As a proud Canadian, I’ve been west and I’ve been east, but I haven’t seen much of the middle or north, so this year I’ve decided to change that. My first destination had me step foot into a province I had yet to visit, Manitoba. And where better to start than the capital of Manitoba, Winnipeg.
Maybe not everyone’s first choice of city or time of year, but for whoever questions that, stop and think again. Winnipeg is filled with culture, delicious restaurants, tasty craft beers and so much to see and experience.
With Winnipeg being only a couple of hours flight from Toronto, there are flight deals to be had with Air Canada and WestJet. But luckily it was easy to get a points flight within a couple of weeks of my visit. By leaving mid-morning from Toronto, I arrived before lunch and with an early check-in request, I was able to drop my stuff in my hotel room at the Fort Garry Hotel. This hotel is in a great location and put me within walking distance of all that I was planning to enjoy in my 48 hours in Winnipeg.
Let me back up for a second and explain why I chose Winnipeg as my first destination in my ‘see more of Canada’ plan. It wasn’t just because I hadn’t been to Manitoba, but it started by hearing from friends that the Nelson Mandela exhibit was a must see at the Museum of Human Rights. Mandela being my hero, this was pretty much a no brainer. Lucky for me it was still on exhibit for another couple of weeks, which lead to my trip to Winnipeg being built completely around that main stop.