Make it the Métis way

Flashes of colour and big, bold blooms are the hallmarks of Métis beadwork. And no place is it more alive than at artist Melanie Gamache’s workshop in Ste Genevieve. At Borealis Beading, visitors are invited to explore two-needle beading, quilt-making and finger weaving through workshops held in the traditional circle style. Beginners can stitch a simple flower onto a cloth tobacco bag while experienced beaders can tackle a leather medicine bag, mitts or moccasins.

Playing at the point

Golf, swim, fish, dine or do it all! Buffalo Point Resort, tucked into the southeastern corner of Manitoba on Lake of the Woods, has a little something for everyone. There are basketball and pickleball courts, a tennis area, baseball field, play structures, paved walking path and a synthetic ice sheet. At the Fire and Water Bistro, local Reed River Rice harvested by Indigenous people from the community is on the menu. A stand-out is the pan-fried pickerel served with a smoked bean cassolette over wild rice.

Owned by the Buffalo Point First Nation, visitors are invited to the Cultural Centre for a deep dive into the Indigenous heritage of the area. Inside, art and interpretive displays tell the stories of life here as far back as the 1700s, when Chief Red Cloud and the Sioux inhabited the land.

Hear the Story of the Fearless Falcon Bloodline

Book your stay at Turtle Village and be sure to add on this immersive storytelling experience that explores the ancestral connections of the Fearless Falcon Bloodline to Clear Lake, delving into the pre-contact era of the 1700s. You will learn about a powerful lineage shaped by tales of kidnapping, war chiefs, the fur trade, knowledge keepers and enduring love. The experience includes traditional fire-roasted bannock and tea.

Cultural connections at The Forks

The public art at The Forks invite visitors to pause, reflect and connect. Together, they form a meaningful collection that honours the site’s role as a gathering place for over 6,000 years. From Niimaamaa and the Oodena Celebration Circle to newer additions like Education is the New Bison, each piece contributes to a larger story rooted in Indigenous history, knowledge and presence.

For those looking to deepen that experience, join a guided tour with Turtle Tours. This Indigenous-led company offers walking tours and culinary experiences that bring the stories of The Forks to life.

Public and group tours can be booked in advance through their website or in person at the Explore Indigenous space on-site. Choose from a 45-minute walking tour or a 60-minute option that includes a visit to the Agowiidiinan Centre for a deeper exploration of treaty relations and the history, laws, culture, and customs of First Nations peoples.

The “Taste of Survival” experience adds a food-focused lens, sharing stories of resilience through traditional ingredients and can be booked on its own or as an add-on to a walking tour.

Where the Spirit Sits

The Bannock Point Petroforms echo the shapes of humans and snakes, birds and turtles, all carefully arranged in moss-covered rocks on Canada’s Precambrian shield. Diane Maytwayashing knows them well. The Anishinaabe knowledge keeper takes visitors on guided walks of the sacred site, sharing stories of the teachings and healings that continue to this day through ceremony and song. Visitors learn about the original name of the site—Manidoo-Abi—that loosely translate into ‘where the spirit sits.’ Book your visit at whiteshellpetroforms.com and prepare to be moved.

The first treaty

With its impressive collection of early stone buildings and robust history as a Hudson’s Bay Company trading post, Lower Fort Garry National Historic Site has long been a favourite way to spend a summer day. But what visitors might not know is that the fort was the precise location of the signing of Canada’s first treaty. In 1871, the Saulteaux (Ojibwe) and Swampy Cree First Nations people and the Crown made a pledge to build a relationship for the future.

Today, the Legacy Flag installation honours Peguis First Nation, Sagkeeng First Nation, Brokenhead Ojibway Nation, Roseau River Anishinabe First Nation, Long Plain First Nation, Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation and Swan Lake First Nation. Throughout the fort, interpretive displays and costumed guides bring this history to life.

Wonderful wildflowers

Dragon’s mouth. Spotted coral root. Yellow lady slipper. Keep an eye out for some of the most stunning wildflowers in Manitoba along the Brokenhead Wetland Interpretive Trail near Scantebury.

The trail helps sustain the historic cultural connection between the Brokenhead Ojibway Nation and the unique ecosystem nearby. Rare wild orchids, insect-eating plants and funky mushrooms are on display along the fully wheelchair accessible boardwalk. The nature-packed stroll through this sacred area includes interpretive signage to help visitors understand this complex ecosystem that’s been used by Indigenous Peoples for over 300 years.

Dog gone fun in Churchill

Whether you’re a dog person or not, you’ll fall in love with Rea, Comet, Raven and the rest of the team at Wapusk Adventures. Dogcarting takes the place of dogsledding in the summer months.

Visitors hop aboard a wheeled dog cart and whoosh through the wilderness on an exhilarating ride called the Ididamile—a take on the annual famous Iditarod race in Alaska.

Northern sunsets await

Tiffany Spence knows Churchill. As the force behind Beyond Boreal Expeditions, she guides visitors to The Flats, Cape Merry, Miss Piggy, the MV Ithaca and all the other sites that locals know best, in search of quintessential northern summer scenes.

The landscapes dance with otherworldly wildflowers and photo buffs might get lucky with a polar bear wandering amid the fireweed. And then there are the Churchill sunsets—no two the same—sinking late into the northern night.