Tourism Winnipeg

WINTER FUN Take it from us: The cold can be so cool. Sure, the weather can sometimes get a little brisk here in winter, but you just need to dress for success. As you'll read below, we shape our winters with two gloved hands (make that mittens, they're warmer) into one creative spectacle that you can't find anywhere else in the world. Festival du Voyageur February 17–26, 2023 heho.ca Western Canada's largest winter festival has it all: Giant snow sculptures carved by local and international artists; a vast selection of live music in massive tents; indulgent French food like maple taffy on snow, all manner of poutine and the legendary pea soup contest; adorable children dancing on wood-chip covered floors; a winter park with slides and games; markets, and so much more. It's all in the name of celebrating the region's fur-trading, Métis and Indigenous culture, and is simply so much fun packed into two weekends. Nestaweya River Trail theforks.com/events/river-trail The city's famed River Trail is a former Guinness Record holder ("world's longest naturally frozen skating trail") along with being surely Canada's coolest winter trail. Annually reaching up to seven kms in length (its longest was 9.3 km), the trail—which is groomed daily using The Forks' Zamboni, which runs on used deep fry oil— stretches out down the Red and Assiniboine River from The Forks Harbour. While skiing, walking, fat tire biking, kicksledding or skating it (rentals for all available at The Forks Market or right on the ice via local outfitters) you'll encounter all manner of weird, whacky and whimsical warming huts that are the result of an international design competition. Past warming hut designers include renowned architect Frank Gehry and sculptor Anish Kapoor. Thermëa by Nordik Spa-Nature thermea.ca The city's tranquil Scandinavian-inspired outdoor spa is even better in the winter—trust us. As the snow falls above you can savour a setting that includes thermal pools, Finnish saunas, aromatic steam rooms, heated hammocks, fire pits and an icy waterfall to rejuvenate. Plus, the locavore Restö is always there for craft cocktails, local beer and superb dining that you can enjoy in your robe. It's sure bliss. Just be prepared to do nothing after because, in the words of our new favourite Thermëa employee, "No one is used to relaxing this hard." FortWhyte Alive fortwhyte.org The city's top spot for connecting people with nature is a winter wonderland. Offerings here include snowshoeing through its aspen forests and across its little lakes, skiing over the groomed cross-country trails, learning how to icefish and picking up some speed down the Richardson Rrrun toboggan slide. A Maze in Corn's Snow Maze cornmaze.ca Another Guinness-certified winter attraction, A Maze in Corn's "world's largest snow maze" has to be experienced to be believed. Last year's maze was actually 53 per cent larger than it was when it entered the record books, taking around 45 minutes to navigate all the turns within its tightly packed, towering snow walls. The centre featured a massive, 20-foot-tall snow cathedral carved out of 20,000 lbs of ice. You will also find snow sculptures and fire pits throughout the maze. There's also a giant snow luge, snow games and a Snow Bar for adults. Cross-country skiing Winnipeg is home to a number of impressive parks and trails like Assiniboine Park, Kildonan Park and the Living Prairie Museum where you can ski amongst forested trails while encountering deer and other wildlife. Windsor Park Nordic Centre in particular is a can't miss for skiers with its more than 15 km of groomed trails fit for both classic and skate-skiing, with amenities that include lights for night skiing, lessons and onsite rentals from the rustic club house where you can après-ski with a hot chocolate around the fire. Outfitters that embrace winter kendricksoutdooradventures.com typeehbikes.com Fat tire bikes, skis, kicksleds, snowshoes and ice bikes… there are plenty of ways to see Winnipeg in winter, even if you don't own the proper equipment. Kendrick's Outdoor Adventures is located right at The Forks Harbour, offering a host of options like brand new ice bikes for adults, ice trikes for kids, snowshoes and fat tire bikes for those looking to really get active. For a Scandinavian-inspired experience, kicksleds are available for rent from Type Eh Bikes, along with snowshoes and fat tire bikes, with rentals often brought to you and picked up onsite, depending on where you are in the city. 19 tourismwinnipeg.com 2023 WINNIPEG VISITOR'S GUIDE WINTER FUN

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