Saskatoon, Saskatchewan: A Popular Family Travel Destination for 6,000 Years

By Stephen Hartshorne
GoNOMAD Associate Editor

If travel blogs had existed two thousand years ago, the headline about Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, would have read, “Come for the barbeque, stay for the berries.”

People from many First Nations tribes have been gathering here for more than six thousand years to hunt buffalo and gather the violet Saskatoon berries that abound here.

For modern-day Saskatoon, the headline might read, “Come for the culture, stay for the cuisine.”

Burgeoning Economy

With a burgeoning economy from the rich farmland and mineral wealth that surrounds this prairie city, Saskatoon is seeing dramatic population growth and new construction, most notably the hundred-million-dollar Remai Modern Art Gallery that opened in 2016.

The city is also seeing a renaissance of cafes, restaurants, boutiques, and nightspots, and with 65 annual festivals and cultural events, it’s a truly happening town.

They have a great riverside Shakespeare Festival, a Fringe Festival modeled on the one in Edinburgh, the Nuit Blanche night-time arts festival, the YXE Beer Festival, street fairs, folk fests, and reggae, jazz and blues festivals.

Saskatoon Family Fun

There are all kinds of opportunities for family fun: a great zoo, the Children’s Discovery Museum, the Western Development Museum, the Ukrainian Museum of Canada, and the Wanuskewin Heritage Park, a First Nations interpretive center where visitors can learn about the culture of the Plains.

Sparked by the restoration of the historic Roxy Theatre, the creation of the new farmer’s market, a riverside water park, and many new businesses, the once-tired Riversdale District has blossomed into one of the city’s most vibrant neighborhoods.

Experiencing Saskatoon

I had the opportunity to camp in a tipi at Wanuskewin Heritage Park, and then stay at the historic Hotel Bessborough, the last of the great Canadian Railway hotels.

We took a canoe trip on the South Saskatchewan and took a riverboat cruise up and down the river that runs through the center of the city.

We watched a performance of Much Ado About Nothing at Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan and dined like royalty at some of the many first-rate restaurants.

We also had a chance to meet the “mayor” of Riversdale who told us about the efforts to save the Roxy Theatre and revitalize the neighborhood.

Prairie Boomtown

Our first stop was the Western Development Museum, a full-scale replica of the prairie boomtown that was Saskatoon at the turn of the last century, complete with dozens of dioramas and educational exhibits about pioneer life.

Visitors can tour the blacksmith’s shop, the schoolhouse, the telegraph office, the butcher shop, the pharmacy, and the office of the Canadian Mounted Police — the iconic “Mounties.”

There’s a huge collection of historic farm machinery and a rare straw-gas powered automobile. The idea proved impractical since the 300-cubic-foot balloon could only provide the power of one gallon of gasoline.

Buffalo Jump

Just north of Saskatoon, where the valley of Opimihaw Creek meets the South Saskatchewan River, was the site of a “buffalo jump” where the giant beasts — some weighing more than a ton — were stampeded off a cliff and dispatched with spears and arrows.

In this valley, part of the Wanuskewin Heritage Park, archaeologists have found layer upon layer of buffalo bones, as well as spear and arrow points, in the processing area on the valley floor where the beasts were skinned and butchered.

Wanuskewin was also a ceremonial center where first peoples gathered for dances and ceremonies, for consultations with healers, and for gathering and drying berries.

Near the buffalo jump at the edge of the valley is an ancient medicine wheel, one of seventy that have been found on the Great Plains.

These wheels vary in size and shape, but all are aligned to the position of the heavens at different times of the year.

Tipi Sleepover

I had the opportunity to camp overnight in the Opimihaw Valley as part of the Wanuskewin Tipi Sleepover, an event that includes several interpretive programs about life, culture, and the spirituality of the tribes that have gathered here for more than 6,000 years.

As the sun was coming up, I took an early morning walk on the pathways that wander through the valley and I got a real sense of the peace and beauty of the place.

We had a hands-on workshop on constructing a tipi in the traditional manner and a hike through the valley to the site of the medicine wheel.

The Wanuskewin Heritage Park has 360 acres of scenic trails, ongoing archaeological digs, and many interpretive programs about the lifestyles and cultures of the Northern Plains tribes.

The Bessborough

Much as I enjoyed sleeping in a tipi and communing with ancient buffalo hunters, it was a pleasure to check into more sumptuous quarters at the iconic Hotel Bessborough.

Built in the 1930s by the Canadian National Railroad, the Bessborough is probably Saskatoon’s most famous landmark. With 225 guest rooms, five acres of riverfront gardens, and 15,000 square feet of meeting space, the hotel combines historic grandeur with modern amenities.

Neighborhood Revitalization in Saskatoon

Our next stop was a tour of Riversdale, a neighborhood that used to be on “the wrong side of the tracks,” that has seen dramatic revitalization in recent years with a new riverside park, a farmers’ market, and lots of new businesses, cafes, and restaurants.

But the “crown jewel” of the revitalization is the million-dollar restoration of the historic Roxy Theatre by Magic Lantern Theatres.

We met with Randy Pshebylo, the head of the Riversdale Business Improvement District since 1990, who is known as the “mayor” of Riversdale, Who talked with us about community efforts to promote revitalization.

The Roxy Theatre

The Roxy was built in 1930 in the Spanish Colonial style, the first commercial building in Saskatoon to be air-conditioned. It had a dark blue ceiling with twinkling lights and two cloud machines to suggest the night sky.

The building was unused from 1999 to 2005, Pshebylo explained and nearly collapsed. The basement had flooded, the roof leaked, and the ceiling was falling down.

The newly-restored Roxy is a real centerpiece for the neighborhood, showing movies and hosting community events — even weddings and birthday parties. One of the most popular is their “Silence is Golden” series where they show silent films, accompanied by the Saskatoon Symphony.

Big Things

“We’re on the cusp of some really big things happening in our district,” he says, “and the Remai Modern has truly brought back the neighborhood to what it was.”

Besides five galleries with more than 7,700 works of art, including the world’s largest collection of Picasso linocuts, the Remai Modern has a theatre, classrooms, an atrium for conferences and community events, riverside terraces, and a sculpture garden.

The Remai Modern replaced the Mendel Art Gallery, which has closed and was converted into a Children’s Discovery Museum that opened in 2017.

River Cruises

Another highlight of our visit to Saskatoon included a canoe trip down the South Saskatchewan River with Cliff Speers of the Canoeski Discovery Company and a wonderful riverboat cruise aboard the Prairie Lily through the heart of the city.

We visited the Ukrainian Museum of Canada, where we got a look at the life and heritage of the many Ukrainian immigrants who were invited to come farm in Canada around the turn of the last century.

And we saw a great performance of “Much Ado About Nothing” on the tent stage of Shakespeare on Saskatchewan. The play was presented in a 1940s setting with some truly extraordinary choreography, as Benedick, Beatrice, Hero, Claudio and even Don Pedro all did the Lindy Hop.

And Then the Food…

And we dined at one really first-rate restaurant after another. The Nosh Eatery and Tap on Broadway Avenue has a vegetarian-focused menu, but they also serve locally sourced meat and fish dishes.

I especially recommend the lentil burger and the smoked mushrooms, which come in a little jar.

We learned that Chef Justin O’Reilly uses a portable hand smoker to prepare them, and the results are delightful. I want one!

At Calories, also on Broadway Avenue, Chef Remi Cousyn has been preparing simple, fresh meals for nearly 30 years. Don’t miss the watermelon gazpacho.

We also had a great meal at Ayden Kitchen and Bar on Third Avenue, which specializes in “modern Canadian comfort food” — house-made charcuterie, custom butchery, fresh cheeses and handmade gourmet cocktails.