Saskatooning: Where To Shop & Explore In Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
This fall I partnered with Discover Saskatoon to go ‘Saskatooning’ (the city’s cute verb for exploring Saskatoon!), on a food-focused trip (though obviously I had to squeeze in some arts and culture as well) to suggest some must-stops for when you plan your visit.
Because you are going to plan your visit, right?! Especially for Albertans, this is such a close destination. In fact, Saskatoon is a closer drive than heading to other areas in Alberta!
Meet me to eat and explore in Saskatoon!! (that’s what you should tell your friends/fam lol).
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan—The City of Bridges!
My friend Nicole drove up to Saskatoon from Medicine Hat (Southern Alberta) to meet me for the weekend this Oct 2023 and it was a quicker drive for us to meet in Saskatoon than for either of us to come up or down to Edmonton or Medicine Hat. That’s just one example of the short distance!
Read on for my Travel Guide to Saskatoon, based on my Oct 2023 trip, and let me know in the comments what other places I / readers should be trying when we return to this awesome city!
Note: while this post is sponsored by Discover Saskatoon, it does not impact opinions stated. I love exploring cities (big and small!), eating all the food, and sharing travel recommendations with readers.
I also have a few older Saskatoon blog posts from a 2018 visit you can check out for more ideas!
Travel Guide: Where Shop & Explore in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Listed in alphabetical order under each categoryTravel Guide: Where to Shop & Explore in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Listed in alphabetical order under each category
Where to Explore in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Meewasin Valley Trails
Just outside our Downtown Delta Hotel room in downtown Saskatoon are the Meewasin Valley Trails which run alongside the South Saskatchewan River.
These trails, which run over 105 km along both sides of the river, wind under bridges and through parks and natural areas. It’s also part of the largest urban conservation area Canada!
We loved the section of the trail that starts behind the Delta Hotels Downtown Saskatoon / near the Remai Modern and stretches towards the Victoria Park Pagoda. That was the walk we did one evening between our meals and it was really nice. There are big rocks along the river that are also painted (it felt like at one point it must have been a school art project?) and there’s lots of public art (more on that in literally moments below) that you’ll encounter on the trail too.
Remai Modern
Saskatoon is home to a world famous modern and contemporary art museum, the Remai Modern (pronounced like ‘Do Re Mi’ in the famous song). The museum aims to be a welcoming and inclusive public gathering place, so much so that as of Oct 2022, admission is by donation only for the next 20 years (at least!), thanks to a generous donation by the museum’s namesake, entrepreneur and philanthropist Ellen Remai. Pretty amazing.
As a major collecting museum in Saskatchewan, the Remai Modern holds in trust more than 8,000 artworks!! There’s lots to love about this museum.
Here’s just a few exhibits we experienced at the Remai Modern:
- Nick Cave’s Spinner Forest – installed in 2022 – a huge installation made up of thousands of wind spinners that cascade from the ceiling to the staircase on Level 1 & 2 of the building (you can’t miss it!) From afar it’s meant to be meditative and mesmerizing, full of colour and movement. As you get closer, you’ll see shapes within the spinners like peace signs and guns—which are meant to be a commentary on gun violence in the U.S., particularly in the artist’s home city of Chicago.
- Pae White’s Lucky Charms – installed in 2014 – featuring 165 neon lights, transformers and eledtrical wire. Find this on the Level 2/3 Staircase and soak up the light-therapy! This is actually designed to offset Seasonal Affective Disorder, simulating the effects of daylight in the interior stairwell.
- Picasso Linocut Collection – did you know Remai Modern houses the most comprehensive collection of linocuts by Pablo Picasso? It shows prints, working states and experimental proofs that provide insight into the famous artist’s process. They were all produced in a 17-year period between 1951 and 1968.
- Meryl McMaster: bloodline – a stunning survey exhibition of large-scale photographic works that reflect Meryl McMaster’s mixed Plains Cree/Metis, Dutch and British ancestry.
- Kapwani Kiwanga: Remediation – This exhibit by Canadian-French artist Kapwani Kiwanga has a lot of different parts that uses installations, sculpture, performances and video/sound to explore relationships between historical narratives, systems of power, humanity and environment.
- Laura Prouvost: Oma-je – which include pieces like ‘This Means’ depicting a a maternal figure juggling a bit too much in life (“Her eight caressing tentacles are busy doing many things at once”), and ‘Ohmmm age Oma je ohomma mama’ , described as a ‘theatre of object relating to memory, imagination and inheritance’ and includes floating objects (including a variety of meaningful trash), along with a curtain experience meant to mimic birth through the womb (a little claustrophobic to get through lol).
- Arthur Price: Girl with Cat – This piece is located inside the Remai Modern gift shop and has a really cute backstory. The work, by Edmonton-born artist Arthur Price, was first displayed in Saskatoon in 1965 at the Mendel Art Gallery. When a 9-year-old girl named Caroline learned they were going to return the sculpture to the artist a few years later, she and her brother wrote a letter and enclosed their savings $1.19 asking the gallery to purchase piece so it could stay in Saskatoon. Students, orgs & residents then launched a fundraiser to raise $6,000 to buy and keep the piece in the city. “Girl with Cat is a testament to how an artwork can hold a special spot in the hearts of visitors and an entire community.” ??
Saskatoon Art
Saskatoon is so full of public art, it would be hard not to run into one as you explore the city.
From all the public art pieces along the Meewasin Trail, to the many Instagrammable Walls (murals), to world-famous modern and contemporary art museums like the Remai Modern, Wanuskewin the only Indigenous-led and curated gallery in Saskatoon and more, there is no shortage of arts and culture to experience in the prairie city.
We came across so many murals and public art pieces just walking in the different neighbourhoods! I’ve included a few photos of those pieces below.
Wanuskewin
I’ve mentioned a few Indigenous arts and culture experiences in Saskatoon, and wanted to specifically call out Wanuskewin, the only Indigenous-led and curated art gallery and gift shop in Saskatoon AND National Heritage Site in Saskatoon that celebrates more than 6,000 years of Metis and Plans First Nations history on the land through its programs, exhibits, arts, and cuisine, along with 6 km of hiking trails.
Wanuskewin itself is a Heritage Park that sits above the Opimihaw Creek and the South Saskatchewan River near Saskatoon. It’s “a window into a part of Canada’s history that remains largely undiscovered, and a link to our past unlike any other National Historic Site in Canada” ‘Wanuskewin’ is Plains Cree for ‘seeking peace of mind.’ A sacred site and gathering place, also home to Canada’s longest-running archaeological dig.
There is also the Wanuskewin Gift Shop in Broadway district, which is home to collections of thoughtfully curated items from local and rural artisans of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people. There are absolutely beautiful works here, and they have a gallery space in the back with a rotating feature artist. When we visited, the artist was Dakota Ray Hebert, who describes herself as an Actor, Writer, Joker and Wagon Burner. Her art was lovely but her write-ups for them, possibly even better (she really is a writer + joker lol). At the gift shop I picked up a new pair of earrings from Indi City, one of my favourite Indigenous / Alberta-based earring makers.
Where to Shop in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Broadway District
As you’ve read through my food recommendations, you may haven noticed that you keep seeing the same neighbourhood names pop up. It makes sense that some of the best restaurants in the city are also located in some of the city’s best districts, including Broadway. This five block district is recognized as the birthplace of arts and culture in the City of Saskatoon, home to some of the trendiest restaurants, coolest specialty shops, and best entertainment venues.
While we were eating in Broadway, we were also shopping!
A few shops we visited that you could pop into include:
- Alt Haus Interior Design – super cool shop with fun decor, furniture, artwork, home goods, and accessories.
- The Better Good – A sustainably-focused shop selling organic and fair trade, up-cycled, recycled and renewable products with as many local producers as possible.
- Saskatchewan Craft Council – home to an art gallery and fine craft boutique shop with more handmade works from more than 100 juried craftspeople from Saskatchewan.
- Wanuskewin Gift Shop – I keep mentioning this Indigenous-focused art gallery and shop because you definitely need to go!!
And there are soooo many local restaurants in this neighbourhood even if you don’t pop into the ones we went to, you will certainly stumble into a good one along Broadway. Can’t go wrong!
Riversdale Neighbourhood
Where Broadway I think feels new and charming, Riversdale feels more vintage and eclectic. Both are must-visits for the different vibes, stores and restaurants they offer. Riversdale is located steps from downtown, really not far from the South Saskatchewan River, and is full of history.
For more than 100 years, the 20th St. West area of Riversdale served as a commercial corridor in the city given its close proximity to CN railway lines. It’s really changed over the years—they started revitalization efforts back in 2009. It feels like a grittier, artsier (love the art posters that line the block) part of the city, chock full of unique shops and restaurants.
A few shops we visited that you could pop into include:
- Peryton Books – a cute used book store filled with plants and pops of green among the tall, brown bookcases. We picked up some children’s books in the back.
- Nefelibata Arts & Crafts – an eco-alternative arts and crafts supply store.
- Soul Paper – A paper, stationary and gift shop located inside a historic 1908 building. (I got cute sunflower earrings here from a local Vietnamese maker Tran’s Origami)
- Hardpressed Print Studio – an awesome Saskatchewan / Saskatoon-focused clothing and lifestyle brand where nearly all apparel is designed and printed on-site.
Obviously these two neighbourhoods are not the only places to shop in Saskatoon but they were the main areas we spent time in during our visit!
Where we stayed in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Delta Hotels Saskatoon Downtown
Location: 405 20th St. E | Website
We loved our stay at the Delta Hotels Saskatoon Downtown. This is a really nice, centrally-located hotel that basically sits on the banks of the river. So there’s great river valley views, a pool with waterslides, plus a huge fitness centre (if you work out during your vacations lol). Although we stayed downtown and walked through downtown to get to Riversdale (and encounter some art and river valley trails), we didn’t get as much time to explore downtown proper so I do hope to do that on a return visit!!
Our hotel was located so close to downtown, Riversdale and Broadway!
So that’s my little travel guide to the little City of Saskatoon!
I just love that this city has everything you’d want in a big city—including seriously great restaurants—yet still retains its small town charm (the vibes!)
There’s lots to do, see and most importantly EAT in Saskatoon and hopefully you’ll pop into some of the spots I highlighted in this guide.
- Check out Discover Saskatoon’s Directory for Where to Eat
- Check out Discover Saskatoon’s Directory for Things to Do
- Copy Discover Saskatoon’s Suggested Itineraries
Thanks to Discover Saskatoon for partnering with me on this travel guide.
I can’t wait to get back to the city for more eats and exploration and I hope you enjoy your visit!
Disclosure: this post is sponsored by Discover Saskatoon. This does not impact opinions or views stated in this post. I love exploring + eating + recommending things to do. And I really love Saskatoon!
Linda
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Linda Hoang
Linda Hoang is a popular, Alberta-based food, travel and lifestyle blogger and content creator. She has worked with countless tourism boards and travel destinations creating guides and sharing recommendations on things to do and food to eat wherever she visits. You can find all of Linda’s travel guides on her blog at www.linda-hoang.com