{"id":6063,"date":"2023-08-15T15:17:30","date_gmt":"2023-08-15T19:17:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonjourmanitoba.com\/?post_type=articles&p=6063"},"modified":"2024-08-06T11:30:07","modified_gmt":"2024-08-06T15:30:07","slug":"a-day-in-the-western-manitoba-region","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/bonjourmanitoba.com\/en\/articles\/a-day-in-the-western-manitoba-region\/","title":{"rendered":"A day in the Western Manitoba region"},"content":{"rendered":"

We start our itinerary of the day in St. Claude. <\/span>For the keen-eyed<\/span>, you will have noticed along Highway 2 that the city sign displays the colo<\/span>u<\/span>rs blue, white and red… like the flag of France! St. Claude, Manitoba is twinned with Saint-Claude in Quebec and Saint-Claude in France, the city where some of the first Europeans who settled in this region in 1892 originated. The nod to the link between the two countries is a huge statue of the pipe, which can be found on both sides of the Atlantic!\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\"eoliennes<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udccd Manitoba Dairy Museum<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Once the photos are complete, head to the Manitoba Dairy Museum. This small museum is extremely rich: we learn that the region had dairy farms, we follow the evolution of technologies and farming families. There are many ancient artifacts and the panels are very informative.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\"saint<\/p>\n

\"musee<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The museum also includes a school from the 1930s and 1940s, the old village train station which houses an exhibition on the First World War, a church reconstruction (by the way, if you like architecture, do not miss the church of St. Claude which was designed by the great architect \u00c9tienne Gaboury), a stable and a general store. There is enough to spend hours there, for adults and children!\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>St. Claude is also hosting another museum: the St. Claude Gaol Museum. The story of this small cabin built in 1912 is really interesting but I do not want to reveal its secrets. Just know that:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. There is a clue in the name<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      \n
    1. The place can be a little scary\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
        \n
      1. and that it’s possible to believe it\u2019s Halloween night all year round with costumes!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

        \"musee<\/p>\n

        \u00a0<\/p>\n

        \u00a0<\/p>\n

        Enjoy your meal! <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

        It’s<\/span> time to ea<\/span>t.<\/span> In S<\/span>t. <\/span>Claude, for a more traditional on-site meal, there is the <\/span><\/span>Ta<\/span>ll<\/span><\/strong>boys<\/strong> restaurant<\/span><\/span>. But on a road trip, <\/span>eating on the patio is more fun<\/span>,<\/span> so I recommend you continue to Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes to stop at <\/span><\/span>Big Al Burgers<\/span><\/span><\/strong>. This drive-in is an institution: the portions are very <\/span>generous<\/span> and everything is homemade.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

        \ud83d\udccd Big Al’s Burgers<\/strong><\/h5>\n

        \"big<\/p>\n

        \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

        Cardinal<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

        Cardinal is <\/span>a must<\/span> for fans of Gabrielle Roy. It is where she taught early in her career and the beautiful church exhibits excerpts from her works, as well as a series of photographs recalling the time when the railway flourished in the area.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

        \ud83d\udccd Cardinal<\/strong><\/h5>\n

        \"cardinal\"<\/p>\n

        \u00a0<\/p>\n

        Saint-Lupicin<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

        At random small country roads, I recommend you make a small detour to see S<\/span>t. <\/span>Lupicin<\/span>. This tiny village organized around a simple intersection has an art gallery, a beautiful church and not far away, the <\/span>VaVaVoom<\/span> garage is the delight of collectors around the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

        \ud83d\udccd Saint-Lupicin<\/strong><\/h5>\n

        \"saint<\/p>\n

        \u00a0<\/p>\n

        Saint-L\u00e9on<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

        Then take the 244 heading south because you <\/span>don’t<\/span> want to miss the scenery. The typical Manitoba fields (at the end of July, the <\/span>canola<\/span> was in bloom, it was<\/span> so<\/span> beautiful<\/span>!<\/span>) suddenly give way to steel giants. There are 63 wind turbines all around S<\/span>t. <\/span>L\u00e9on.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

        \"st<\/p>\n

        \ud83d\udccd St. L\u00e9on Interpretive Centre<\/strong><\/h5>\n

        \u00a0<\/p>\n

        To learn more about these 80-metre machines, you can stop to read the explanatory panels on Messner Road, or at the S<\/span>t. <\/span>L\u00e9on’s Interpretive Centre. This small museum is full of activities for children and will explain all the particularities of the region: its winds, its soils… and its salamanders. You can even <\/span>observe<\/span> two specimens and enter a wind turbine!\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

        \"centre<\/p>\n

        Once your visit to the museum is over, you can grab a children’s fishing kit to discover the bottom of the pond or head to the observation tower and the five-kilometr<\/span>e<\/span> trail that goes around it. It is part of the 28,000 kilometres of the Trans<\/span>–<\/span>Canada Trail and can be used in all seasons. In any case, in summer, do not forget your binoculars if you like birds and your mosquito repellent!\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

        \"saint<\/p>\n

        \u00a0<\/span>
        \n