About Regina Saskatchewan
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Regina is the major city in the southern third of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is the provincial capital and was previously the territorial headquarters of the North-West Territories, of which today's provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta originally formed part. Regina was also the district headquarters of the District of Assiniboia. Regina (pronounced )—as was conventional pronunciation of Latin at the time of its founding (cf. the shouts of the Westminster choir boys at coronations of British monarchs: "Vivat Rex! Vivat Regina!")—is located at . Regina's elevation is 577 metres (1,893 ft) above mean sea level.
Despite having been established in a particularly difficult location on the Canadian prairies, Regina has grown to become the commercial centre of southern Saskatchewan and a cultural destination for both southern Saskatchewan and adjacent areas in the neighbouring American states of North Dakota and Montana, attracting numerous visitors for the relative vitality of its commerce, theatre, concerts and restaurants.
Visitor attractions
- Royal Saskatchewan Museum (museum of natural history)
- Saskatchewan Science Centre (interactive science museum with IMAX theatre)
- Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery
- Saskatchewan Legislature Building
- RCMP national training centre and museum. A national heritage centre is being built on the grounds and will be open in the spring of 2007.
- Government House (Saskatchewan) (residence of NWT and Saskatchewan lieutenant-governors 1892-1945; restored to 19th century elegance and open to the public)
- Casino Regina (located in the remodeled Canadian Pacific Railway station on Saskatchewan Drive, formerly South Railway Street)
- The University of Regina grants under-graduate and graduate degrees in many fields. Research on the campus and at the adjoining research park will have a major impact on the way we live in the future. The petroleum research centre has provided information on how we can better retrieve and utilize this dwindling resource. The First Nations University of Canada is run by and for the First Nations peoples.
- Taylor Field — the City of Regina-owned football stadium is home to the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. It also is the home stadium for the U of R Rams and Regina's high school football games.
- Exhibition Park — according to the City of Regina's website, is the second largest trade show and exhibition space in Canada. It the venue for:
: Buffalo Days Exhibition — similar to an American county or state fair — usually held the first week of August, it now includes midway rides, entertainment, fashion shows, home-making displays, and photo and art contests.
: Royal Red Arabian Horse Show is the only Canadian event on the six show North American circuit for Arabian horse owners.
: Canadian Western Agribition — held in late November yearly, it is the second largest livestock show in North America with attendees from as far as Europe and Japan.
: Farm Progress Show — held in late spring it is touted as North America's largest dryland farming show with emphasis on the newest technology and equipment.
: Brandt Centre — a combination facility that seats up to 7500 people that serves primarily as ice surface for hockey, curling and concerts, but, also hosts the National Finals Rodeo during Agribition. The Brandt Centre is often referred to by its former name: the Regina Agridome.
: Credit Union EventPlex — a 90,000 sg.ft. multi purpose facility that opened in the summer of 2005. It is home to Regina's indoor soccer community with its removable turf and has hosted the Brier patch (a beer gardens that holds apprximately 6400 people)for the 2006 Tim Horton's Brier and was the wrestling venue for the 2005 Canada Summer Games.
Most buildings at Exhibition Park are connected by walkways and the public need not go outdoors to move about the fairgrounds.
Natural recreational amenities
Regina has a large percentage of its overall area devoted to parks and greenspaces, with biking paths and other recreational facilities throughout the city. The City operates five municipal golf courses, including two in King's Park northeast of the city.
Within an hour's drive is the summer cottage country in the Qu'Appelle Valley with Last Mountain and Buffalo Pound Lakes, the four Fishing Lakes of Pasqua, Echo, Mission and Katepwa; slightly farther are Round and Crooked Lakes; there are modest skiing facilities at Buffalo Pound and Mission Lakes and Last Oak to the north of Broadview some 70 miles to the east on the trans-Canada highway.
Wascana Centre
Wascana Centre (formally established in 1962) is a 9.3 square kilometre (2,300 acre) park built around Wascana Lake. It brings together lands and buildings owned by the City of Regina, University of Regina, and Province of Saskatchewan, each of which is represented on the board of directors.
Wascana Centre promotional literature touts it as being larger than New York City's Central Park at 843 acres (3.4 km²) and Vancouver's Stanley Park at 1,000 acres (4 km²) and as the third largest urban park in Canada.
Wascana is derived from the Cree word Oscana meaning "pile of bones" in reference to the buffalo bones scattered around Wascana Creek before the area was populated by non-indigenous people.
Wascana Centre includes a Waterfowl Park that provides a refuge for geese, ducks and other birds, some of which do not fly south for the winter. Speakers' Corner on the north shore of Wascana Lake features gas lamps from London and birch trees from Runnymede Meadow where John of England signed the Magna Carta in 1215. To the immediate west of the legislative building is Trafalgar Fountain, relocated from Trafalgar Square in London.
Originally created by damming Wascana Creek to provide a town water supply, Wascana Lake was drained in the 1930s as part of a government relief project; 2,100 men widened and dredged the lake bed and created two islands using only hand tools and horse-drawn wagons. During the fall and winter of 2003-2004, Wascana Lake was again drained and dredged to deepen it by about an average of 5 metres (16 ft), primarily to decrease aquatic weed, growth, improve water quality, and allow more competitive and recreational canoeing and paddling during the summer months. The project also included the addition of a new island and general re-landscaping around the lake. The dredging was completed in mid-March 2004, in time for the spring runoff. The lake includes several small islands: Willow Island, Spruce Island, Pine Island, Goose Island and Tern island.
Wascana Centre contains three museums, the Conexus Arts Centre concert hall and theatre complex, the Regina College campus of the University of Regina and the Regina Conservatory of Music (in the old girls' residence wing of the Regina College building) and the Darke Hall theatre and concert venue, the Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery and the provincial Legislative Building.
The Centre also contains attractive venues for cross country skiing and skating during winter and tennis, bicycling, running, and non-motorized water sports during summer. When Regina hosted the 2005 Canada Summer Games, the majority of the event venues as well as the athlete accommodations were located within the boundaries of the Wascana Centre.