Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/161247
We are lucky to have four distinct seasons in Manitoba, and winter is one of the best ones. It may be chilly, but you know there will be snow, so bundle up for a winter festival, activity or excursion filled with fun. 5-Daywinteradventure No Fun Like Snow Fun M u lt i - D ay D e s t i n at i o n P l a n n e r 54 DAY 1 Begin your adventure by celebrating at Western Canada's biggest winter shindig, Le Festival du Voyageur (Feb. 15 – 24, 2014). Winnipeg's French Quarter, St. Boniface, hosts this annual ten-day festival in honour of the fur traders. It features French-Canadian cuisine, lively music and an international snow sculpture competition. Tour the historic Fort Gibraltar to learn how the voyageurs lived. And for a more in-depth history lesson, visit The Manitoba Museum, which retraces Manitoba's roots and the people who shaped this province. Head to The Forks at the junction of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers, where people have been meeting for thousands of years. Tour the unique shops or rent a pair of skates and make your way down The Forks River Trail. Plan on visiting the one-of-a-kind warming huts along the trail. Enjoy a meal at The Forks Marketplace then head up to Riding Mountain National Park, enjoying the scenic three-hour drive along the TransCanada Yellowhead Highway. DAY 2 After a night at Elkhorn Resort, Spa and Conference Centre, choose from skis, snowshoes, snowmobiles, sleighs or horses for a winter woodsy ramble. Look for moose, rabbit, elk, wolf or deer tracks, or take an expert wildlife guide to help spot winter wildlife. Continue west to Asessippi Ski Area and Resort for downhill skiing or snowboarding on one of 25 runs or on the terrain park. Grab a snow tube and hop aboard the Magic Carpet, which will take you to the top of the hill to the six snow tubing lanes. After a day on the slopes, enjoy a soak in a hot tub at the Russell Inn and dinner in the hotel's cozy dining room. Fort Gibraltar Festival du Voyageur Igloo Forks River Trail