Winnipeg, Canada 2012
July
12-14, 2012
Discover Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada with Laura and Gary Block July 12-14, 2012. Come along, explore and play, for three days and two nights, in this city of over 700,000 located in the geographical center of Canada and North America. If you joined us in the past, you’ll notice this trip is a premium vacation to Winnipeg and we’re offering a top-shelf vacation. Plus we’ll continue our Canadian tradition of giving away hundreds of dollars in cash and prizes during the trip and this year in Manitoba. Our Andy’s Charter Service tour coach departs Little Falls at 7:45 a.m. on Thursday July 12 and we’ll pick up in Randall or anywhere else on our route. Lunch today is on our own at the Boardwalk of Restaurants along the river in East Grand Forks. We’ll leave the United States and cross over the border at Pembina, North Dakota into Canada. On our arrival in Winnipeg, we will check in at Canad Inns –Club Regent Casino Hotel. The hotel offers superior quality guest rooms complete with small refrigerators, coffee makers, hair dryers, irons and boards – all in a smoke-free environment. This three diamond, four -star facility is Winnipeg’s only hotel connected to a casino complex. This complex is one of the most unique and entertaining facilities in Western Canada – Club Regent Casino. Escape to a tropical jungle at Club Regent Casino and explore a mystical world that includes vibrant flowers and swaying palm trees. The casino is home to Manitoba’s second-highest indoor waterfall and the province’s only walk-through saltwater aquarium – the largest of its kind in the entire Midwest. It’s an extraordinary underwater world of exotic sea life located right in the heart of this entertainment center. In addition, Club Regent Casino has a feisty blue and gold Macaw living on the premises. Calypso, born in 1993, loves visitors and will certainly talk our ears off given the opportunity. There’s also exceptional dining and all the games everyone loves. Tonight be prepared for a fun evening. We have great reserved tables on the main floor, center section, at Celebrations Dinner Theatre, an interactive dinner theatre where actors and additional cast maintain their roles throughout the evening. Experience lively music, fantastic set designs, an enjoyable four-course meal with a choice of four entrees, plus lots of laughs with the show “Ghost Busted”. What a fun production this is going to be. Tonight, the world famous Dorchester Hotel, the oldest and most luxurious hotel in the city, is celebrating its 100th anniversary. The hotel manager is a little worried about the “incidents”. Hotel guests have always told stories of strange encounters, but they seem to be getting more frequent and more intense…so who ya gonna call? Meet Pete Winkman. Pete is the head maintenance man at the hotel, but just until he can raise the money to go back to school. When the hotel manager says he would pay almost anything to get rid of these “things”, Pete seizes the opportunity and announces that he and two friends will rid the hotel of its unwanted visitors because they…ain’t afraid of no ghost!
Breakfast is on our own Friday morning. A step-on guide will join us on the coach as we drive 45 minutes from Winnipeg and tour the James Valley Hutterite Colony. It’s been a long process, beginning last September, to obtain permission from the elders for Gary Block Tours to bring a group to visit the colony. This colony was founded in 1918 by a group of families from South Dakota. The Hutterite’s agricultural enterprise includes dairy cows, hogs, chickens, geese, as well as 9000 acres of various crops. We expect to arrive at 9:30 when the workers take a break. We’ll join the workers, plus enjoy coffee and a snack. We’re hoping to tour various areas of the colony such as the school kitchen, chicken coop or dairy facilities and church. They also have a book binding business and the ladies of the colony are will be preparing sweets. This will be a unique opportunity to obtain some insightful information into the everyday functioning of the Hutterite Colony and its relationship with the outside society in general. Following our tour, we’ll return to Winnipeg for lunch at Qualico Family Centre and Park Café at Assiniboine Park. Assiniboine Park is an extraordinary place. Its towering Elm trees, gentle meadows and manicured gardens are the backdrop to memories for generations of Winnipeggers. The new Family Centre strives to enhance this emotional connection by connecting itself to the natural rhythms of this dramatic environment. Set on a ridge running along a forest edge, the Family Centre first appears from across a shallow pond. Enveloped by the forest, an angular roofline mimics the dynamic line of the tree canopy set against the prairie sky. As one approaches the building from different directions, it reveals itself in diverse ways. Like a snowdrift or an outcropping of rock, every vantage point offers a varied and unique expression of its form. Transparent glass walls allow the trees themselves to define the boundaries of each space as if the rooms were carved from the forest itself. This is a must-see building. A build-your-own sandwich buffet lunch today at the brand new Park Cafe will be in the private Tamarack Room inside the Centre. There will be ample time to explore the flower and sculpture gardens in the park after lunch. Returning to the hotel to freshen up, we’ll prepare for a fun evening at Assiniboia Downs, featuring live thoroughbred racing. The evening begins with one of the most popular all-you-can-eat
Gary Block Tours
320-632-8632
mgaryblock@hotmail.com www.garyblocktours.com
buffets in Winnipeg – all served in the feel-good atmosphere of the Terrace Dining Room overseen by award winning Chef Michael and overlooking the track. Dig in to the delicious entrees, the creative salad bar, savor the gourmet soup of the day, choose from different styles of bread served fresh from the oven and then top off your dinner with a specialty dessert. The Terrace Dining Room also offers the best indoor seats in the house with a breathtaking view of the track. Our evening at the races is also going to include a very special “Gary Block Tours” race in honor of our group. Six people are chosen to be in the Winner’s Circle for that race and will have the fun of presenting the owner with a beautifully engraved trophy and an opportunity to meet and congratulate the winning jockey. Our picture will also be taken with the winning horse and jockey. Complimentary programs and tip sheets are also included. Another fun option is taking advantage of the ambiance of the comfortable casino-style VLT lounge with popular and exciting games.
Breakfast is on our own Saturday morning. Before we depart Winnipeg, we’ll make a stop at McPhillips Street Station Casino. Relive the opulent splendor of the past and saunter down the street of the historic railway village amid the bustle of old world life. Take in the dazzling view under the twinkling lights of the chandelier in the Royal Alexandria, their turn-of-the-century grand casino. In addition to Old World elegance, the Casino offers exceptional dining and favorite games. Lunch is on our own. We’ll travel south across the U.S. border today. Dinner tonight is on our own. Our return to Little Falls will be around 10 p.m. What a fabulous three day trip to Winnipeg. Once again, it’s bigger and better than our 2011 trip with so much more to experience.
All passengers must present a U.S. passport or the new passport card in order to enter or depart the United States. If you do not have a passport or passport card you can apply at your county recorder’s office. There is about a 4-6 week turn around time. The passport card is considerably less expensive than a regular passport, is good for 10 years, but can not be used for travel by air. We also suggest bringing along your government-issued ID such as a driver’s license, etc. If you have any questions, feel free to call us or your county recorder’s office.
Ø Comfortable Andy’s Charter Service
tour coach transportation
Ø Two night’s accommodations at Canad Inn – Club Regent Casino Hotel
Ø Celebrations Dinner Theatre – great
main floor, center section reserved tables
Ø Four course dinner, with a choice of
four entrees, and the comedy “Ghost
Busted”
Ø Hutterite Colony tour
Ø Experienced step-on guide
Ø Assiniboine Park
Ø Buffet lunch in the Tamarack Room at
the Park Café
Ø Monstrous all-you-can-eat buffet at Assiniboia Downs
Ø Program and tip sheet at Assiniboia Downs thoroughbred race track with indoor
seating
Ø A chance to be in the Winners Circle
following the “Gary Block Tours” race
Ø Club Regent Casino
Ø McPhillips Street Station Casino
Ø Hundreds of dollars in cash and prizes
Ø Gaming opportunities
Ø Hosted by Laura and Gary Block
359
per person double occupancy
328
per person triple occupancy
314
per person quad occupancy
463
single occupancy
$100
deposit per person required within 3 days of signing up. Remainder due on June 1, 2012
Cancellation & Refund Policy
Transportation and lodging hosted by
Gary Block Tours is arranged with independent firms. Bookings for entertainment are arranged
through independent hotels, theatres and other entertainment venues. We take great pride in our selection of
reliable firms. However, we do not
control these independent firms.
Sometimes shows or celebrity appearances are changed or cancelled
without notice. We cannot be responsible
for claims or losses arising out of injury, accident, death, loss of enjoyment,
frustration or inconvenience that arises from the act or omission of any
independent firm supplying services to Gary Block Tours, or for mechanical
breakdowns, governmental actions, acts of God, strikes or acts of war beyond
our control. We cannot be responsible
for the consequences of your failure to follow instructions, including but not
limited to check in, check out and baggage handling. If events or reservations are cancelled or
changed, we will make every effort to provide a comparable substitute tour
experience.
Deposits and payments are
non-refundable unless the tour is cancelled.
I have read and understand the
Cancellation and Refund Policy notice.
All participants of this trip must sign below.
Mail registration and payment to:
Gary Block Tours, 112 SE 4th
Street, Little Falls, MN 56345
320-632-8632
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Winnipeg, Canada 2012