You’re planning to travel to Winnipeg in the province of Manitoba for a wedding, conference or vacation and you need to know about hotels, restaurants, events and attractions in Canada’s heartland.

Or perhaps you’re already here, searching for staycation ideas?

Or you're a transplanted Winnipegger, dreaming of (or already planning) a visit or a move back home?

I’ve lived here (locals pronounce it “WIN-na-peg”) for almost a decade and I want to share my appreciation for this little-known gem of a prairie city (and what’s nearby) with you.

What makes The Peg uniquely different?

A lot of people say it's the prairie spirit.

Or the culture.

Or even our (occasionally) dramatic weather.

And the restaurants get a lot of votes, too.

Winnipeg has all of these things in abundance. But I think what really sets this city apart all comes down to size. Small enough to offer a great lifestyle, but with many big city benefits.

Small is good when it means you can get to anywhere by car in half an hour or less, and it's always possible to find a place to park once you're there.

Yet large enough to have a stunning array of arts and culture, plenty of shopping variety, hundreds of lush public gardens and nearby sparkling golden beaches and lakes in cottage country.

And, wherever you go, laid-back flatlanders always make you feel right at home.

What do locals love most about Peg City? The variety. There’s always more to see and do…

Looking for an outdoor adventure?

We have hiking, cycling, geocaching, waterparks, golf, skateboard parks, fishing, boating, kayaking, sky-diving, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, and skating in town or close by. (And, surprising as this might seem, we even have downhill skiing, rock-climbing and ice-climbing).

Coming here for bird-watching and close encounters with nature?

You can see migrating geese, feeding white-tail deer, a herd of grazing bison and hundreds of species of songbirds – and that’s all before you venture beyond city limits.

Go further for bears...

Or north to Churchill Manitoba to see beluga whales and polar bears - flights to Manitoba’s arctic seacoast leave from Richardson airport, just 20 minutes from downtown.

Winnipeg is also known for sports with professional football, baseball and hockey teams and professional horse racing.

Staying downtown?

There are theatres, museums, a mouth-watering range of restaurants (everything you can imagine from fine dining to hot dog carts) intriguing walking tours, the buzz of The Forks and the historic charm of The Exchange District, all just a short stroll from major downtown hotels.

More attractions and events…

Winnipeg is celebrated for colourful year-round festivals with at least one major one every month, or nearly every weekend in summer.

This is also where Royal Canadian Mint makes all of Canada’s coins as well as those for two dozen or so other countries, as many as 15 millions coins per day. At The Mint you can take a tour and watch them make money, just one of the fun things to do with kids.

Whether you're travelling with a partner, work colleagues, your family or on your own, there is always something exciting to do.

But if what you really want is quiet and to just get away from it all, we have that, too, with luxurious spas, B&Bs that are more like small country inns and lakeside resorts.

Winnipeg restaurants will tempt you to indulge

With incredible ethnic diversity and a growing Manitoba cuisine, you won’t run out of restaurants to sample – there are more than 900 (more than anywhere else, by population, in North America) and that’s just within the city limits. There are more great places to enjoy on nearby daytrips.

We are all fortunate immigrants in Manitoba

For thousands of years before the first European explorers and fur traders arrived, the place where the Assiniboine joins the Red River was a sacred meeting place to First Nations peoples from the eastern woodlands and western plains, known today as Cree and Ojibwa, and, for most of the past three centuries to the Métis people.

You can learn more about their histories and cultures, and also about the people who followed them to this prairie homeland, on the Manitoba history and the heritage pages.

Whether you have just a few hours, a few days, or longer…

And whether you’re coming for a first visit, a return visit or seeking a vibrant, charming and livable new home, welcome to sunny Manitoba!

Let me show you the very BEST Winnipeg places to eat, stay and enjoy…