En Route! Three Francophone Adventures to Explore on a Fall Day Trip Through Manitoba

Posted: August 19, 2024

It's that wonderful time of the year when the sweaters come out, the boots come on and the air is crisp and cool. That's right, it's fall, the trendiest and most pumpkin-spiced fueled season of the year. It's also the time for corn mazes, fall suppers, hot chocolate and quiet road trips from Winnipeg.

We love fall day trips and thought one through some of Manitoba's cute and quaint Francophone towns would be the perfect way to celebrate the season.

St. Boniface

First is a stop in Winnipeg's French neighbourhood, St. Boniface, to fuel up for the day. Head to La Belle Baguette for brunch of croque monsieur and a slice of quiche. Of course, finish up with a maple, lemon or chocolate ganache tart or a chocolate eclair. Wash it down with a latte, cappuccino or hot chocolate.

If it's sunny, be sure to enjoy their patio surrounded by leafy trees and the historic homes of the area. Once you're full, pack up with an assortment of rustic baking for the road. Save time for a short stroll through the neighbourhood - the nearby Université de Saint Boniface campus and tree-lined Taché Avenue (with it's views of the Red River) is particularly lovely this time of year.

La Belle Baguette, St. Boniface

Amaze in Corn, St. Adolphe

St. Adolphe

Next head south of Winnipeg to the town of St. Adolphe and to everyone's favourite fall destination, A Maze in Corn. This family-friendly attraction boasts a winding corn maze, pumpkin barn, pony rides, hay rides, petting zoo, a hay bale climbing structure, and for the very adventurous, a zip line. Rubber boots for the corn maze are highly recommended. They also offer a haunted forest close to Halloween that will scare the boots right off you.

Pro tip: the pumpkin barn, which opens early October, is the perfect spot to get some truly Insta-worthy fall photos of your little ones.

St. Joseph, Manitoba

St. Joseph

About 75 kilometers from St. Adolphe is the cute town of St. Joseph. Our first stop should be at Museé St. Joseph Museum for a step into the past. Spanning 19 acres with 24 buildings to visit, the museum is a reconstruction of a pioneer village including a school from the late 19th century, a blacksmith shop, post office, a general store and much more to explore. The collection features antique tractors and houses one of the largest collections of stationary engines in western Canada. Be sure to check out the Laurent Fillion camera collection to see how this ubiquitous tool has transformed from its earliest forms to what it is today in little over a century.

If you've timed your visit on the right day, after working up an appetite sightseeing all afternoon, stop in at the St. Joseph's Fall Supper. Fall suppers are a long standing Manitoba tradition where communities, churches and various organizations come together to serve hearty, home-cooked food in a convivial atmosphere. Attending a fall supper in a French community offers up some classic dishes like tourtière served along side roast beef, pickled beets, hominy corn (hint: it's not really corn), and all kinds of sides.

The dessert tables servies no less than eight different kinds of pie from pumpkin to rhubarb, cheesecakes, puddings, jello, turtle pie and even bacon toffee, proving that even a fall supper isn't immune to food trends. The food is amazing and the atmosphere is always friendly and welcoming. St. Joseph's fall supper is both a social event and way of life.