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Regina Travel Guide

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Downtown Regina with Wascana Centre in foreground
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Downtown Regina with Wascana Centre in foreground

Regina is the capital city of the province of Saskatchewan. It is located in the south part of the province on highway No. 1 . Regina is home of the RCMP Training Academy.

Contents

Get in

By Plane

  • Regina International Airport[1].Only minutes from downtown Regina, it has four gates which handle flights to major centres in Canada as well as daily flights to/from Minneapolis via Northwest Airlines.

By Car

  • Regina sits along the Trans-Canada Highway and is a 40 minute drive east of Moose Jaw. Saskatoon is 2.5 hours to the north, Calgary is 7 hours to the west, and Winnipeg is a 5 hour drive to the east

By Bus

  • The Saskatchewan Transportation Company[2] STC is the primary mover of people and freight in the Province of Saskatchewan. the STC Terminal is located downtown, and is also served by other bus lines such as Greyhound[3]

By Train

Due to service cuts back in 1990, there is currently no VIA Rail service to Regina.

Get around

See

Museums

  • Saskatchewan Science Centre Over a hundred permanent, hands-on exhibits, live stage shows, amazing Gryo-Gym, and one of the tallest climbing walls in Canada
  • Kramer IMAX Theatre one of 200 such theatres in the world. It is one of the most dynamic ways for people to experience the places, people, and principles of science and nature.
  • Casino Regina and Show Lounge Casino Regina is located in a beautiful historic train station. With almost 2 million visitors every year, it's Saskatchewan's top tourist draw.
  • The Royal Saskatchewan Museum an interesting natural history museum that describes the features of the province.
  • Willow Island This Island on Wascana Lake is both open to the public and available for group bookings. A pontoon boat which seats 12 passengers is used to transport people back and forth from the Island.
  • Mackenzie Art Gallery Major touring exhibits, Gallery Shop and 175 seat theatre. Tours available.

Parks

Regina has more parks and greenspace per capita than any major city in Canada. Wascana Centre is a huge 9.3 square kilometre (2300 acre) park that is built around the shores of Wascana Lake, a man made lake in the heart of Regina. Wascana Centre is one of North America's largest urban parks, and includes several attractions, such as several walking and bicycle paths, the Saskatchewan Science Centre, an outdoor pool, a marina with boat rentals, the Saskatchewan Legislative building, and the Saskatchewan Centre of the Arts.

Sport

  • Saskatchewan Roughriders Regina is home to the Saskatchewan Roughriders football team of the Canadian Football League. The team's loyal fans are known for prominent displays of the team's colours, green and white, especially through their tradition of carving fake football helmets out of watermelons.

Do

Annual Attractions

  • Downtown Ice & Fire Winter Carnival (February 15-18).Winter Carnival activities include snow sculptures in Victoria Park, evening lantern procession and a masquerade ball.Downtown Regina Website
  • RCMP Sergeant Major's Parade (March-December). A demonstration of the inspection of the troops, followed by a march through the Parade Square or the Drill Hall. The Sergeant Major's Parade occurs Mon to Fri at 12:50pm, statuatory holidays excluded. RCMP Depot Division
  • RCMP Sunset Retreat Ceremonies (June - August).Colourful 30 minute ceremony centered around the lowering of the Canadian Flag. Features RCMP Cadet Band and Cadet Troops wearing the traditional scarlet tunic of the world-renowned Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Also in attendance uniformed, members mounted on horses and carrying lances. RCMP Depot Division
  • Canadian Western Agribition (November 21-26). Canada's premiere agriculture show and marketplace with over 4000 livestock on display including cattle, horses, bison, llama, sheep, and goats. Highlights: 14 breeds purebred beef cattle, Canadian Cowboys' Association Finals Rodeo, light and draft horse events, grain and forage events, agri-trade/technology and western craft trade show, stock dog trials, Agri-Ed showcase, food fair and daily entertainment. Agribition Website
  • Regina Farmers Market (March - December).Members of the market make, bake or grow their wares. The market offers the freshest fruit and vegetables, bison, lamb, tastiest breads, cookies, and original crafts and treats around. May to mid-Oct Wed 9:30am - 1pm, Sat 9am - 1pm; mid-Oct to mid-Dec, Sat 9am - 1pm.
  • Buffalo Days (August 1 - 6).The biggest summer fair in the province, featuring something for all ages - free stages, food, midway, exhibits and much more. Buffalo Days parade, home decor, pancake breakfast, Equifest, downtown activities. Baffalo Days Website
  • Regina International Fringe Theatre Festival (August 1 - 6).Theatre lovers and performers will come from across the province and around the world for the festival running concurrent with Buffalo Days. Fringe is cutting edge entertainment bringing together performers and audiences in a fun, safe and exploratory environment.
  • Connect - Yearly electronic music festival that can be found just outside of the Regina area.

Buy

Eat

Saskatchewan is known for the largest per-capita ratio of restaurants to citizens, so there is a wide variety of places to choose from. Aside from the regular chains, here is a list of local favorites:

  • The Free House on Albert is a popular spot for a tasty lunch or for chilling out in the evening. Popular with the office and university crowd, the food and service are excellent, but you may find it a little too busy at certain times of the day.
  • Neo Japonica, the ultimately authentic Japanese restaurant, is one of the few places in Regina that is consistently endorsed by national reviewers. For those who don't have the cash to go completely authentic, a few other Japanese restaurants have cropped up lately that are also quite good. They include Hanabi, Michi Sushi and Teppanyaki.
  • The Crushed Grape Wine & Food Bar: 2118 Robinson St is a new edition to the Cathedral village neighbourhood, one of Regina's most interesting and eclectic areas. The restaurant offers a wide variety of wine choices, an excellent (if small) menu and a very cozy atmosphere.
  • La Bodega Tapas Bar and Grill (2228 Albert St) - offers an good array of dinner and appetizer items that rise far above the usual fare. It also offers a large selection of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages as well as a diverse and reasonably priced martini list.


Food in Regina cannot be mentioned without Pizza. There are lots of great pizza options, 3 larger local chains are:

  • Western Pizza has a pizza sauce with kick and heaps on the toppings,
  • Houston Pizza piles on even more toppings than Western, try their Special Loaded,
  • For a different taste, try the Copper Kettle's Spinach & Feta Pizza.

The last 2 restauraunts were featured on the Candian Food Network's The Great Canadian Food Show

A very good new restaurant is the Willow on Wascana. A bit pricey, but the food is fabulous.

Drink

For those looking to check out a bar or night club in the evening, Regina's Old Warehouse district is the place to be.

There are at least 6 bars and clubs on Dewdney Ave between Albert and Broad street, with more bars within walking distance down both Albert and Broad, including the excellent Bushwakker Brew Pub For coffee go check out Roca Jacks on Scarth St. It's home to a vibrant painting day that happens every Saturday afternoon.

Sleep

Get out

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