Saskatoon, Canada: Your prairie-perfect blend of discovery and connection

The Canadian Light Source is the national synchrotron radiation light source facility of Canada, located on the campus of Saskatoon's University of Saskatchewan. The facility is one of Canada's top scientific research facilities, opened for public use in 2004 following a 30-year campaign by scientists throughout Canada to establish a synchrotron radiation facility. Today, the facility is used by more than 1,000 scientists, hosting national Canadian and international scholars to conduct research on topics ranging from viruses to paleontology to superconductors. Public tours of the facility are offered on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays during the afternoon hours, with advance registration required due to high demand. High school education programming is also offered, including curriculum-incorporated school tours.

44 Innovation Boulevard Saskatoon, SK S7N 2V3 Canada, Phone: 306-657-3500

Chief Whitecap Waterway is a part of the Trans Canada Trail, spanning more than 100 kilometers of water trail along the river valleys near Saskatoon and the Gardiner Dam, one of the largest earth-filled dams in the world. Visitors may enter the trail at its access point in Saskatoon and explore its waterways via canoe, kayak, or paddleboard. Stunning views of the city of Saskatoon and its surrounding natural regions are offered from the waterway, with a variety of wildlife watching opportunities presented along the way. Entry and exit points are offered approximately every 30 kilometers throughout the trail, with visitors welcome to create their own routes throughout the trail. Overnight camping points are offered at each trail stop, providing fire pits and picnic tables for visitors. Canoe and kayak rentals are offered, along with paddleboarding classes conducted on the waterway during the summer months.

500 Progress Ave, Outlook, SK S0L 2N0, Canada, Phone: 866-538-7275

Cranberry Flats Conservation Area is a natural recreation and conservation area located just outside the city of Saskatoon, offering a wide variety of year-round outdoor recreation activities for visitors. The conservation area is known for its scenic sandy beaches, which are a popular recreation spot for families and pet owners with dogs on leashes. Open prairie and light mixed forest areas are also showcased, serving as popular cross-country skiing and snowshoeing sites during the winter. A wheelchair-accessible walking trail is offered, leading to a lookout valley area. The conservation area is open seven days a week year-round, available for visitor use from dawn to dusk.

Range Rd 3055, Saskatoon, SK S7T 1A3, Canada, Phone: 306-665-6887

Diefenbaker Canada Centre, officially known as the Right Honourable John G. Diefenbaker Centre for the Study of Canada, is a national Canadian museum honoring the nation's 13th Prime Minister. The museum was constructed and opened in 1980 to display the collections of Diefenbaker's estate, arranged during his term as Chancellor of the University of Saskatchewan. It was inspired by Independence, Missouri's Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum and displays the personal and professional archives and artifacts of Diefenbaker's career, including his collection of Prime Ministerial papers. Exhibits showcase replica rooms of Diefenbaker's Prime Minister's Office and Privy Council Chambers, along with rotating exhibits related to his life and career. Free walking tours of the museum are offered on Thursdays and Saturdays, along with historical, indigenous, and ghost walking tours offered throughout the year.

101 Diefenbaker Pl, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A7, Canada, Phone: 306-966-8384

Forestry Farm Park and Zoo is a city park and zoo that was originally developed in Saskatoon as the Dominion Forest Nursery Station in the early 20th century. It is a designated Canadian National Historic Site and UNESCO World Heritage Site for its preservation of a former tree nursery facility, which grew, cut, and shipped more than 147 million trees throughout Canada between 1913 and 1966. Following the nursery's closure, its land was reopened as a public city park, offering a variety of visitor facilities and activities, including a Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited zoological park, the Saskatoon Zoo Society, that houses animals recovered from the Golden Gate Animal Farm. The nursery's former superintendent's residence is preserved as a Forestry Farm House living history museum, originally constructed in 1913. Botanical gardens are also offered, along with a number of restored heritage buildings, a demonstration forest, a fishing pond, and a nature-themed children's playground.

1903 Forestry Farm Park Dr, Saskatoon, SK S7S 1G9, Canada, Phone: 306-975-3382

Activities and Attractions for Couples:

The Ukrainian Museum of Canada is a museum dedicated to recounting the story of Canada's early Ukrainian immigrants throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. It was originally established in 1936 by the Ukrainian Women's Association of Canada, the first museum of its kind in the country, housed within the Petro Mohyla Institute until 1979, when it moved to its current location on Spadina Crescent East. Today, the museum showcases collections at four branches throughout Canada, including locations in Manitoba, Ontario, and Alberta. Its original Saskatoon branch showcases an extensive collection of Ukrainian immigrant artifacts, including an impressive collection of pysanky Easter eggs, religious items, household items, and civic and school records. Authentic Ukrainian apparel and artwork is sold at the museum's gift shop, supporting local Ukrainian artisans.

910 Spadina Crescent E, Saskatoon, SK S7K 3H5, Canada, Phone: 306-244-3800

Wanuskewin Heritage Park is a nonprofit First Nations historic and cultural center that is operated by the Saskatchewan Wanuskewin Indian Heritage Incorporated organization. The park is a designated National Historic Site of Canada and is named for a Cree indigenous word that translates as "being at peace with oneself." It is a living history museum and cultural complex that preserves more than 6,000 years of Northern Plains peoples history and culture, located on the site of a traditional tribal gathering place. The 600-acre site showcases 19 living history sites related to the Blackfoot, Atsina, Cree, Assiniboine, Dakota, and Saulteaux tribes, opened to the public as a museum facility in 1992. It still serves as a gathering site for present-day First Nations spiritual uses and welcomes visitors of all ages for educational heritage programming, including gallery exhibitions, guided tours, and tipi sleepovers.

Penner Rd, Saskatoon, SK S7K 3J7, Canada, Phone: 306-931-6767

Western Development Museum Saskatoon is the Saskatoon branch of the Saskatchewan Western Development Museum network, which also maintains locations in Moose Jaw, North Battleford, and Yorkton. Each museum branch is focused on a different cultural or economic theme, with other locations focusing on the province's transportation, agriculture, and cultural groups. The Saskatoon museum, which was opened in 1949, showcases a recreated 1910 boomtown at Prairieland Park, showcasing turn-of-the-century civic and industrial artifacts. Collection holdings include recreated civic buildings and homesteads, along with a working printing press and collections of vintage farming equipment and automobiles. It is also home to the Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame and hosts the annual Saskatoon Exhibition pioneer festival.

2610 Lorne Ave, Saskatoon, SK S7J 0S6, Canada, Phone: 306-931-1910

What to do if you are traveling with kids:

Meewasin Trail is a 16-mile trail moderate traffic walking trail that is designated as part of the Great Trail, the world's largest network of walking trails. Once completed, the Great Trail will span more than 13,000 miles throughout Canada, linking more than 1,000 communities and 33 million Canadians in its path. As of 2015, the trail is ranked has been ranked Saskatoon's top outdoor walking attraction, spanning from the Sid Buckwold Bridge to Gabriel Dumont Park. It serves as a central walking and commuter path for the Saskatchewan community, popularly used by walkers, bikers, runners, and photographers. It offers stunning views of the city's skyline and the South Saskatchewan River, with opportunities for wildlife watching between April and November.

Meewasin Trail, Saskatoon, SK, Canada

The Museum of Antiquities is the University of Saskatchewan's official archaeological museum, originally opened to the public in 1974 to house a small collection of archaeological replicas previously owned by the Louvre in Paris. Throughout the 1970s, the museum's collections grew significantly, facilitating the need for a permanent museum facility housed within the university's Murray Library. Today, it is housed within the Peter MacKinnon Building, showcasing significant collections of Greek and Roman plaster cast replica sculptures, one of the only collections of its kind in Canada. Famous replicas showcased include the Venus de Milo and the Rosetta Stone. Original sculptures are also showcased, along with collections of ancient Egyptian, Near Eastern, Islamic, and Medieval artworks.

107 Administration Pl, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A2, Canada, Phone: 306-966-7818