**Please note that the attractions and events listed below were researched prior to the shut-down due to Covid-19 and I cannot say if or when they will resume.**
What is the “Interlake” region of Manitoba?
I want to give you some travel ideas about things to do in a beautiful area called the Interlake, which is the land between Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba, the 12th and 33rd largest lakes in the world respectively.
A lot of tourism and cottage living occurs in the South-West shore of Lake Winnipeg. I know this area well because we bought a cottage there 3 years ago and are very glad that we did.
Gimli, Manitoba
A great travel hub for your stay is a town called Gimli, which is central for the nearby attractions, and is only a 1 hour drive North from the Winnipeg International Airport up Provincial Highway 8.
Gimli has the largest population of people with Icelandic heritage outside of Iceland and is home of the Icelandic Festival of Manitoba, called Islendingadagurinn (try to say that out loud), during the August long weekend with a street market, concerts, a midway with amusement rides, and live re-enactments of Viking battles.
That is the busiest and most crowded time to visit Gimli.
Gimli has a very large and popular public beach with a boardwalk and water-sport rental that can be quite busy on a hot summer day. It is great for family fun.
Be sure to take a walk to the end of the pier where there is a small lighthouse and viewpoint. As you walk along the sea wall, you will see paintings by local artists that depict local landmarks or stories, people fishing, and boats in the marina.
At the start of the Pier, you will find a luxury resort hotel called Lakeview Gimli Resort that has a Robin’s coffee shop, several stores, a lakefront patio bar, and a fine dining restaurant called Seagulls that also has a great patio facing the lake.
Across from the resort is the main retail and restaurant district (1st Avenue and Centre Street).
There you will find 5 great little restaurants serving fresh pickerel caught in Lake Winnipeg with Greek salad and french fries. We have that for dinner on our way home after most of our cottage visits. The Greek salad, french fries and portions at Europa Restaurant are excellent, but only deep fry the fish, which can be too greasy or overcooked for some people. The other restaurants have smaller portions, but offer 3 ways to enjoy your pickerel: deep fried, pan fried, or grilled. You will also find ice cream shops and a large famous local clothing, gift, and souvenir store called Tergesen & Sons.
For family attractions, Gimli has the New Iceland Heritage Museum (with a massive statue of a Viking nearby), Lake Winnipeg Visitor Centre (like a local fishing museum), Gimli Motorsports Park & Go-Kart Track (with Interlake Dragway races every second Sunday), Gimli Aquatic Centre (with a pool and 2 large waterslides), a bowling alley, a tennis court, and a movie theatre.
Gimli also has a hospital. For nightlife, try the Ship and Plough for many local craft beers and live entertainment or the bar at the Viking Inn.
Other events in Gimli include the Gimli Ice Festival in March, Craft Market Sales in April and July, Beach Car Show in July, Sandcastle Contest in August, Gimli Model Plane Fest in August, and free concerts on Harbour Stage at 7 PM on some Sundays with beach bash concerts on select weekends in July & August.
Besides the Icelandic Festival, the most popular and well-known event is the Gimli Film Festival in July each year. This year, they converted it to an online digital film festival with 200 unique films from around the world. Normally, they have movie venues all over town, masterclasses with writers and directors, and special film screenings on a giant inflatable movie screen that floats on the lake so you can watch from the beach on a lawn-chair. If you do one day trip, drive 10 minutes North to Arnes Market.
This article was written by Kevin Strong. Take the tie to visit his bloat @ www.retirestyletravel.com.
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