Things YOU GOTTA SEE when visiting Saskatoon!
Here are some quick suggestions for visitors with limited time in the area.
Perfect if you have only ONE DAY to visit (like a business trip, when passing through, or when stopping over between flights). The additional days schedule is a recommendation for those who want to see the essence of Saskatoon in only a couple of days.
You can read ALL SORTS of travel guides, and carry around pounds of paper, or just print off this ONE PAGE and have all the info you ever need!
These are the area’s top activities, family activities and attractions, tourist attractions, historical sites, museums, interesting architecture, sightseeing and top shopping/dining areas. Organized into a nice walking or driving itinerary!
One Day Stay
To capture the essence of this city, here are suggestions for your first day (especially if its your only day) in Saskatoon.
Start in the north end of town, at Wanuskewin Heritage Park which takes you back through 6,000 years of Northern Plains Indians history.
Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park and Zoo showcases indigenous animals and plants of Saskatchewan (as well as others from around the world).
Visit the beautiful riverside University of Saskatchewan campus, which has both great architecture and several museums (covering history, geology, biology, and art). The most important one is the Diefenbaker Canada Centre, which commemorates that great Canadian prime minister.
Head into downtown across the University Bridge over the South Saskatchewan to the west bank. To the north is a large park, with Nutrien Playland (for kids), and on the riverfront is the Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan stage and the Prairie Lily paddlewheeler, and a view north to the weir and the railway bridge.
On the south side of the bridge (and 25th Street) is The Ukrainian Museum of Canada, which displays the heritage and culture of the early settlers.
(If you’re really interested, the city has a second Ukrainian Museum just west of downtown, in the middle of the Riversdale shopping district)
Saskatoon has a compact downtown, and has a beautiful Mewewasin Trail pathways along both banks of the South Saskatchewan River. From the University Bridge, beside the museum and just north of downtown, you pass several interesting buildings:
the the red brick St John’s Anglican Cathedral, the castle-like Marriott Bessborough Hotel by Delta , the cupola in Kiwanis Memorial Park,
Just southwest of the Broadway Bridge (which connects downtown to the east port of the city) is River Landing, with an amphitheatre and a spray park,
and then you see the newly built Remai Modern Gallery/Museum (most notably, with 405 linocuts by Pablo Picasso) and the Persephone Theatre.
West of the Idylwyld Bridge is River Landing East, the Victoria Park Pagoda, and several athletic facilities (as Lions Skatepark, Riverside Badminton & Tennis club, Saskatoon Rowing Club, Saskatoon Canoe Club, and the outdoor Riversdale Pool, and across the Idylwyld Bridge is Rotary Park on the opposite bank.
Head across the Broadway Bridge into the Nutana/Broadway area, with some of the oldest buildings in the city, and some great shopping and dining experiences.
Head south to the Western Development Museum, located in the Prairieland Exhibition Grounds. The museum offers lots of early settlement history,
including a street scene right out of the pioneer days of 1910.
Start your evening at the Emerald Casino, or watch thoroughbred racing action at the Marquis Downs racetrack.
Extended Visit
If you are visiting for a longer period, there are a number of destinations worth visiting:
Tour the Riversdale District, a culturally diverse area with great shops interspersed with colourful wall murals and interesting sculptures.
Visit to the Saskatchewan Railway Museum (west on Highway 7 and 2 km south on Highway 60), complete with diesel locomotives, street cars, and railway memorabilia.
Take a canoe trip on the South Saskatchewan, from Poplar Bluff (south on Valley Road on the city’s west side).
Head north (about an hour) to the Batoche National Historic Site, which shows the Metis heritage of the 1880s, including a church, a farmhouse, and military trenches.
Right nearby is The Seager Wheeler farm, which shows original farmers’ conditions a century ago. There is now also a teahouse and a visitors centre at the farm.