Beausejour beckons

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/09/2023 (817 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Where in Manitoba do you find Smugglers Gold, witness a Sword Dance, and see a Renoir?

Lovingly carved from prairie, Beausejour’s Daylily Gardens post the weirdest daylily names among 650 flamboyant varieties. Mid-summer blooms include a daylily uniquely found here: the conventionally-named Beausejour Angel’s Reward. Good thing I wasn’t on that naming committee.

The Gardens exemplify Beausejour’s vibrant volunteerism that also shines with August’s recent Shades of the Past car show, September’s Double B Agricultural Festival, a lively Legion, and March’s Canadian Power Toboggan Championships. Yes, it’s “power toboggan” country.

Beausejour awaits 40 minutes from Winnipeg along Highway 44 — where Beausejour Dental Centre’s sign asks, “What do you call a bear with no teeth? A gummy bear.”

The town’s main street is Park Avenue. Finding no park, I advised Margie, “It’s named for ample free parking.”

In addition to Beausejour’s nature trails, summer recreation includes flying ultralights, or hang-gliding with Adventure at Altitude. At Rivers Edge Golf Course, tee off over the river and negotiate a crazy swinging bridge — for another off-balance golf swing.

We’ve enjoyed river tubing thrills when floating from Highway 44 to Great Woods Park. There’s public swimming at Beausejour’s outdoor splash pool. Be careful when the words “pool” and “hotel” appear together though. At the Beausejour Hotel, it’s games of pool.

Myrna and Mallory Black offer informative U-Pick experiences at Happy Barn Acres – for flower bouquets! Golden Bay Honey provides hive tours. I discovered that a bee suit doesn’t mean dressing as a bee. Darn! And as Dave Buss says about his honey stand: “Take the honey. Leave the money.”

Remarkable for a population of 3,300, Beausejour hosts over a dozen eateries, many unusual and rightly proud. Find BBQ, cakes, and fudge. Hidden in the Howland Hotel, locals secretly pack Annette’s for low-priced, good meals. Breakfast sides include potato pancakes. I am not revealing this.

At the Airliner Drive In, folks also fly in. While not yet a WestJet layover, the runway welcomes small planes for “747” cheeseburgers topped with jalapeno poppers or “world famous” cream of perogy soup. Eat in the retro plane-car-Elvis-Hollywood-Hawaiian-themed, purply-pink diner.

Vickie’s claims “The best burgers in Canada.” They’re good — so now we’ll try Canada’s other burgers for confirmation. As for Vickie’s “family secret homemade borscht,” I slyly asked our server, “What’s in it?” He replied, “Don’t know. I’m not family.” It’s a tight ship.

At Fanny’s Chinese Food, Fanny knows the 82 menu items by number. I tested. A Tripadvisor review claims “The best ever Chinese food.” Across at Lee’s, testing confirms May knows the 83 menu items by number. A MenuPix review claims “The greatest Chinese restaurant on the planet earth.” Now we’ll try the planet’s other Chinese restaurants for confirmation.

Colins’ House was launched by two chaps, each named Colin. One left. Now it’s Colin’s House. Colin nails beet and yam chips, tacos, and an Okinawan specialty: taco rice. He also oversees the golf course restaurant where you’ll surely find a good sand wedge.

Beausejour Dairy Bar’s sundae toppings include a delight: rhubarb. Pennyweight Market offers “world famous” cold-brew coffee and 34 soft ice cream flavours. To avoid undiscernible tastes, staff recommend up to three combos. I removed my shoes to compute 5,984 possibilities. And there’s no time limit on deciding. We must move there. I finally ordered blueberry, birthday cake, and butter pecan. I cleverly announced to Margie, “I’ve got a blu-bir-but!”

The nearby river was named the “Brokenhead” while the marketing director was away. Folks unfamiliar with that place-name might question “Brokenhead Sausage,” but this popular enterprise creates delicious pepperettes and smokies. Farmers’ markets thrive including at Pioneer Village Museum and Green Gables Greenhouse. It sells “burpless cucumbers.” I told bewildered staff, “I won’t buy cukes that don’t burp. They’ll pass wind!”

The Floral Merchant stocks locally-made jewelry and fairy garden kits — to attract fairies. Serenity Gift Shoppe stocks Manitoba products including tumblers declaring “I’d rather be tubin’ with my Gnomies on the Brokenhead River.” Beausejour attracts gnomes too. Needle’s window sign advertises “notions” for sale, but I have my own ideas I got for free.

“Beausejour” is French for “nice stay.” Breezy Oaks Inn and Tavern fulfills the promise. Breigh (as in Breezy) Kusmack and Jason Gauthier transformed a former Super 8 into a welcoming Eastman gem. Families can enjoy staycations here. They’ve remodelled first floor rooms where we discovered the softest sheets. The hot tub perfectly ends evenings inside west-facing windows at sunset. A sparkling pool features artistic tropical foliage murals and almost warm water. Don’t get suspicious; they post a smart rule: “Use the bathroom — not the pool” — although inconvenient.

The Inn’s new 110-seat tavern bestows a long bar graced with concealed lighting and a gleaming copper draught tower, plus booths, high-tops, and tables of repurposed Winnipeg elm. It stocks well-chosen craft brews, wines, and creative cocktails like the intriguing Flying to the Lake.

Standout dishes include lemon sauce mussels. Margie exclaimed, “The best!” We enjoyed yummy chicken schnitzel with mustard velouté cream and a striploin with peppercorn sauce. Crème brulée cheesecake rounded it out – and rounded us out.

Luring us back to Beausejour: Breezy Oak’s zesty lemon curd pancakes with whipped cream and berries. And maybe some flying. Ok, maybe just some Flying to the Lake.

gordmackintosh9@gmail.com