What do you want to know about Winnipeg? It is a city of 650,000. It is fairly isolated, and has lots to do. Manitobans are quite friendly (it says so on our license plates). If you have found work (we have had among the lowest unemployment rates in Canada), Winnipeg has a lot of plusses. Prices are inexpensive. People moving from Toronto or Vancouver can purchase a house almost twice the size of their existing homes. The school system is good (including special needs and French immersion if desired). We are a kid-happy place. Kids festivals, cottages and camping sites close by. A very multi-cultural, accepting city with immigrants from around the world.
Winnipeg in summer is a good spot to visit. The weather is normally very good - we are one of the sunniest cities in the world. One of the prime reasons to visit Winnipeg includes shopping! - things are cheaper in Winnipeg than the States because of our dollar.
Manitoba has fantastic vacation sites - Grand Beach was ranked in the top ten beaches in the world by Playboy magazine. Carberry has the only shifting sands desert-like location in North America - there are great provincially-run campgrounds in every corner of the province. In Winnipeg, besides visiting the Forks, or the zoo, etc. there are numbers of other sites to try out - the Royal Canadian Mint, Dalvavert Museum (1890's restoration of a politician's home), the Museum of Man and Nature - a general, geographical/historical view of Manitoba - it's cool!! For our hot summer days, you can try the outdoor waterslides - one inside the city limits, and one in Lockport, or go on a paddlewheel river cruise.Walk around the downtown - there are areas where the buildings are vintage of the times that Winnipeg was the third largest city in Canada behind Montreal and Toronto. (We are ninth now - behind Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver, Ottawa-Hull, Calgary, Edmonton, Québec City and Hamilton).
Winnipeg has a ton of home-grown entertainment. Probably more than a 650,000 city normally has. There are sports teams (football, baseball, hockey, etc.), theatre (there must be 6 or 7 theatre companies), ballet and other dancing, the Winnipeg Symphony. If live sport/arts is your interest, you will find it.
Manitoba also has a ton of festivals and events - Festival du Voyageur (Feb.), Children's Festival (June), Jazz Festival (June), Red River Exhibition (early July), the Folk Festival (early July), the Fringe festival (last two weeks of July), A Taste of Manitoba (late July), Folklarama (early August), Oktoberfest (mid Sep. - hiccup!) and every town in Manitoba chooses some weekend in the summer to have their event (CountryFest (Dauphin), Strawberry Fair (Portage), Corn & Apple Festival (Morden), etc., etc.).
Winnipeg in winter sucks - sure you can walk or cross-country ski, etc. but as a vacation spot, Hawaii is better. You can check out the
City of Winnipeg web page for up-to-date details.
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