Portage La Prairie - Attractions

Attractions

One of Portage la Prairie's most popular attractions, the Community Walkway, which parallels Crescent Lake, is a 5.2 km, multi-use trail used for walking, bicycling, skateboarding and rollerblading, running past many grand heritage homes and the tranquil, picturesque sites along the lake.

Other attractions include the world's largest Coca-Cola can. It was constructed from an old water tower and is now located between the local Canadian Tire and Canad Inns hotel on Saskatchewan Avenue West. Portage la Prairie is considered to be the world strawberry capital and the North American potato processing capital. Many U-pick strawberry and Saskatoon farms are within a 15 minute drive by car.

Heritage Square is an outdoor community meeting place (particularly in the summer months), located downtown, and is home to a large farmer's market that takes place every summer. Surrounding Heritage Square are the Cinema Centre, Portage la Prairie Regional Library, and the William Glesby Centre--a Performing Arts facility which offers a live theatre & community art gallery. The William Glesby Centre is considered to be the cultural gathering place of Portage, and is used for many local events and live venues.

The PCU Centre opened in February 2010 and features two NHL regulation size indoor arenas, one with seating capacity for 1680, as well as an indoor pool and wave pool. Fort La Reine Museum is a museum located on the east end of Portage. The original Fort la Reine was built in 1738 by the French explorer Pierre Gaultier de Varennes and served as his headquarters for 15 years. Today the museum is home to an array of buildings from Portage and the surrounding region, and covers local prairie history from the 18th century (the period of French Exploration) to the present day. Currently there are 25 buildings open to the public, each containing hundreds of artifacts, on display. Some of the highlights of the museum are a railway caboose and the 1882 official rail car of Sir William Van Horne, builder of the Canadian Pacific Railway; a fully restored Ukrainian Pioneer Church; a number of houses that are more than 100 years old; a replica of Fort la Reine; a firehall with a fully restored 1931 Seagrave Fire Truck; the Old Officers Mess from the now retired Canadian Forces Base in Southport; and a school house and church built in the 1880s from West Prospect (a pioneer farming community that no longer exists).

The Manitoba Softball Hall of Fame/Museum is dedicated to the history of softball in Manitoba. It has memorabilia from 1930s to the present. It is housed in the Fort la Reine Museum in a former barracks, moved from nearby Canadian Forces Base Southport.

Portage la Prairie's City Hall is a limestone structure that was designed by Thomas Fuller, who also designed the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa. It was opened in 1898 as a Dominion Post Office and became City Hall in 1960. The building was declared a historical site in 1986. On the roof is a bell which tolls for a few seconds daily at 9am, noon, 3pm, 6pm and 9pm.

Aside from City Hall, the city is home to many other heritage buildings. St. Mary's la Prairie Anglican Church, built in 1854, is located near the downtown. Saskatchewan Avenue (the city's main thoroughfare) contains many historical buildings, as well as Tupper Street and Royal Road (named after the Royal Visit of Queen Elizabeth and King George VI in 1939). Crescent Road, which follows Crescent Lake for over 5 km, is lined with many large, grand heritage homes dating back to the late 19th Century and early 20th Century.

Portage's largest hotel, part of Canad-Inns, is located in the west end of the city. This hotel includes the rink of the Portage Curling Club, Aalto's Garden Cafe, a pub known as The Tavern, and many banquet halls.

There are several events held annually in Portage la Prairie, which include the Manitoba Hydro Power Smart Island of Lights running from November through January, The Portage Exhibition & Fair ("PortageX") held every July, the Portage Potato Festival which takes place in August, and Canadian Forces Day in early June at Southport.

The community of Southport, located about 5 km south of Portage la Prairie, is home to a small recreation complex featuring a gymnasium and 5-pin bowling alley, aside from the proudly displayed military/air force history throughout the town & airport.