An excellent introduction to the city comes from exploring the MeewasinValley Trail system that follows the banks of the South Saskatchewan River through the downtown area. Particularly pleasant is the west bank of the river, with the massive Delta Bessborough Hotel rising like a French château above parklands and the river.
Along this stretch of the river, housed in a striking modern building overlooking the South Saskatchewan River, a short walk from downtown, the Mendel Art Gallery, 950 Spadina Crescent E. (tel. 306/975-7610; www.mendel.ca), has a good permanent collection of Canadian paintings, sculpture, watercolors, and graphics. Admission is free. The gallery is open daily 9am to 9pm (closed Christmas).
Nearby is the Ukrainian Museum of Canada, 910 Spadina Crescent E. (tel. 306/244-3800; www.umc.sk.ca). Reminiscent of an early-1900s Ukrainian home in western Canada, this museum preserves Ukrainian heritage in clothing, linens, tools, books, photographs, documents, wooden folk art, ceramics, pysanky (Easter eggs), and other treasures and art forms brought from the homeland by Ukrainian immigrants to Canada. Admission is C$3 (US$2.40) for adults, C$2 (US$1.60) for seniors, and C$1 (US80¢) for children ages 6 to 12. It's open Victoria Day to Labour Day, Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm and Sunday 1 to 5pm; closed Monday during the rest of the year.
At the Saskatoon Zoo, 1903 Forest Dr. (tel. 306/975-3395; www.quadrant.net/zoosociety), 300 species of Canadian and Saskatchewan wildlife are on view -- wolves, coyotes, foxes, bears, eagles, owls, hawks, deer, caribou, elks, and bison -- and there's a children's zoo too. During winter, you can cross-country ski a 4km (2.5-mile) trail. Admission is C$6 (US$4.80) for adults, C$3.75 (US$3) for seniors and children ages 6 to 18, and C$12 (US$9.60) for families. May 1 to Labour Day there's a C$2 (US$1.60) vehicle charge. The zoo is open daily May 1 to Labour Day 9am to 9pm and the rest of the year 10am to 4pm. It's in northeast Saskatoon; follow the signs on Attridge Drive from Circle Drive.
The University of Saskatchewan (tel. 306/966-4343; www.usask.ca) occupies a dramatic 1,030-hectare (2,550-acre) site overlooking the South Saskatchewan River across from downtown and is attended by some 20,000 students. The actual campus buildings are set on 145 hectares (360 acres) while the rest of the area is largely given over to the university farm and experimental plots. The University Observatory (tel. 306/966-6429; open Sat evenings after dusk) houses the Duncan telescope. The Little Stone Schoolhouse (tel. 306/966-8384), built in 1887, served as the city's first school and community center. It's open May 1 to Labour Day, Monday to Friday 9:30am to 4:30pm, and Saturday and Sunday noon to 4:30pm; admission is by donation. You can arrange special tours of the research farm and many of the colleges. Contact the Office of Communications, University of Saskatchewan (tel. 306/966-6607; www.usask.ca/communications). To get there, take bus no. 7 or 19 from downtown at 23rd Street and 2nd Avenue.
