A Manitoba menu of experiences to whet your appetite, from starters and sides such as the Hermetic Code walking tour, to big bites such as snorkeling with beluga whales or walking with polar bears

 

Starters, Snacks & Sides

Bowl O' Snakes - At Narcisse in spring, peer deep into dens where thousands of red-sided garter snakes simmer in a slithering mating frenzy. Add some spice to the experience by picking up a snake. Not for the squeamish. Venom-free.

Saint-Boniface Platter Pour Deux - Sample Winnipeg's French Quarter, sauteed at the heart of the city's history. Le Musee Saint-Boniface Museum offers a hint of Metis and Franco-Manitoban lifestyle. Dip into Saint-Boniface Cathedral and Cemetery, the resting place of Louis Riel, the founder of Manitoba. Mouth-watering restaurants channel the neighbourhood's roots.

Hermetic Code Hot Pot - Steeped in magic, mystery and architectural wonder, the Manitoba Legislative Building is packed with mind-blowing flavours like hidden hieroglyphic inscriptions, numerological codes and Freemasonic symbols. For 100 years, this complex builiding eluded historians and visitors until the Hermetic Code walking tour.


Big Bites

Birds, Bears and Belugas Buffet
Prepared by Churchill Wild. Grab a seat on a floatplane and fly north to Seal River Heritage Lodge, an eco wilderness lodge. Hop into a Zodiac and watch ghostly white shapes of belugas emerge from deep Arctic waters. Feel your heart race as a polar bear rears up from a patch of purple tundra wildflowers right in front of you. Follow the flights of eider ducks and cranes with binoculars. Finish with a glass of ice wine.

'Big Five' Safari Sampler
Prepared by Frontiers North Adventures. The wildlife viewing experience begins with a trio of Riding Mountain National Park specialties; spot the black bear, moose and bison. Then head to Churchill along the Hudson Bay in Northern Manitoba to track beluga whales and Lords of the Arctic: polar bears. Pair with polar beer.


Family-Style

Sea Monster Stew
Dig in! Hidden under the fertile farmland of Manitoba's Pembina Valley is the world's largest collection of marine reptile fossils. Choose from a half to five-day dig with a team of palaeontologists from the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre to unearth a mosasaur, the fiercest of all ancient sea monsters.

Catch of the Day
Even non-anglers can't deny the thrill of reeling in a channel catfish. The Red River is a North American gumbo of fighting cats. Revisit in winter to commune with locals in ice-fishing villages. At this time, walley is on the menu.


Top it Off

Winnipeg Spa Trio
Savour the sultry steam of the hamam at Ten Spa in the iconic Fort Garry Hotel for a modern but authentic re-interpretation of the Turkish bathing ritual. The smell of burning sweet-grass relaxes muscles during the Indigenous Hot Stone Massage at the Riverstone Spa at The Forks. Plunge into cool waterfalls and outdoor hot baths at Le Nordik Spa-Nature, opening 2013.

Yoga Surprise
Downward dog on a four-billion-year-old outcrop of Canadian Shield on Northern Soul's Yoga-Canoe weekend. Paddle into the boreal forest, pitch your tent and spend your days sunning, swimming and, of course, breathing deeply.

For more Manitoba nuggets, check out our menu at The Dish. For rights-free articles, photos and ideas, visit Travel Manitoba's media centre. To receive regular story ideas, sign up for Write Angles, our media e-newsletter.

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