Regina

Dinosaurs, the Legislature and a sunset bridge along Albert Street

Albert Street strings Regina's main sights together, so one day is enough. Open at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum, where entry is by donation and the robotic T. rex Megamunch fills the dinosaur hall, then tour the domed Legislative Building. End the day watching the sunset from the Albert Street Bridge over Wascana Lake.

Start at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum on the corner of Albert Street and College Avenue when it opens. The First Nations gallery is the strongest part, and children will drag you to Megamunch, the half-size robotic T. rex in the dinosaur hall. Entry is by donation. Walk on to the Legislative Building, whose dome and marble halls you can see on a free guided tour, then continue along Albert Street to the MacKenzie Art Gallery for its touring exhibitions.

Lunch downtown, a short walk north, perhaps at the Copper Kettle on Scarth Street. In the afternoon, take a taxi west to the RCMP Heritage Centre beside Depot Division. On summer weekdays, arrive before noon and check the time of the Sergeant Major's Parade, when cadets are inspected and march across the square; then give the exhibits an hour.

Back at the lake late in the day, follow the shore east to the Saskatchewan Science Centre in the old powerhouse if you have children with you, or simply walk. Finish on the Albert Street Bridge at sunset, with the Legislative Building reflected in the water. For dinner and a drink, the Warehouse District on Dewdney Avenue is a ten-minute walk north of downtown.

Regina-style pizza, Scarth Street Greek plates and City Square Saturdays

Regina's food is hearty prairie cooking with a few local signatures. Try Regina-style pizza, perogies and cabbage rolls from Saskatchewan's Ukrainian heritage, bison burgers from local ranches and anything baked with saskatoon berries. Scarth Street downtown has Greek plates, and on Saturdays City Square is the place to start.

Saskatchewan has an unusually large number of restaurants for its population, and Regina's downtown alone has dozens within a few blocks. Prairie cooking here is hearty and unfussy.

Regina-style pizza is thick, square-cut and buried under toppings to the very edge, and the argument over which family pizzeria does it best is a local sport. For a sit-down meal downtown, the Copper Kettle on Scarth Street is the long-standing choice for Greek dishes, and La Bodega on Albert Street serves tapas and flatbreads.

From late spring to autumn the Regina Farmers' Market sets up in City Square Plaza beside Victoria Park on Saturday mornings, with prairie honey, garden vegetables, baking and berry jam. Cathedral Village along 13th Avenue has the best concentration of independent cafes. On game days, the tailgate food around Mosaic Stadium is a scene of its own, mostly grilled sausages and burgers eaten in green jerseys. The drinking age in Saskatchewan is 19.

Sunset Retreat evenings, Rider game days and the Qu'Appelle Valley

The best time to visit Regina is June to August. July averages 26C by day and 12C at night, June is the wettest month at about 85 mm, mostly in short thunderstorms, and summer brings the RCMP Sunset Retreat ceremonies and Roughriders home games.

Regina is dry and sunny, with big seasonal swings. January is severe: about -9C by day and -20C at night, with only light snow because the air is so dry.

On a handful of July evenings, the RCMP holds its Sunset Retreat ceremonies at the Depot, an evening parade with the cadet band and troops in red serge, ending with the lowering of the flag. Early June has Canada's Farm Progress Show and the Mosaic multicultural festival, the Cathedral Village Arts Festival fills 13th Avenue in late May, and the Queen City Ex fair runs in summer. From June to November the Roughriders play at Mosaic Stadium, and on home weekends the whole city wears green.

In winter, FROST Regina runs over three February weekends, with skating under the lights in Victoria Park and wagon rides and dog sledding in Wascana Centre.

Two day trips are easy. Moose Jaw, 40 minutes west, has guided tours through tunnels under its downtown and the Temple Gardens mineral spa. The Qu'Appelle Valley, about an hour north-east, cuts a deep, green trench through the prairie, with Fort Qu'Appelle and a chain of lakes for summer swimming and autumn colour.