Hidden Treasures

When combined with the spectacular assortment of parks, recreational facilities and natural areas, the Pembina Valley truly is an unrivaled place in Manitoba for your next getaway. The region is chock full of sights and sounds unseen anywhere else in Manitoba, including a variety of what we like to call “Hidden Treasures”:

Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre

Take an adventure back to Cretaceous times when dinosaurs walked the earth and great sea reptiles ruled the oceans with a visit to the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre in Morden.

The Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre was incorporated in 1971 as the Morden and District Museum and changed its name to the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre in 2004.It is dedicated to the excellence in fossil preservation, research and learning experiences. It houses the largest collection of Cretaceous-period marine reptile fossils in Canada.

As you wind your way though the professionally designed displays, you will discover skeletons and artists’ conceptions of prehistoric birds and marine fossils, including dioramas and life-sized reconstructions of prehistoric marine life forms such as Mosasaurs, Pleiosaurs, birds, fish, sharks, squids and turtles.

Open daily from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm year round, the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre is situated in the Morden Recreation Centre at the corner of 2nd and Gilmour Streets. For more information, contact Anita Janzic at 204-822-3406, or by e-mail at museum@mordenmb.com. or check out our website at http://www.discoverfossils.com/

Neubergthal Heritage Site

Some 18 street villages still dot the farmland west of the Red River between Winnipeg and the US border, however, unlike many of these small communities, Neubergthal still retains much of the character of days gone by. More than 30 narrow farm yards are aligned like dominoes along the single street while sentinel-straight rows of cttonwoods and Manitoba maples planted by the area’s first settlers form a lush canopy over the road.

In addition, eight intact housebarns (so named because the house and barn are connected)still stand, set back from the street at a uniform 24 metres, front doors all facing the same direction. The village speaks of orderliness, hard work and the indelible ties with the past.

Neubergthal’s strong connection with its heritage caught the attention of Parks Canada’s Historic Sites and Monuments Board some 20 years ago, whereupon the Board made an unusual decision to commemorate cultural landscapes with particularly distinctive patterns of prairie settlement. As such, Neubergthal was designated a National Historic Site in 1989 because of its unique sense of place and because its characteristic architecture and layout remain largely undisturbed.

The Passion Play

Manitoba’s Passion Play near La Riviere, is an annual summer event that has attracted well in excess of 20,000 people over the past five years. With more than 250 volunteers involved in the acting, producing and serving the audience through the front house, Manitoba’s Passion Play is truly a testament to the hard work of these many volunteers which, has earned the production (and its volunteers) the prestigious Manitoba Innovative Tourism Award in its very first year.

The Passion Play is known to many as the story of Christ and his last days of ministry leading to the Triumphal entry into Jerusalem, to his betrayal, arrest, denial, crucifixion and eventual resurrection. The production is complete with live musical orchestration, live animals and over 70 actors from around the province.

Over the years, The Passion Play has become one of Manitoba’s most significant tourist draws, with patrons attending from all over the world. For more information call 204-242-3160 or visit the website at www.passionplay.ca.or email us at info@passionplay.ca

Manitoba Stampede

The Big M Stampede in Morris, the only professional rodeo combined with a country fair in Manitoba, is an annual pilgrimage for many top rodeo athletes competing points and prize money to qualify for the Canadian Rodeo Finals in Edmonton and the national rodeo finals in Las Vegas.

The four days in late July are jam packed with Wild West entertainment, including saddle bronc, bareback, steer wrestling, tie down roping and ladies barrel racing, plus the heart-stopping action of bull riding. The days are capped off with the thrills and excitement of the Manitoba Pony Chuckwagon races. The excitement of the thoroughbred chariots rounds out the daily grandstand events.

Other feature events and attraction at the Big M Stampede include the Manitoba Cutting Horse competition, Heavy Horse shows, Holstein and Brown Swiss Dairy Shows, and the bright lights of the midway; for the young fry, there’s the kids pedal power tractor pull competition and the Big M Petting Zoo. For more information, call 1-866-657-4741 or visit our website at http://www.manitobastampede.ca/ or email us at vas@mts.net

So, why not STAY A DAY in the Pembina Valley!