Going to Winnipeg

[elton5354]

I'm thinking of going there for a week or two just to visit a friend. The plane tickets are cheap. About 150$ one way.

Any recommedations where the hotspots, attractions are? Also where to stay for cheap? Are there any places that gives you a flat rate for staying there for a week or two?

I've checked online and the cheapest I found was 63$ per night and it was a 1 1/2 star hotel.

Just to clarify is that my friend is just working there tempoary so she is also paying day by day rent at a hotel. So a place with a flat rate for a while would be nice.

[fruchick]

Don't know of any flat weekly rates, but as a tip you might want to avoid downtown. It pretty much shuts down at 6pm, there's very little to do (unless it's during the Fringe), and it's not particularly safe.

If the prices don't suck, try the Clarion because you'll be by Polo Park (huge mall). You might want to rent a car and drive up to Grand Beach (very popular) or Gimli (slightly less popular, but lovely).

Depending when you're going, Wpg has the biggest Folk Festival in North America (2nd wknd of July I think?) and I believe currently the second biggest Fringe Festival in the world (end of July), both of which are amazing.

Corydon Ave is VERY popular for patios, and Sunday nights along Portage (and Pembina, and everywhere else) is "cruise night" wherein d'bags show off their cars. Can be fun to sit in a parking lot and watch.

[jiggajayd]

I'd highly recommend getting a car. The public transit system here sucks.

Winnipeg has a lot of festivals all year round, but mostly in the summer.

Winnipeg Fringe takes play July 15-26 and is usually pretty good. There's a wide variety of acts like dramas/comedy/musicians etc.
http://www.winnipegfringe.com/

Folklorama is a multi-cultural event that is hosted by locals usually of that ethnicity. They put on a program and you can go visit different pavilions throughout the 2 weeks. I'd recommend this as you get a taste of countries all over the world. I think most country pavilions will have local cuisine to buy. It's a bit pricey but some are well worth it. Folklorama takes place Aug 2-15
http://www.folklorama.ca/

If you're here in July/August it usually gets pretty hot and going to the beach is definitely something to do. All the beaches are outside of Winnipeg within a an hour or so of a drive. Grand Beach is known for it's soft white sands and is usually packed on hot days. We also have lots of parks within the city. I'd recommend Assinaboine Park, King's Park (near the UofM), and Kildonan Park. Of course there's The Forks downtown that's pretty nice to walk around. I believe the Red River has subsided so you can walk along the river.

There's lots of nice little shops/pubs down Osborne Village as well as the mentioned Corydon.

There are a lot of lakes around Winnipeg, so if you can get your hands on a cabin on the lake, that would be very nice and relaxing.

I can't really comment on the Hotel pricing status, but I would probably stay away from Downtown like fruchick said. Any good name hotel would be suitable. If you have a car you can pretty much get anywhere inside Winnipeg in a half an hour.

Hope that helps!

[elton5354]

Don't know of any flat weekly rates, but as a tip you might want to avoid downtown. It pretty much shuts down at 6pm, there's very little to do (unless it's during the Fringe), and it's not particularly safe.

If the prices don't suck, try the Clarion because you'll be by Polo Park (huge mall). You might want to rent a car and drive up to Grand Beach (very popular) or Gimli (slightly less popular, but lovely).

Depending when you're going, Wpg has the biggest Folk Festival in North America (2nd wknd of July I think?) and I believe currently the second biggest Fringe Festival in the world (end of July), both of which are amazing.

Corydon Ave is VERY popular for patios, and Sunday nights along Portage (and Pembina, and everywhere else) is "cruise night" wherein d'bags show off their cars. Can be fun to sit in a parking lot and watch.

Why isn't it safe? I heard at the north end of the city, there are a lot of natives living there and it's not particularly safe going there? My friend is already there and she was once in a chinese restaurant and one of the employees working there told her to avoid going there? wait..more like don't go pass chinatown? Lol..

I'll probably miss the festivals as I'll be going in August. :(


I'd highly recommend getting a car. The public transit system here sucks.

Winnipeg has a lot of festivals all year round, but mostly in the summer.

Winnipeg Fringe takes play July 15-26 and is usually pretty good. There's a wide variety of acts like dramas/comedy/musicians etc.
http://www.winnipegfringe.com/

Folklorama is a multi-cultural event that is hosted by locals usually of that ethnicity. They put on a program and you can go visit different pavilions throughout the 2 weeks. I'd recommend this as you get a taste of countries all over the world. I think most country pavilions will have local cuisine to buy. It's a bit pricey but some are well worth it. Folklorama takes place Aug 2-15
http://www.folklorama.ca/

If you're here in July/August it usually gets pretty hot and going to the beach is definitely something to do. All the beaches are outside of Winnipeg within a an hour or so of a drive. Grand Beach is known for it's soft white sands and is usually packed on hot days. We also have lots of parks within the city. I'd recommend Assinaboine Park, King's Park (near the UofM), and Kildonan Park. Of course there's The Forks downtown that's pretty nice to walk around. I believe the Red River has subsided so you can walk along the river.

There's lots of nice little shops/pubs down Osborne Village as well as the mentioned Corydon.

There are a lot of lakes around Winnipeg, so if you can get your hands on a cabin on the lake, that would be very nice and relaxing.

I can't really comment on the Hotel pricing status, but I would probably stay away from Downtown like fruchick said. Any good name hotel would be suitable. If you have a car you can pretty much get anywhere inside Winnipeg in a half an hour.

Hope that helps!

I wonder how much is a car rental there? Pretty much the same price as in Toronto? Do I need to show them my insurance if I do rent a car there? I never rented a car before but i heard you need your insurance? :confused:

Too bad I'm not going there until August..I'll miss all the festivals. Oh never mind, folklorama is about the same time I'll be going. Great!

Thanks both of you for the great recommendations!

[fruchick]

Downtown is just plain bad after dark. The panhandlers are very VERY aggressive. Not many people live downtown, and the ones that do are either residents of area hospitals or homeless. In many ways it's the opposite of cities like Toronto. (Winnipeg also has a huge gang problem, which you won't get caught up in downtown... usually they kill each other in the North End, which you likely won't even see.)

Folklarama is fun from what I've heard, but I spent my whole life in Winnipeg without ever going! You will DEFINITELY need a car for that, though -- it's spread out all over the city.

[cqdx]

+1 about downtown. Stay out at night unless you are in a group, or going to an event at the MTS center, in which case you can park in the center's parking.

+1 for the Osborne Village, Corydon area's. Great place to walk on warm summer evenings for beer, pizza and people watching!:razz: http://www.destinationwinnipeg.ca/things-to-see-and-do/neighbourhoods/profile/369/corydon-avenue

[neonlily]

+111. Avoid walking around downtown. The only thing I'd do downtown is if you were going to the MTS centre or Blush ultraclub which is across the street from it. Whiskey Dix is also a pretty popular and busy bar downtown. Avoid Canad Inns bars at all costs, it's for the 18+ (And under sometimes) crowd.

Also, Earls Main Patio by the Forks usually quite busy at night so if you're looking for a hotspot head there or if you're close to Corydon go there. Bar Italia, Red Cactus and Noir Wine bar are a few of my favourites.

The Forks would also be fine at night but the "core" downtown area on Portage and especially walking north down main is REALLY bad at night once you get past the exchange. Avoid Higgins like the plague.

If you're looking for stuff to do and don't want to drive far you could go to Birds hill which is just north of the city on hwy 59. Entry is free. They have nice bike and rollerblading trails and also horseback riding.

[MrIcu]

Downtown is just plain bad after dark. The panhandlers are very VERY aggressive. Not many people live downtown, and the ones that do are either residents of area hospitals or homeless. In many ways it's the opposite of cities like Toronto. (Winnipeg also has a huge gang problem, which you won't get caught up in downtown... usually they kill each other in the North End, which you likely won't even see.)


I have no idea what you guys are talking about. I've been living in downtown for the past 4 years and I'm not a resident of an area hospital or homeless. Far from it in fact. Sure it gets a bit creepy outside when it's dark, but it gets dark fairly late now a days so your good until at least 10pm.

The River walk is great for a stroll in the evenings and it links to the Forks which is a bonus. The wife and I usually take a stroll in the evenings to the Forks and back with no problems.

Another thing is that the North End does not mean the north end of the city. The North End is an area of town just north of downtown up to Inskter Blvd. North of Inkster is pretty decent and is the Maples area of town which is quite safe.

If you want a weekly rate, I say call up the hotels/local motels and I'm sure they will be happy to give you a weekly flat rate. Let us know which area of town you were looking at and we can perhaps point out some places for you to stay.

[elton5354]

Thanks for all your inputs.

I'll be living on res in Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface. I don't know where that is though. Is that part of downtown?

I'll definitely try to go to places where you guys recommended.

I won't be able to rent a car anymore since there won't be any parking lot at the res (from what I've heard) :-0

[fruchick]

Thanks for all your inputs.

I'll be living on res in Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface. I don't know where that is though. Is that part of downtown?

I'll definitely try to go to places where you guys recommended.

I won't be able to rent a car anymore since there won't be any parking lot at the res (from what I've heard) :-0

St. Boniface is a nice enough area, you might be able to walk to the Forks from there. It's not downtown. Bus service kinda sucks, but you should be able to get downtown during the day without too much trouble.

You can still rent a car. One thing that Torontonians forget about the way other cities work: overnight parking is freeeeee. Yes, free. No permits, no tickets, no towing. Park on any side street as long as you please. Also, don't worry about recycling your organics. Or paying for plastic bags.

It's a whole different world, baby!

[elton5354]

St. Boniface is a nice enough area, you might be able to walk to the Forks from there. It's not downtown. Bus service kinda sucks, but you should be able to get downtown during the day without too much trouble.

You can still rent a car. One thing that Torontonians forget about the way other cities work: overnight parking is freeeeee. Yes, free. No permits, no tickets, no towing. Park on any side street as long as you please. Also, don't worry about recycling your organics. Or paying for plastic bags.

It's a whole different world, baby!

From looking at GoogleMaps, the school is beside the river and crossing that river is the downtown area?

I never rented a car before but I do have a car. Do I need to show them my insurance before I can rent a car from them?

[fruchick]

From looking at GoogleMaps, the school is beside the river and crossing that river is the downtown area?

I never rented a car before but I do have a car. Do I need to show them my insurance before I can rent a car from them?

The part of "downtown" with anything to do in it (which isn't much) is west of Portage and Main. So once over the bridge, you still have a ways to go before you get to anything interesting.

For insurance, you'll need insurance specific to the car you're renting. Your normal car insurance won't work. You may be able to get it cheaper in advance from your insurance provider, but the rental agency will be more than happy to sell it to ya!

[Derfel]

Downtown is just plain bad after dark. The panhandlers are very VERY aggressive. Not many people live downtown, and the ones that do are either residents of area hospitals or homeless. In many ways it's the opposite of cities like Toronto. (Winnipeg also has a huge gang problem, which you won't get caught up in downtown... usually they kill each other in the North End, which you likely won't even see.)


Are you an idiot? No wait... you're probably only 12 years old. Nevermind, you've probably never been to cities "like Toronto", nor do you know anything about "gang problems".

Downtown is FINE. I live downtown, and have for two years. You won't get killed there. You probably won't get harassed for money, at least no worse than you do in Toronto. It is a downtown centre, and like any downtown centre, you don't go around flashing large bills in the air and playing with your iPhone as you sing "I'VE GOT MOOOONEEEY" really loudly.

It's people like THESE GOONS up there that make it so that most of the places I'm going to suggest aren't in the core downtown area. If they'd get out of their little bubbles for a bit, they'd see downtown is a good place to go, and could be much better.

In any case - I'd say the five places you should head to (of course, I don't know your interests or hobbies or likes/dislikes):

1. The Forks. Great market, very nice area to get a snack and/or a drink and shop around. The river is high right now, so the river walk is under water... but still a nice place.

2. Assiniboine Park. The biggest park area in Winnipeg. Go for a picnic, throw a disc around, visit the zoo (which is so-so, but come see our albino bison!).

3. Osborne/Corydon area. You want to head to what locals call "Confusion Corner". There's a bar nearby called "Confusion Corner Grill" or something like it (we try to keep it simple for the visitors). Park somewhere on a side-street, and take a walk north on Osborne, or west on Corydon. Shop. Eat. Look at the pretty people. Drink and be merry (but not too merry).

4. Manitoba Legislative Building - actually on the north end of Osborne. Come on in and take a tour, or just look around. If you keep heading north, you'll also hit the art gallery!

5. ASK PEOPLE FOR NUMBER 5. When in Winnipeg, just ask someone what they think you should do. Depending on the time of year, people will have some great suggestions!

[fruchick]

Are you an idiot? No wait... you're probably only 12 years old. Nevermind, you've probably never been to cities "like Toronto", nor do you know anything about "gang problems".

Are you an idiot and unable to read the word "Toronto" underneath my username? Yes, yes you are. That's what we naiive 12 year olds call a "massive fail".

I'll spell it out for you, since you're unable to comprehend complex sentences: I grew up in Winnipeg. I live in Toronto now. Downtown Winnipeg has more crime than downtown Toronto. Them's the facts, sweetheart.


Downtown is FINE. I live downtown, and have for two years. You won't get killed there. You probably won't get harassed for money, at least no worse than you do in Toronto. It is a downtown centre, and like any downtown centre, you don't go around flashing large bills in the air and playing with your iPhone as you sing "I'VE GOT MOOOONEEEY" really loudly.


Um, no. I was on the board of a non-profit in the downtown core for 4 years, and saw/experienced things that would never happen in the downtown core of Toronto or New York (yes, New York, I've lived there too! And I didn't even need an apartment because I just lived inside my bubble the whole time!! With the money I saved in rent, I can afford to go back to Winnipeg and get my car stolen!).

If you think there are no crime problems in downtown Winnipeg, you're either delusional, Native, or a thug -- which means you'll get your turn soon enough.

[ullyeus]

Are you an idiot? No wait... you're probably only 12 years old. Nevermind, you've probably never been to cities "like Toronto", nor do you know anything about "gang problems".\

I'm often one to defend downtown winnipeg but got to say that your comparison is nuts...Toronto downtown is way way cleaner and safer...

The panhandlers are hyper aggressive and there is just about nothing to do down there.

[Derfel]

I'm often one to defend downtown winnipeg but got to say that your comparison is nuts...Toronto downtown is way way cleaner and safer...

The panhandlers are hyper aggressive and there is just about nothing to do down there.

I currently live downtown. I know Toronto. Winnipeg is no worse.

Point being - there are things to do downtown in Winnipeg. One I missed was the rooftop patio at Tavern United, beside the MTS Centre. One of the patio's in the city. Right above the CTV Winnipeg offices.

[ullyeus]

I currently live downtown. I know Toronto. Winnipeg is no worse.

I absolutely disagree and all the statistics and facts would back me up.

[Derfel]

In any case, I hope the OP updates us on how his trip went.

[elton5354]

In any case, I hope the OP updates us on how his trip went.

I will be going on August 4th and will probably come back in a week or so. I will probably go on RFD while i'm there! So updates will be updated everyday! :lol:

[elton5354]

ok once i arrive i plan to go to a hotel for the night instead of going straight to the res..

do you think i can book in a hotel/motel room around midnight? that's probably when i will arrive there.. 12:30am around that..