Your Farm-to-Table Day at a Glance

• Start with breakfast at Frenchway Café & Bakery and finish with farm-to-table dining at Pineridge Hollow.
• Pair FortWhyte Farms with a visit to FortWhyte Alive for food, farming and nature.
• Look for sunflower experiences in late summer and corn mazes and harvest activities in early fall.
• Allow a full day, or choose fewer stops for more time at each destination. Check farm and shop hours before choosing your date.

Map Out Your Farm-to-Table Day Trip

Begin in Winnipeg before heading east to Deer Meadow Farms and then toward Pineridge Hollow near Birds Hill Provincial Park.

Five stops through Winnipeg and the surrounding countryside connect breakfast, nature, locally brewed beer, farm experiences and farm-to-table dining.

Start With Breakfast at Frenchway Café & Bakery

Our introduction to Manitoba’s farms happens over breakfast at Frenchway Café & Bakery on Lilac Street in Winnipeg’s Corydon neighbourhood. This family-run café brings together French baking, locally roasted coffee and Manitoba-sourced ingredients.

I ordered the Pharaoh’s Mediterranean Escape, a generous breakfast of soft-poached eggs, baba ghanoush, tabbouleh and vegetables, with hash browns and garlic baguette. Pickled onions brought just the right amount of acidity to balance the richness of the plate.

Breakfast didn’t mean I was passing up the baking counter. I took macarons for the car and found room in my “dessert stomach,” because every day trip deserves a sweet treat. Pick up a little something for the road or bring home fresh baking for tomorrow’s breakfast.

Connect Food and Nature at FortWhyte Alive

At FortWhyte Alive, forests, lakes and trails offer a different view of Winnipeg. Watch for bison, look for birds near the water and explore the changing landscape as summer shifts into fall. Waterfowl migration makes this an especially rewarding season for birdwatching.

Pair your visit with a look around FortWhyte Farms. This working farm and social enterprise grows food while creating learning and employment opportunities for youth. Along with farming, youth learn woodworking, with some projects available to buy alongside the farm’s harvest.

Chickens clucked nearby as I explored, butterflies drifted over the landscape and the Indigenous medicine garden caught my attention. The picture-perfect farm setting could have distracted me from the work behind it. Instead, I found myself thinking about the produce I routinely grab at the grocery store, rarely considering the care needed to grow it.

You can sense this care as you explore on your own and browse the shop after visiting FortWhyte Alive’s trails and wildlife-viewing areas.

Stop for Lunch at Trans Canada Brewing Co.

Next up is Trans Canada Brewing Co. on Kenaston Boulevard for pizza and locally brewed beer. Long communal tables give the taproom a lively feel, with room to gather over lunch between farm visits.

The brewery develops, brews and packages its beers in-house. Bluebeary Ale is a favourite among visitors looking for a unique local flavour. Look for the polar bear on the can when you’re browsing. Before leaving, check out the General Store for some merch and drinks to take home.

Meet the Animals of Deer Meadow Farms

At Deer Meadow Farms on Springfield Road, east of Winnipeg, the corn maze is a seasonal draw. Make it part of an early-fall visit, along with the farm animals, wagon ride and any harvest activities running that day.

The petting farm offers opportunities to meet goats, sheep, calves and miniature horses, while BunnyVille introduces visitors to rabbits through supervised interactions.

For me, the fallow deer were a highlight. Their size and colouring looked different from the deer I’m used to seeing in Manitoba. Travelling through their enclosure on the tractor-pulled wagon felt like finding an enchanted forest in a fairy tale. Staff bring snacks for the deer during the ride, so you may get a close look as they approach the wagon.

The sunflower fields were another memorable part of my visit. After I explored them, an employee gave me a sunflower to take home. These blooms are a late-summer tradition, so save them as inspiration for a future visit if you’re planning this route in late September.

Browse for local honey before leaving, along with seasonal produce. Depending on the harvest, you may find sweet corn, garden vegetables or pumpkins to bring home.

Shop and Dine Local at Pineridge Hollow

Pineridge Hollow, near Birds Hill Provincial Park, is one of my most frequent stops outside Winnipeg, no matter the season.

Explore The Village’s locally owned shops for clothing, specialty foods, plants, Indigenous-made goods and home decor. If your visit coincides with a farmers’ market, see what Manitoba growers and makers have brought that day.

The Farmer’s Kitchen is a regular destination for me. I look for Pineridge Hollow restaurant favourites such as its signature beet chips, farm-fresh ingredients and products from producers like Nature’s Farm and Stoney Brook Creamery. Browsing here means bringing extra shopping bags for all the local food you’ll want to cook with later.

Before dinner, explore the gardens and visit the petting farm. Then settle in at Pineridge Hollow’s restaurant, where seasonal menus feature ingredients from its own Oak Knoll Farm and other Manitoba producers.

This time, I tried a haskap mojito, adding another Manitoba-grown flavour to the day. After a full itinerary of farms, food and shopping, dinner was a welcome chance to sit down and take it all in.

Plan Your Farm-to-Table Day Trip

Check seasonal offerings. Sunflower blooms, corn mazes, harvest activities and markets follow different schedules. Confirm what’s available before choosing your date.

Reserve dinner and plan for travel time. Book your table at Pineridge Hollow in advance and leave enough time to travel between stops. Families may want extra time for Deer Meadow’s animals and play areas, while FortWhyte Alive’s trails are worth allowing additional time to explore. Choose fewer stops if you’d prefer a slower pace at any one destination.

Prepare for uneven ground. Paths at the farms can be wide, but some surfaces are uneven. Contact each attraction about specific mobility needs, including access to fields, animal areas and wagon rides. Bring layers and footwear suited to the conditions.

Bring bags and a cooler. You’ll have opportunities to buy baking, produce and other food along the route.

Discuss dietary needs. As someone who is dairy-free, I appreciated finding options that worked for me throughout the day. Check current menus and speak with restaurant staff about your requirements.

Bring a Taste of Manitoba Home

The day started with Manitoba ingredients on my breakfast plate and ended with a better appreciation for what it takes to put them there. In between, I saw food growing, learned how farming creates opportunities in my community and found local products I could bring into my own kitchen.

That’s what makes this farm-to-table day trip from Winnipeg worth taking. You get to know a little more of Manitoba through the places that grow, make and serve its food.

Pick a harvest-season day, choose your stops and come hungry. Your next meal might feature something you discovered along the way!