Things to do this weekend January 25-27th

Our list of things to do this weekend  (January 25-27th) besides staying as warm as possible! 

Friday, January 25th:

Jacob’s Trading birthday party - come get your picture taken when Drako the Velociraptor- FREE click here for more info

Free skate 5:45-6:45 at River East Community Club click here for more info

Saturday, January 26th:

St Norbert Farmers Market January 26 click here for more info

Breakfast with the bears at Assiniboine Park Zoo 10:30 chat, include crafts, breakfast not included in zoo price click here for more info

Family Literacy Day Celebration 10:30am at Cindy Klassen Rec Complex - FREE Click for more info

7:30-8pm @ the Forks Terje Isungset Ice Music - Warming Huts v2019 Invited Artist - FREE click for more info

Jacob’s Trading birthday party - come get your picture taken when Drako the Velociraptor- FREE click here for more info

Free Skate 2-3 at Bertrand, 12:30-1:30 at Pioneer/Charlie Gardiner Arena, 2:15-3:15 at St. James Civic Center, 11:45-12:45 at Terry Sawchuck, 6:30-7:30 at Transcona East End CC
click here for more info

Sunday, January 27th:
Winter Carnival - Whyte Ridge Community Center - click here for more info

Cabin Fever - FREE films for kids at The Cinematheque 304-100 Arthur St.
The Last Starfighter - click here for more info

Jacob’s Trading birthday party - come get your picture taken when Drako the Velociraptor- FREE click here for more info

Sunday Adventure Program at Arctic Glacier Winter Park (at The Forks) includes horse-drawn wagon rides, Indigenous Storytelling & Bannock Making, Snow Sculpting Sessions, & Soul on Ice  click here for more info

Free Skate 3:30-4:30 at Billy Mosienko, 2:15-3:15 at Eric Coy, 3-4 at Sam Southern, 12-1 at Sargent Park, 1:15-2:15 at St. Vital Centennial, 1:30-2:30 at Transcona East End CC click here for more info


Anytime Fun.... 
A Maze in Snow! Just south of Winnipeg in St Adolphe…. They have some new surprises - check it out here

The Forks Ice Skating, River Trail, Skating Under the Canopy etc., Crokicurl
Skate rental & warming hut info
Ice conditions on the various trails & rinks

Festi-Bar from Festival Du Voyageur is now open - located on the Assiniboine River at The Forks port (basically a bar that accommodates 500 people on the river!)


What are you planning on doing this weekend to chase away the winter blues? 

Have an event coming up that you want us to include? Send it to us so we can include it on our weekly list. 

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Hashtag Lakelife

I had the pleasure of showing a few places out in the west beaches area of Lake Winnipeg so I went early to make the most of it.

I grew up going out to Winnipeg Beach with my paternal side of the family so there are a lot of memories and reminiscing.

Matlock is a nice stop when heading up that direction. The piers are always a relaxing place to stop. The morning was cool, almost sweater weather, and I managed to still have over half a cup of my favourite Starbucks drink when I rolled in. Nothing like a warm chai latte, a light sweater and a moody sky over the lake to help you zone out for 20 minutes.

I visited with my parents at the marina. I can't believe I didn't think to take a picture there as the marina and pier with all the boats is a nice sight. From the south parking lot you have a unique perspective of the water tower through the bushes and cattails on the edge of the park. It always makes me want to pick up my paint brush. 

We decided to hit up The Emporium for lunch where I enjoyed a delicious home made crepe and my friend enjoyed the Drunken Chicken pizza. The Emporium is known for their crepes, pizzas and drunken chicken. If you go after 4pm they are wood fired pizzas. It is a really nice little place.

While waiting between showings we took a drive though downtown Winnipeg Beach. I didn't have time to take a walk on The Boardwalk to find my grandparents plaque or to stop at Dairy Bee to reminisce about gramma and grampa taking us for ice cream but we did come across a place that looks old but has only been there since 2012. We decided to pop in as it was right up my friends alley with all the unique decor. It is called Candies & Curiosities. Such a nice little place and they had a few treasures that took me back. 

There are so many more great places to check out if you are in the beaches area. The jam busters at Fred's (on the highway) are a great addition to a picnic, there is an off leash dog beach in the provincial park area near the water tower, there is the artesian well on the corner of Laurel and Grove, a new walking bridge just north of that, the waterfront park, and so much more. It is a leisurely drive down highway 9 and is less than an hour from the north perimeter. If you wanted add a few stops to your trip you could also see the locks in Lockport, Lower Fort Gary on highway 9, and the marine museum in Selkirk. 

What are your favourite spots to stop in the west beaches areas?

Loud, hot, fast, summer fun!

We love going to the oval dirt race track for some loud, hot, fun on a Thursday evening. The closest one to Winnipeg is Red River Co-op Speedway just off Highway 75 near St. Adolphe. You can save a couple dollars per ticket by picking them up at any Red River Coop Gas Station but beware that they do run out of tickets sometimes so it isn't always best to wait till you get to St Norbert (the last one not the way out of the city) to buy them.

We decided pretty last minute that we were going and texted a few friends to see if anyone else was available. We went July 5th and they were celebrating Canada Day which just passed. They had some make up races to do from a previous rain out in June so we were getting extra races and fireworks. Jay and Irka decided to join us even though they would be late.

So we took a couple blankets to sit on and one to use to save them a spot. We went early so we could get dinner at the concession. They have things like burgers, hot dogs, pizza, taco in a bag, fries, chicken burgers, chicken fingers and a few other things. Their chicken fingers are really good, breaded chicken filets and we always enjoy their burgers or taco in a bag. They offer a large assortment of condiments including all the taco fixings, sourcrout

Some things you may want to bring besides something to sit on: If you have sensitive hearing you should bring earplugs. I do notice adults and really young children seem to wear them the most and Jamus says it really makes a difference to his ears to have a set. It is nice to have a pair of cheap sunglasses to keep the dirt out of your eyes. Some nights you could also need sunscreen or mosquito repellent. And it does cool off some nights towards the end so a sweater is always nice to have. If there is a chance of rain you may want to have a poncho and something to put down on your car floor as if it does rain it is a muddy mess in the parking area.

There is a ton of free parking. If you prefer to park close you can pay for VIP parking for $5 or if you need accessible parking and have a permit you can drive right up to the gate where VIP parking is and park for free by showing them your accessibility permit. They will also give you a lift in a golf cart if you let the parking attendant know you need assistance as the seating is up on the hill.

The races were so much fun. The fireworks show was really impressive as well. They did a great job!

Have you been to any of the race tracks in the province?

Movies in Luxury!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!

Mom wanted to see the new movie with Melissa McCarthy called "Life of the Party" so we decided to make an event of it and take her to the newly renovated Landmark Cinemas 8 Grant Park.

We have been the the Cineplex VIP theatre and love it there so I will do a comparison.

Both have comfortable seats that turn into "loveseats" if you push the middle arm up so they can be coupled or put the arm down to be separate.

VIP you can rock in your comfortable chair. Landmark you can recline the seat and put your feet up!

Landmark has more space between the chairs behind and in front of you to allow for the recline but this also means if people around you are talking you aren't as likely to hear them.

VIP is 18+ which means no one under the age of 18 can come in at all. That one could be a pro and a con! They also sell alcohol.

VIP has in-seat service till the show starts.

VIP only has 3 theatres so there is a limited time for each movie that plays there. Landmark has 8 so a movie will play there longer.

Both theatres offer pre-purchased tickets with seat selection.

Landmark prices vary from $6.99 to $15.99 depending on promo days and if it is 3D with their regular price being $10.99. VIP varies from $13.49 to $19.99 depending on the promo but offers less choices of times of the day.

Have you been to both or either? Which one do you prefer?

Spring Break Craziness!

We decided to take the youngest niece (2) and nephew (5) to Hide n Seek Playground and Cafe during spring break to work off some extra energy.

Wow!

That place is huge and the crowd was insane. I felt like we lost the kids so many times. They do have a good system at the door so the kids can't just leave but it is very easy to lose them in the maze. D loved it so much. He went off on his own several times and if his sister followed he would help her out. They did very well and had a ton of fun.

There are several slides, tons of things to climb, ball pits, bridges, a cannon room, ropes and so much more. The space is massive. It is great for many ages. I think even my 10 year old niece would still have fun there. The 2 year old is quite adventurous and independent otherwise she would be more limited there as parents aren't allowed in the maze on the second level (although I did see some).

The food was what you would expect. Mostly fried snack foods but they did have some fruit cups, cheese sticks and cut veggies available. It would be nice if some families didn't grab a table and keep it all day (I'd say about 7 groups did this), especially when the place is so busy that there isn't enough tables for even half the people there but the majority of people were considerate.

I think my sister in law and myself were way more tired by the end then they were but she did say they slept on the way home so it did tucker them out. I know the kids loved it so I would definitely take them again. I would prefer not taking them on spring break next time.

A beautiful fall hike in the Peg.

There are lots of options for an urban hike but we had never been to Fort Whyte Center so we decided that is where we should head to. 

The restaurant was closed for a private event the day we were going so we stopped on Waverly at Cora’s to have a late brunch first. 

The facility was lovely and had a really nice gift shop. You see the a garden, chickens, pigs and the bison on your drive in. 

The hikes are all marked and there are maps available and the features of each walk. Some are quite short so we did a series of a few of them. I loved and hated the floating paths. We were there on a weekday when there was school field trips there. In the future I would wait till after 2:30 to go, or do other paths first. I was so uneasy being on the floating paths with the groups that were or there. Otherwise it was awesome. So many types of ducks and birds. We saw an otter. And for being in the city it was pretty peaceful. 

It is $8 per person but if you have a CAA membership they offer you buy one get one free. They offer a ton of activities and list a calendar of events on their website. It would be a great place to try snowshoeing, cross country skiiing, fishing, canoeing as they have equipment to rent, among other things. 

A nice break while downtown!

Itinerary: 

• Lunch at Clemintine's 
• A walk around the exchange 
• Bronuts
• A Pinch of Creativity

 

We met at Clementine for an early lunch and were able to get parking really close. The service was really prompt although the quarters were quite tight. The menu is really eclectic and it was hard to choose what to order. My lunch partner ordered the Braised Bacon Benedict and I ordered the Coconut Chia Seed Puddong with a side of Maple Braised Bacon. Our good came quickly and our waitress was attentive. My lunch partner described her meal as crazy amazing. Mine was very flavourful and the bacon was very thick. I would defiantly go again. 

We decided to walk around the exchange to end our lunch. It was a beautiful spring day and the sun was warm on our skin. 

Walking by Bronuts we decided to pop in and see what they were offering. They had this yummy looking Cherry Soda Glazed donut that we decided to share. Sticky sweet! 

We continued our walk and got side tracked when we saw A Pinch of Creativity. What a nice shop! So many interesting gifts and special items. I loved the pottery! 

So the next time you have about an hour and half for lunch head downtown. We really enjoyed it and the food was great. 

World Class Ballet

We are so lucky in Winnipeg to have a world class ballet with our Royal Winnipeg Ballet. They never disappoint and their production of The Nutcracker is on point. The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra is simply amazing. 

It is nastalgic, fun and graceful. I love how much Canadiana is pulled into it from hockey to the Hudson Bay blanket. The sets are glorious. 

We, also, enjoy the walk-on roles. Tonight was Maurice Leggett from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Tomorrow will feature Mark Schiefle and Jacob Trouba from the Winnipeg Jets. 

For me The Nutcracker is a Christmas staple and I will drag whoever I can with me to go.

Make sure you get to see it. 

 

 

A VIP Experience

First stop in the lounge for a drink and an appetizer. We enjoyed sitting next to the fireplace and lounging. 

Then who wouldn't look forward to popcorn and a beer with service to your rocker lounge/loveseat? The food is decent, and not badly priced, unless you are going for popcorn and soda. 

The seats are so comfy, and include a little table so you can pile it with your food and snacks. 

I love that we have a VIP theatre in Winnipeg. It doesn't even matter what movie you see, the experience makes it feel special. 

  

 

 

Enjoy the 18+ VIP Experience the next time you want to see a movie!

Winter with Kids

When it's so cold outside all you may want to do is stay inside and keep warm and cozy. Then you find a small human tugging at your leg wanting to run and jump and be entertained! Now what!?

Well there are a number of great indoor activities in and around Winnipeg to do with your little ones over the winter:

Kids City is great for letting them run wild while you sit back and watch, with two different locations in the city 550 Archibald and 801 Century, you shouldn't be too far from either of them. Open daily to the public and also available for party bookings. 

If you are in Selkirk they have their own version called Kountry Kids Jam Center at 511 Robinson Ave. 

With slides, climbing structures and bouncy houses you can stay for hours until the kids are finally tires enough to go home. There are also snack shops at every location for refuelling!

Children's Museum 

A fun and interactive time for all ages located at 45 Forks Market Rd. 

Manitoba Museum

Another great learning experience for kids and fun too with a number of interactive exhibits as well as seasonal running exhibits (check the website for the latest) Here there is also the planetarium which is a great time for kids of all ages.