The Interlake.

Manitoba Interlake map.

Sandwiched between southern Manitoba's two largest lakes, the Interlake is packed with cute towns, charming boutiques, waterfront cottages and wildlife encounters, making it the ideal spot for a summer weekend.

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1 Shop.

Play dress-up at Eveline Street Clothing, which boasts one of Manitoba's largest selections of John Fluevog footwear. Racks of fashionable frocks in every shape and colour also fill the cozy shop. Lockport

2 Eat.

Kahleigh's Brew Barn is a small-town diner that delivers big bites with its selection of "dirty fries", fresh-cut frites piled high with toppings. Crispy chicken with honey-dill is a popular pick. Riverton

3 Chill.

For live music, stand-up comedy, open mic and game nights, head to the Ship and Plough. All the taps at this cozy tavern pour Manitoba brews, like Little Brown Jug's tasty 1919 Belgian pale ale. Gimli

4 Paddle.

Take a celestial tour of the winding Willow Creek. Prairie Sea Kayak Adventures invites all levels of paddlers to don a headlamp and gaze skyward for a star show like no other. Gimli

Hunter's Still Woods with Woodpecker.

5 An Artist's Life.

Heidi Hunter says her Runs with Scissors studio outside Winnipeg Beach is where her "hands dance with fabric and heart sings in colour." She can often be seen jogging out to greet visitors on the gravel road with her big blue scissors in hand.

We heard you once worked as a mime! Tell us about your art now.

I was best known as a mime but, ironically, it wasn’t until I moved to the Interlake that I found my eye for visual art. I began making art quilts in the '90s. Working with fabric opened the creative floodgates. Cutting and sewing the different cloth led to dyeing my own fabrics and reinventing myself as a fibre artist.

What's your favourite piece so far?

It's called Still Woods with Woodpecker. It encapsulates my journey into visual art, moving from stage to studio. I used the metaphor of a woodpecker as a healing drummer, defining rhythm as the marriage of sound and silence. I pieced it together using reverse-hand appliqué followed by hand quilting. The handwork totalled more than 150 hours. But it was worth every moment - sewn slowly and meditatively.

What are you working on now?

I live to dye! I'm happiest when I have indigo-stained fingernails. Right now, I’m finishing 100 improvised mixed media collage portraits, which I started as a playful exercise. I have no idea where they'll lead, but I know they will form the inspiration for my next fabric project.

Island Life.

Once a bustling fishing outpost, Hecla Island still boasts loads of aquatic charm.

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Gull Harbour Marina & Lighthouse Inn offers modern lakefront rooms over-looking Lake Winnipeg. Grab a seat on the patio to munch on pickerel tacos as sailboats ply the channel between the mainland and Black Island.

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Venture down the Pine to Prairie International Birding Trail at Grassy Narrows Marsh to glimpse great grey owls, American three-toed woodpeckers and striking Blackburnian warblers.

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Following Nordic tradition, Salka Spa embraces the elements of fire, ice and water. Located inside Lakeview Hecla Resort, pop in for a massage using warm basalt stones and icy cold jade.

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It's easy to get distracted by the sweeping views at Lakeview Hecla Golf Course. But you'll need full concentration to navigate large bunkers and natural water hazards on this 18-hole course.