What to do in Winkler when taking delivery of your LTV

If you’re a soon-to-be Leisure Travel Van owner making the trip to Winkler, Manitoba, might be high on your list of places to visit.

One of the options you have when purchasing a new LTV is to take delivery and PDI at the factory in Winkler. This is an option we highly recommend. In addition to the opportunity to tour the factory, you will also get to know your new coach from those who know the most about it themselves.

But what ELSE is there to do in Winkler? We know it’s a small town, but if you’ve traveled all the way there from say, Arizona, you might want to stay a while and check things out. We decided we needed to answer this question for ourselves, so we spent a (very) full day in Winkler to find out.

We’re happy to report, we were not disappointed!

We started early and finished late, and in-between, got a good taste of what Winkler has to offer. What we found included a variety of urban (coffee shops, theater company) and rural (agricultural museum) attractions. There ought to be something in Winkler to occupy any sort of RVer. Here are a few of our favorites:

• The Winkler Heritage Museum: Step into Winkler’s past with a visit to this volunteer-run museum in the Southland Mall.  If you go, here’s a tip: Strike up a conversation with the staff!  Knowing the history behind some of the items on display really makes them more relevant and interesting, as opposed to just being “old stuff”.
• The Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre:  Okay, okay.  This one is technically in Morden – about ten minutes down the road. But that ten minutes will get you to one of the larger collections of marine fossils I’ve come across. Since Winkler is thousands of miles from the ocean, the extensive marine life requires some explanation. But I’m not telling. You’ll have to watch the video or visit the museum to find out!
• Winkler Tourist Park:  If you want to spend some time here in your RV, check this place out. They do have the requisite campsites and RV sites.  There’s also a dump station that’s located outside the park (so you can use it even if it’s off season).  And within walking distance you’ll find a park, a playground, an aquatic center, an ice arena, and the curling club!

Being in Canada there are always, of course, my stand-bys: Tim Hortons and Canadian Tire. I love them both dearly, and could spend hours at either one. Strangely, Stef doesn’t seem to share my enthusiasm for these Canadian icons. That’s her loss – more donuts for me.

When we finally settled in for the night, we were bushed! We found more than enough to keep us busy for several days; and yet we had tried to cram it all into one. That’s pretty typical for us, but it doesn’t have to be for you.  If you find yourselves headed to Winkler to take factory delivery of your new Leisure Travel Van, plan to take an extra day or two checking out Winkler.  You’ll find there’s something in this small town for everyone to enjoy.