23 May Winnipeg, Manitoba: Things to Do in Winnipeg
Winnipeg, Manitoba: Things to Do in Winnipeg
- // Destinations, Manitoba
While it might not be a first-to-mind tourist town, there are so many fun things to do in Winnipeg!
My husband and I are huge hockey fans — and we love to travel. So, come Stanley Cup Playoff time we use “supporting the team” as an excuse to go to cities we might not normally visit.
We knew our Golden Knights would be heading back to Canada, and when Game 5 tickets at the Jets home arena in Winnipeg went up for sale we bought two pairs of tickets. We quickly realized that Winnipeg isn’t the easiest city to get to from Las Vegas when we were scouting around for flights. But we finally lucked out and found a Delta flight for a reasonable amount of points and only a four-hour layover in Minneapolis.
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Things to Do in Winnipeg
Drew and I woke up bright and early on Saturday to catch a 5am flight to Winnipeg. When we arrived almost 12 hours later, we made our way to our hotel, the Holiday Inn and Suites, which was perfectly located about an eight-minute walk away from the MTS Bell Place (the Winnipeg Jets’ home arena). We unloaded our rental car and hit the streets to scope out the area and look for a bite to eat. Unfortunately, there just weren’t a lot of places open around the arena, which seemed sad since it was 6pm on Saturday.
Explore Winnipeg’s Downtown Area
As we walked around, we stumbled upon a Boston Pizza and remembered that a Canadian friend of ours told us to try their Spicy Perogy Pizza (pizza with bacon, potatoes, mozzarella and cheddar cheeses, green onions, and sour cream).
We ordered some hot wings to start and, for dessert, we got their delicious Panookie (which was probably my favorite part of the meal).
The Panookie is a chocolate chip cookie baked inside a pizza pan, served with vanilla bean ice cream and chocolate and caramel drizzled on top.
I was so excited when it arrived that I forgot to take a picture of it to share, but I did take a picture afterward (and that’s probably a better indication of its worthiness as a dessert anyway).
After dinner, we walked around some more (to work off a teeny, tiny portion of that dessert). There were a lot of covered-over storefront windows, vacant office buildings, and the streets had more trash compared to other Canadian cities we’ve been to.
I hope that Winnipeg is a city of opportunity, like many US Rust Belt cities, and that Winnipeg’s young professionals will find that the downtown area provides a cheaper cost of living and turn it into a hip, vibrant area of town. Until then….
>> Don’t miss this awesome brewery trolly tour in Winnipeg!
Catch a Game at MTS Arena
The next morning, we put on our Knights’ apparel and hit the streets as Jets fans, too, made their way to MTS Bell Place — all of us hoping for a win. We gave our second set of tickets to the one and only Doug Stanhope and his pal Chaille who met us at The Pint dressed in their hotel bathrobes, adding to the Jets’ “Whiteout.”
Drew and I were met with about 300 seemingly good-natured “BOOs!” as we walked into The Pint. As local reporters took our photo, however, I guessed that visiting fans like us were somewhat of a curiosity.
I’m sure that me wearing a gold sequin jacket and Drew wearing a pink plastic flamingo around his neck had something to do with it as well.
We left The Pint for the game in time to catch warmups and were excited to see about 20 other Vegas fans in the arena with us. I’ll save the details of the game because if you don’t follow hockey it’s super boring.
But, long story short, Vegas won and clinched the series to win the Western Conference and move on to the Stanley Cup Playoffs! I am so happy that we were there to witness it!
Head to a Comedy Club
After the game, we walked back to our hotel to the serenade of mostly “Congratulations!” but some “F— Yous!” We let the magnitude and improbability of the Knights’ victory sink in and then changed our clothes to see Stanhope’s show at Rumour’s Comedy Club.
On the way, we stopped by Banh Mi King, a cutely-appointed restaurant near downtown specializing in, you guessed it, Vietnamese food! Beyond it being absurdly hot inside, the food was really flavorful and good, if not a little stingy with the meat.
We ordered the Salad Rolls, which are gigantic and literally spring rolls filled with regular ingredients…and then like a ton of salad and two small shrimp. We also got the Sauteed Pork Noodle Salad Bowl, the Charbroiled Pork Banh Mi and for dessert, a Che Ba Mau and a Taro Milk Bubble Tea. Read about the Che ba Mau (and other street food) that I tried in Vietnam.
Grab Some Brunch
Spoiler alert: The whole town closes for Victoria Day. But before we knew that, we headed out for a day of exploring Winnipeg! We lucked out that the place we wanted to eat for breakfast was open.
With nine locations throughout Winnipeg, Stella’s Bakery is super cute and comes highly recommended from both of us. There is an associated restaurant next door and the food looks really tasty, as well. But, at this point, we wanted to eat a little bit throughout the day so we could try more things. That was before we knew everything would be closed.
The standout at Stella’s for me was the Ham and Swiss Stuffed Croissant. I have never had such a chewy, wonderfully flavorful croissant before. This is the stuff of dreams. The Cinnamon Swirl was also top notch and the Date Square was okay. Their coffee is dark and bold as well and is only around $1.75 CND.
Head to Forks Market
& Take a Boat Tour
After breakfast, we headed to The Forks Market (open 7am – 11pm most days) where shops sell souvenirs and locally made gifts and food stalls cook up tempting delights.
Two adjacent buildings make up the Market and their original purpose, before selling tourists things to take home, was as horse stalls for two competing railways companies.
We walked towards the river and stumbled upon a 30-minute boat tour that took us down the convergence of Winnipeg’s two rivers, the Assiniboine and the Red Rivers. Our captain gave wonderful historical insights along the way and let the kids steer the boat at the end of the tour.
The cloudless sky and warm temperature made it the perfect day for a boat ride. For the price ($11 CND for adults), this activity shouldn’t be missed; it’s a great way to see the city. The size of the boats (which fit around 10 adults) make the experience more intimate than other tour boats we’ve been on. Boats leave every 15 minutes and they operate from 10am until sunset.
When we left The Forks, we tried to find other things we might be able to get into, but I guess everyone was out enjoying Victoria Day. I don’t think there is a holiday in the USA that is celebrated as widely and as pervasively as Victoria Day; most of our non-religious holidays are used as an excuse for retail sales, not store closings. But, as we drove around, we were met with closed sign after closed sign. Sadly, even our beloved Costco was closed!
We tried a few restaurants before we landed at Notre Dame Burger but, as you can probably gather, they were all closed. I’m really glad we got to try this whole in the wall place though. The Poutine was great and the Double Cheeseburger was delicious and messy.
With our stomachs full, we hurried to the airport to get home to our dogs, Nola Mae and Olive.
If you have more time in Winnipeg (and aren’t here when the town is shut down for a holiday), here are some places you should visit:
• The Exchange District 492 Main St
• St. Boniface and the Cathedral 180 Avenue de la Cathedrale
• Assiniboine Park (free) and the Zoo ($20.50 CND adults / $11.25 CND children) 2355 Corydon Avenue
• Fergie’s Fish & Chips 142 One Forks Market Road
• Canadian Museum for Human Rights 85 Israel Asper Way
What You Can Expect to Pay in Winnipeg, Manitoba:
> Lodging: $70 (wallet-friendly) vs $110 (average) per night.
> Coffee: Around $3
> Dinner: $60 (two people) Wine, Appetizers, and Seafood Main Courses
> Beer: $3-4
Recommended Lodging Options in Winnipeg, Manitoba:
- The Grand Winnipeg Airport Hotel by Lakeview (from $95 / night)
- Downtown close to MTS Bell Arena: Holiday Inn and Suites (from $94 / night)
- The Fairmont Winnipeg (where the Golden Knights stayed!) (from $198 / night)
- Featuring L’Occitane bath products (my favorite!) and complimentary coffee and tea delivery in the morning: The Fort Garry (from $119 / night)
Resources to Help Your Travels
As always, everything on this site is completely free. If you found this post (or anything on YouFoundSarah.com) useful, I’d be grateful if you considered using the affiliate links below. I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. These are the services Drew and I love to use ourselves when we plan our travels. Thanks for your support!
— Sarah
Booking.com – For booking hotel rooms.
Tours by Locals and GetYourGuide.com – For finding high-quality tours around the world.
VRBO – For renting homes across the world.
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About Sarah
Sarah hails from the land of fried chicken, sweet tea, buttered biscuits, and the friendliest people you’ll ever meet…Alabama! She loves exploring undertouristed locations — places that you wouldn’t automatically think “I’ve always wanted to go there!” Of course, we’ll always have Paris, but what gets Sarah really jazzed is finding those diamond in the rough cities and sharing them with you. Read more…
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