My family and I recently camped out at Birds Hill Park for a couple of nights. The weather was warm and sunny and the beach was loads of fun for our younger children. It was a great antidote to being “cooped up by COVID.” Enjoying Manitoba’s outdoors can be good for both your mental health and your physical health.<\/p>\n
Manitoba is a large and diverse province. You can see polar bears and beluga whales, explore beautiful lakes and forests, cruise past glowing fields of canola and tall stands of sunflowers, walk through a desert or gaze up at northern lights.<\/p>\n Here are four of my family’s favourite Manitoba destinations:<\/p>\n • Churchill – There is something other-worldly about seeing beluga whales and polar bears in the wild. The northern lights in Churchill are also absolutely amazing. Some people visit Churchill by air but when my family went there several years ago, we decided to drive to Thompson and then ride the VIA rail train from Thompson to Churchill. If you do get to Churchill, make sure you visit the York Factory National Historic Site too.<\/p>\n • Whiteshell Provincial Park – This large provincial park is home to countless lakes, beaches and hiking trails. Trails vary from simple self-guided trails to the three-day, 60-kilometre long Mantario trail. My family loves to go canoeing on the smaller lakes, especially early in the morning when the water is calm. This year we hope to spend a week there again in late August.<\/p>\n • Birds Hill Park – The best thing about this park is how close it is to home – a short drive and you are at a picturesque beach with hiking and cycling trails, horseback riding, camping and more. Not many cities Winnipeg’s size can boast such a great park so close to town. Last time my family went there, we rented one of the Bee-Together multi-person “surrey” bikes and pedalled around the entire lake.<\/p>\n • Assiniboine Park & Zoo – This park is even closer to home. I have many fond memories of cycling from Transcona to Assiniboine Park as a teenager. These days, I take my family there to see the breathtaking polar bear exhibit at the Zoo, enjoy the duck pond or walk across the river for some great ice cream treats at Sargent Sundae on Portage Avenue. <\/p>\n
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