s two rivers (the Assiniboine and Red) meet. Here, you can sip a glass of wine or local beer while you stroll the unique, local boutiques. You can also watch skateboarders defy gravity at the skate park, take in special events, and grab a bite from one of the many restaurants on site.

We spent a lovely afternoon at The Forks with Mikkel and Henriette on a very warm day while sipping cold cider at a spot overlooking the water. It was perfect.

The Splash Dash Water Bus Tour

Seeing Winnipeg from the perspective of our rivers offers a very different view of the city. These half-hour tours launch throughout the day from the harbour at The Forks and focus on 4-5 landmarks. We accompanied Mikkel and Henriette on their water bus tour and Mike and Jill took one later in the week. The tour covers some interesting facts about the city and it’s a lovely boat ride.

Winnipeg Trolley Tour

We often see this big orange trolley rambling through the streets of our neighbourhood, but have never been on it. Mikkel and Henriette took the Classic Winnipeg Tour and surprised me with the information they came away with. A few times on their trip I would start to tell them a “Winnipeg story,” and they would say, “Oh, we heard about that on the trolley tour.”

Henriette’s favourite part of the tour was Back Alley Arctic in Winnipeg’s Wolseley neighbourhood. A few years ago, local artist Kal Barteski began transforming her back lane by painting an image of a polar bear on her garage door. The artist visits Churchill, Manitoba regularly (Canada’s polar bear capital) to sketch animals. Soon, her neighbours requested Barteski paint their garage doors, and today it is an outdoor gallery depicting a variety of northern creatures.

St. Boniface Walking Tour

St. Boniface is Winnipeg’s French Quarter. It is also home to the final resting place of Manitoba’s founder, Louis Riel.  Jill and Mike took a walking tour of the area with Tourisme Riel and enjoyed it. Note, this is a light history presentation of the neighbourhood rather than an in-depth overview.

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights

The image of this stunning national museum has quickly become synonymous with Winnipeg. The architecture equals the content as a draw with soaring heights, intriguing angles, and a spectacular view of Winnipeg to the east from its tower. All of our visitors went to the CMHR, and not one was disappointed.

“This is a beautiful space conveying compelling stories. It is well worth spending a couple of hours here.” – Stephanie

Getting Outside of Winnipeg

Mikkel and Henriette had the time in their week-long schedule to take two road trips on their own to experience the terrain outside of the city. One excursion was north to Gimli (a community settled by Icelanders), and the other was northwest to Riding Mountain National Park. They used Enterprise car rental on both occasions and rated it well for customer service and value.

Gimli is one of our favourite road trips. We usually visit a couple of times a year to stroll the massive “seawall” along Lake Winnipeg and to visit H.P. Tergesen General Store, which was founded in 1898. The town also boasts a growing film festival, and nothing beats watching a movie on a screen perched in the lake from a blanket on the sandy beach.

Aside from these road trips affirming that most of Manitoba is exceptionally flat, they allowed Mikkel and Henriette to fulfill one of their Canadian goals—to see a bear! They couldn’t believe their luck and were awestruck by how casually the sighting happened.

“At Riding Mountain, a bear walked right next to our car and just stood there eating, ignoring us before crossing the road!” – Mikkel

Magical Moments at Lake of the Woods

Because many Manitobans have cottages and take day trips to Lake of the Woods, we almost regard it as part of Manitoba. It is, however, one province east of us in Ontario.

Steve’s dad Tom and his wife, graciously allowed the nine of us to invade their beautiful cottage for two days. The side trip allowed our guests to experience a landscape that many regard as iconically Canadian. Despite a couple of hours of rain on our first day, Lake of the Woods did not disappoint. We swam, sunned ourselves on the dock, plunged into the lake while trying to find balance on standup paddleboards, kayaked, zipped around on the jetski, and took boat rides to get closer to the birds that make haunting, fluttery vocalizations that echo across the water — loons.

“Staying at the house at Lake of the Woods was the most amazing time for me. Seeing the wild, unspoiled nature, including eagles, buzzards, hummingbirds, hearing wolves, and gazing up at the breathtaking night sky was unreal and much more than I had hoped for on the trip.” – Mikkel

“Lake of the Woods was awe-inspiring. Coming from a very densely inhabited country, I had my first proper view of the stars. Light-pollution makes it nigh impossible to see the universe where I live. No such light at the lake, so I had my first look at the bigger picture in real life.” – Will

Tasting Manitoba

We took our guests to our favourite eating spots. Most of them feature local Manitoba cuisine. We sampled pickerel fish, bison, poutine, Saskatoon berry pie, tourtiere and Canadian bacon (and of course maple syrup). Here’s the list:

Clementine

http://clementinewinnipeg.com/

Some of our guests loved Clementine restaurant for breakfast so much they went multiple times. The Turkish Eggs and Braised Bacon Benedict got top ratings.

“Best breakfast place I’ve been to, and I’ve been to the Hawksmoor Guildhall in London.” – Will

Peasant Cookery

http://peasantcookery.ca/

The Fish and Sticks (pickerel), Poutine, Bison Meatloaf, and the French Canadian dish called Tourtiere all got the thumbs up!

Cibo

https://www.cibowaterfrontcafe.com/

This is one of our favourite patio spots in Winnipeg with a bit of a view of the Red River.

Across the Board Game Café

https://acrosstheboardcafe.com/

A round of Zombicide and a side of Saskatoon berry pie! Across the Board is the perfect place to learn how to play a new board game (they have hundreds of them) while enjoying a bite to eat.

Amsterdam Tea Room

http://amsterdamtearoom.com/

There are oh so many excellent cocktails on this restaurant’s innovative menu. Steve’s fave is the Sir John’s Breakfast composed of Scottish breakfast black tea, scotch whiskey, maple syrup, espresso, and Angostura bitters.

Hermanos

http://www.hermanos.ca/

Great patio in the heart of the Exchange with a menu offering tapas and hearty eats. They often have live music inside. Super South American spirit.

Blufish

http://www.blufish.ca/

Best sushi ever! We have tried a lot of sushi around the world and Blufish makes some of the best. Our guests agreed. We always recommend the Ben Roll.

Deer + Almond

http://www.deerandalmond.com/

This restaurant encourages family-style sharing, which is perfect because there are so many fab items to choose from you want to try them all. Interesting dishes and locally sourced ingredients are what make Deer + Almond’s take on Manitoba cuisine a cut above.

Capital Grill

https://www.capitalwinnipeg.com/capital-broadway

A fun spot for lunch or dinner. Super pizzas and burgers, including the Beer Battered Pickerel Sandwich.

Winnipeg Accommodations

Some of our guests stayed at nearby Airbnbs, and others chose hotel stays at the Radisson (a standard downtown business hotel) and Mere (a hip, boutique hotel on the river).

Overall Impressions of Winnipeg and Canada

Our guests took a leap of faith to visit an under-the-radar city in the centre of Canada. It was a great pleasure to show off the best our home town has to offer.

I asked our guests for some overall impressions, including anything that surprised them – whether it be good or not-so-good. Here’s what they had to say:

“The people in the stores are very helpful. The staff at Clementine also started recognizing us at our second and third visit, though I think I embarrassed them a bit by asking about tipping habits. I guess there’s a bit of a cultural difference, it’s a bit more formal. Overall though, people just seem to be a lot less rushed compared to the Netherlands.” – Will

(Editorial comment: For context, the Dutch have a reputation for being quite blunt and Will enjoys living up to that stereotype.)

“The vast open spaces and empty horizon kept surprising me even though I knew Canada is not as densely populated as Europe.” – Maura

Maura also commented on being surprised to see people who are homeless on the street. It is sadly true that Winnipeg, like most other North American cities, struggles with adequately addressing the social and mental health issues that contribute to homelessness. It’s not just a big city issue, and it’s one that is top-of-mind for many Winnipeggers working to solve the problem.

“The fact that the summers are so warm in Winnipeg was surprising to me. I had expected to wear long-legged trousers, but it was around 30 degrees on most days.” – Henriette

“The Canadians we met are quite similar in culture and mentality to that of many Danes. Open, warm, humorous and helpful.” – Mikkel

My favourite comment was from Mikkel, who could not get over the flat landscape surrounding Winnipeg. Reflecting on his road trip experiences and the trolley tour, he said, “Everything is so flat, except for your roads.” Yes, keeping up with vast road infrastructure in a freeze-thaw environment is a bit of a challenge for us. We have a few potholes!

I loved seeing the old advertisements on the warehouse buildings in the Exchange District. I appreciate keeping that history and art.” – Stephanie

“I was surprised by how pretty Winnipeg is. I loved the commitment to preserving the history of Winnipeg, the refurbishing of historic buildings, The Forks cleanup, the River Walk and all the tourist activities available.  I love the connection to history—the trains, the fur trade, the Indigenous presence and importance.” – Jill

Proud to be Winnipeg Ambassadors

Steve and I felt honoured that this group accepted our invitation to experience Winnipeg and had fun seeing our home town through the eyes of our visitors. It affirmed for us that The Peg is a special, quirky, evolving place steeped in history, bursting with arts and culture, and exhibiting a renewed spirit of urbanism as of late. Never underestimate an under-the-radar city.

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