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Spotlight: Regina
Ride to the home of the Mounties and more
It’s a good bet that many U.S. citizens associate the word “Mountie” with Dudley Do-Right, the bumbling TV cartoon character who fought arch-villain Snidely Whiplash on the Canadian frontier. However, the animated depiction couldn’t be further from the truth. For more than a century, these red-uniformed guardians of the peace have successfully brought terrorists, smugglers and organized criminals to justice to keep Canada safe.
To learn more about the men and women who wear the iconic hats and bright-red blouses, tourists can visit the city of Regina, where the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Training Academy has been turning out mounties since the late 1800s. Regular tours take visitors to this facility, where cadets learn state-of-the-art crime-fighting techniques that rival those of America’s FBI. Although many of today’s Mounties wear navy blue uniforms, you can still catch them in their bright reds during parades and formal occasions.
Close to the training facility, travelers can tour the RCMP Heritage Centre, where the history of this world-famous police force is documented in artifacts, photos and multi-media displays.
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Big City on the Plains
Of course, Regina, with a population of 205,500, is home to a lot more than would-be Dudley Do-Rights. The cosmopolitan capital of Saskatchewan plays host to world-class museums, professional hockey and football teams, and a host of festivals that range from the Regina Folk Festival to the Queen City Marathon. A great place to start is the Wascana Centre, a vast complex of playgrounds, hiking trails and small lakes that draw throngs of picnickers during sunny summer days. When it gets too hot, kids flock to the splash park or pool.
Regina’s bike paths snake for 37 miles through the city, leading riders to the many restaurants, museums and performance venues found near the city’s center. Artist-friendly Regina has produced more than its fare share of famous performers, including actor Steven Yeun, a regular character on AMC’s “Walking Dead” series, and Tatiana Masley, star of BBC America’s “Orphan Black.”
Provincial politics are on display at the Saskatchewan Legislative Building, a National Historic Site of Canada. Known as the marble palace, the sprawling government center sports an exterior that’s elaborately decorated with carvings of lions, gargoyles, chains of grain and a variety of fruits. It’s almost as impressive as the men and women who wear the bright red uniforms.