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Savour French-Speaking Manitoba’s Joie De Vivre!

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/06/2016 (3716 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

French-speaking Manitoba serves up a brand of joie de vivre that is best experienced by basking in the warm hospitality and poignant history of Manitoba’s Francophones and Métis. You will be impressed by the vibrancy of the community’s villages, scattered mostly across southern Manitoba, from St. Lazare in the west, to St. Georges in the east, through Winnipeg and
its Francophone neighbourhoods of St. Boniface, St. Vital and St. Norbert.

St. Boniface has maintained its uniqueness as the largest francophone community in western Canada. Guided walking tours of Old St. Boniface, twice daily during the summer months, (tourismeriel.com) take you to the heart of Manitoba’s francophone community. Founded in 1818, St. Boniface is the birthplace of Louis Riel, Métis leader and founding father of Manitoba. This neighbourhood has over 35 designated historic sites.

Must see’s include the St-Boniface Cathedral (cathedralestboniface.mb.ca), one of Manitoba’s most striking landmarks. Here you can admire the distinctive architecture of the present-day cathedral, built within the ruins of its predecessor, the oldest basilica of Western Canada. The Cathedral’s cemetery is the final resting place of Red River Rebellion leader Louis Riel.

Next to the Cathedral, you will find Winnipeg’s oldest building, the Musée Saint-Boniface Museum (msbm.mb.ca). It served both as a convent for the Grey Nuns and Western Canada’s first hospital. Today, the Museum houses a unique exhibit on the life of Louis Riel.

La Maison Gabrielle-Roy (maisongabrielleroy.mb.ca) at 375 Rue Deschambault was featured prominently in the French-Canadian author’s work. Visit the attic where Gabrielle Roy spent countless hours in meditation and the famous dormer that she immortalized in her novels. Gabrielle spent her childhood and early adult life in this home.

Only minutes from downtown Winnipeg, experience the 
life of Voyageurs during the fur trade era at Fort Gibraltar (fortgibraltar.com). This fort is a reproduction of the original fort built by the Northwest Company in 1809-1810. It played a key role in the legendary rivalry and struggle between the two giants of the fur trade: the Northwest and Hudson’s Bay companies. Colourful characters in period costumes tell the story through daily tours in the summer.

St-Boniface’s Centre culturel franco-Manitobain (ccfm.mb.ca) is a focal point for French cultural life in Winnipeg. The CCFM features an art gallery, a restaurant, two concert halls and a French movie theater. It is a frequent host to live entertainment.

To get a taste of Francophone culture outside of Winnipeg, simply visit one of the many communities where the French-Canadian way is celebrated. Head out to St. Pierre-Jolys’ Frog Follies and Agricultural Fair (frogfollies.com) with its famous frog jumping championships, or visit the St. Joseph Museum (museestjoseph.ca) during the Montcalm Heritage Festival June 11 and 12. The Museum houses one of the largest collections of stationary engines in Western Canada. (joiedevivremanitoba.com).