Winnipeg Beach

Winnipeg Beach is a lakeside resort community of 1,150 people (2016) in the Interlake region of Manitoba.

Understand

Winnipeg Beach on Lake Winnipeg

History

In 1900, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) purchased 13 hectares (32 acres) of undeveloped shoreline 65 km north of Winnipeg on the southwestern shore of Lake Winnipeg and commenced construction of a resort town. In addition to the attraction of a 3-km stretch of sandy beach, the CPR also built and offered an array of accommodation, recreation, and amusement facilities, including a prominent dance hall.

In the early 1900s, ritzy hotels lined the main street of Winnipeg Beach. Piers, parks and picnic grounds were constructed to accommodate the weekend masses that would travel to Winnipeg Beach from the nearby capital city. By 1913, the summer retreat had become so popular that the CPR had 13 trains running the line between the beach and the City of Winnipeg. The famous Moonlight Special returned to the city at midnight every Saturday for 50 years. The round trip fare was only 50 cents.

A boardwalk took strollers along the beach to the carnival concessions and cottages. A wooden roller coaster was one of the largest in the country at the time and carried hundreds of passengers on a busy day. The Pavilion housed a 1,300-square-metre (14,000 sq ft) dance floor, reputed to be the largest in Western Canada.

The romance of Winnipeg Beach began to wane during the 1950s, and although the beach remained a popular destination, in 1964 the amusement park was closed. After the closure of the resort and amusement facilities at Winnipeg Beach, the Province of Manitoba attempted to revitalize the town by creating a recreation park in the 1960s, with various improvements to the beach and the parks lining it.

The Global Television Network TV series Falcon Beach was filmed in the town during the summers of 2005–2006.

Get in

By car

Winnipeg Beach is at the junction of Highway 9 and Highway 229 on the southwestern shore of Lake Winnipeg, about 56 km (35 mi) north of Winnipeg.

By bus

There is no bus to Winnipeg Beach.

By plane and train

The nearest airport and train station are in Winnipeg.

Get around

The downtown can be explored on foot.

See

Old CPR water tower, lettered for the TV series Falcon Beach

• 1 Water tower. Of the many recreation and railway related structures erected by the CPR at Winnipeg Beach, only the steel water tower survives. It was designed and constructed in 1928. The 40-metre-high (130 ft) tower supported a 90,000-litre capacity tank and provided a source of pressurized water for the CPR steam locomotives and fire protection services for the resort's facilities. Non-operational since the resort closed, the structure is the best example of only five surviving riveted-steel water towers in Manitoba. As in its heyday, the tower is a prominent visual landmark in and around the beach community. (updated Apr 2020)
• 2 The Whispering Giant. A carved cedar wood monument as a tribute for the Anishinaabe people. (updated Jul 2022)

Do

Winnipeg Beach offers water sports, walking, cycling, tennis, volleyball and fishing. The bays along the southwest of Lake Winnipeg also offer some of the best windsurfing and sailing opportunities in Western Canada.

There are several golf courses nearby and a beautiful marina.

At the beach, there is a restaurant, lounge, several change-room structures, and a large parking lot.

In mid-July, the town celebrates its annual Boardwalk Days carnival featuring Wonder Shows, a parade, live entertainment, and fireworks.

There is also a skateboarding park.

• 1 Winnipeg Beach Provincial Park. (updated Jul 2022)

Buy

Downtown Winnipeg Beach

• 1 Park Place Meats & Grocery, 40 Stitt St, ☏ +1 204-389-5865. M-Th, Sa 9AM-7PM; F 9AM-8PM, Su 9AM-6PM. A beach town grocery with in-store bakery, fresh meat, deli, produce, liquor and groceries. (updated Jul 2022)

Eat

• 1 Casa Bianca, 22 Murray Ave, ☏ +1 204-389-5007. Daily 5-10PM, F also 11:30AM-2PM. Upscale Italian across from the Boardwalk. (updated Apr 2020)
• 2 Treble's Beach Bar and Grill, 14 Main Street, ☏ +1 204-389-4424. W-Su 8AM-10PM. (updated Jul 2022)
• 3 Johnee's Restaurant, 42 Main St, ☏ +1 204-389-4234. Daily 11AM-8PM. Burgers, fries, Poutine, chilli. (updated Jul 2022)

Sleep

• Winnipeg Beach Provincial Park campground, ☏ +1 204-945-6784, toll-free: +1-800-214-6497. 120 full service sites and buddy sites for families and friends who want to camp together. Open mid-May to Oct. Call to reserve. (updated Apr 2020)
• 1 Hamilton House Motel, 6 Main St (downtown Winnipeg Beach), ☏ +1 204-389-2169. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. HD satellite TV, free Wi-Fi, DVD player, air conditioning, dining table, daily maid service, kitchens (fridge, stove, microwave, toaster, coffee maker, pots, pans, dishes and utensils). Double $80-90, quad $125 plus $10 per extra person in room (max 2). (updated Jul 2022)
• 2 Aaron’s on the Lake Bed & Breakfast, 311 Gimli Road, Matlock (just south of town), ☏ +1 204-223-1690, aaronsonthelake@gmail.com. Check-in: 4PM, check-out: 11AM. Lakefront view. $150/night. (updated Jul 2022)