Manitoba
Manitoba is one of Canada's 10 provinces, located on the Prairies. It is bordered by Ontario to the east, Saskatchewan to the west, the USA to the south, and Nunavut to the north. It was established as a province in 1870.
The capital city of Winnipeg is home to over half the province's population.
Regions
| Central Plains |
| Eastern Manitoba |
| Interlake A region in between Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba. Many beaches are found in this area. |
| North of 53 Northern part of Manitoba. Extensive wildlife. |
| Parkland |
| Pembina Valley |
| Western Manitoba Close to the Saskatchewan border. |
| Winnipeg The capital city of the province, also known as "Gateway to the West" and "Winterpeg". |
Cities
- Winnipeg
- Brandon
- Thompson
- Portage la Prairie
- Steinbach
- Dauphin
- Winkler
- Flin Flon
- Blumenort
- Churchill
Other destinations
- Grand Beach Provincial Park
- Pisew Falls Provincial Park, located approximately 75km south of Thompson.
- Riding Mountain National Park
Understand
Manitoba is one of Canada's Prairie Provinces. It is well known for its agriculture, culture and history.
Talk
English is the predominant language. French is also spoken in Winnipeg and other parts of the province. Ukrainian, Polish, German, Filipino (primarily Tagalog), and First Nations languages (Cree and Ojibway) are also spoken in local circles.
Get in
By bus
Greyhound runs long-distance routes around the province and to neighboring provinces.
By plane
International travelers coming by plane to Manitoba will arrive in the international airport in Winnipeg. Smaller cities usually have domestic-only air service.
By rail
VIA Rail [2] is the only passenger rail service into Manitoba. The "Canadian" transcontinental train makes six stops in Manitoba, with the primary hub in Winnipeg.
By car
Within Canada
The main line of the Trans-Canada Highway, Highway 1, runs for 519 km (322 miles) through southern Manitoba and Winnipeg on its way from Ottawa to Regina. Nearly the entire route is a divided 4-lane roadway. The northern Yellowhead Highway branch, Highway 16, splits off at Winnipeg and heads west towards Saskatoon.
From U.S.A.
Interstate 29 in North Dakota connects to Manitoba Highway 75 at the border. From Minnesota, traffic on U.S. Route 75 will need to detour slightly west to the I-29 border crossing, as the crossing on 75 itself is closed. Route 59 is an alternative, though most of it is only a two-lane highway.
Get around
By car
Like most of Canada's provinces, Manitoba is large, so a car or any other road vehicle is probably the most convenient way to get around Winnipeg and all areas in the province.
By bus
Greyhound Bus serves much of Manitoba, particularly in the south.
By train
VIA Rail runs an intraprovincial service from Winnipeg Union Station to Churchill in the far north, three trains weekly. The complete 1700 km journey takes 37 hours. A branch line from The Pas continues northwest to Pukatawagan twice weekly.
Buy
An 8% provincial sales tax is added to most retail products sold in Manitoba.
See
Historical Sites
There are many historical sites and ruins found in Manitoba based on the Fur Trade Era of Canada.
Learn about the life in the past by visiting the Lower Fort Garry Historic site found in the Interlake region that shows how life was like in the 1800s.
Another place to visit is the remains of the St. Boniface Cathedral in Winnipeg which was burned down now another church is placed inside the cathedral ruins.
The Forks National Historic Site is a place where people have been meeting for around 6000 years. The Forks is situated in the fork of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers in Winnipeg. There are many different activities to do at the Forks like shopping at the Forks Market, The Johnson Terminal. Skating on river paths is a popular activity during winter. The Forks is a beautiful place in the heart of the city that includes things like parks,gardens, sculptures, shops, and restaurants along with so much more. The site is a model for urban renewal and waterfront development.
Another great place to visit in Winnipeg is the Exchange District in downtown Winnipeg, the Exchange District is well known for it's well preserved and stunning turn of the century architecture telling the story of Winnipeg's amazing history. The Exchange District is now a days well known for it's trendy boutiques, restaurants, cafes, and cool theatres. The Exchange District holds many festivals including The Winnipeg Fringe Festival.
Wildlife and Gardens
The International Peace Garden found on the Canada-US border near Bossivain in Western region is a beautiful place that celebrates the peace between Canada and US. Oak Hammock Marsh found in the Interlake region is a nature reserve where you can see many different type of birds including the Canada goose and the Snowy Owl. Riding Mountain National Park is an excellent area to see large wild mammals and many species of birds in their natural habitat.
Do
Bear Watching
Churchill is known for its Polar Bears and Riding Mountain National Park and adjacent Parkland area for its abundant population of Black Bears that vary in color from blond, cinnamon and chocolate to black.
Fishing
During the summer time there are many fishing areas found in Manitoba like in Lockport found in the Interlake region is an example where you can see many fishermen around the Red River. During the winter time you can experience ice fishing where people can rent huts to go ice fishing in.
The Parkland region has world-class trout lakes.
Festivals
There are many festivals in different regions of Manitoba.
Some of the best known festivals celebrated in this region is the Folklorama festival found all over Winnipeg.
The Winnipeg Fringe Festival is a popular festival that takes place in Winnipeg's Exchange District.
Another popular festival in Winnipeg]is Festival du Voyageur during February at Fort Gibraltar.
The Corn and Apple festival found in Morden found in the Pembina Valley region which sells some of its delicious Morden sweet corn and apple cider.
Beaches
There are also many inland beaches found throughout the province. Some of the well known beaches are Grand Beach and Winnipeg Beach both found in the Interlake region that are along Lake Winnipeg, Lake Winnipeg is the world's 11th-largest lake.
Winter Activities
During the winter time there are many activities available like tobogganing on some of the toboggan slide like the one found in Kildonan Park in Winnipeg. Skating on the river paths including skating on worlds longest skating trail on the Assiniboine and Red Rivers, and other skating trails in Winnipeg is also another fun activity to do. Also snowmobiling throughout the province is a fun way to get around.
Always check the weather report prior to going out in winter. Temperatures can reach as low as -40°C from late December to early March, presenting significant dangers for anyone who is unprepared.
Eat
Enjoy the fine grain products such as the different varieties of bread offered in the different communities and restaurants. Manitoba also is known for producing the best pork products in the world, including back bacon. A popular dish in Manitoba are perogies.
Drink
The drinking age is 18 - younger than most other provinces in Canada. Manitoba is also the home of Crown Royal in Gimli.
The tap water in most communities is quite delicious, as far as water goes, though in some locales, where wells are used to supply the municipal water system, there is a pronounced mineral taste. The provincial capital of Winnipeg has an aftertaste to its water, though it does not settle-out solids like, say the water in Regina, Saskatchewan. Manitoba is known as one of the wettest provinces, and has in excess of 100,000 lakes.
Sleep
For those interested in meeting people and learning about Manitoba rural culture, you can stay at a B&B or a farm. [3]
Stay safe
Weather
West Nile Virus
There have been some cases of West Nile Virus[4] in the province it is recommended that you do the following things:
- Reduce the amount of hours you spend outside especially during dusk and dawn
- Use mosquito repellent
- Wear light coloured and loose fitting clothing
Go next
- Neighboring provinces of Saskatchewan and Ontario, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories
- The state of North Dakota
- Travel on the Trans-Canada Highway
