Summer at the lake and the track

On arrival, South Beach Casino & Resort stands on Highway 59 at 1 Ocean Dr., Scanterbury, near Lake Winnipeg. The casino sits on the eastern side of the lake. In a straight line it is 63.2 km from Winnipeg City Hall, not a driving distance. South Beach lists Grand Beach Provincial Park, Patricia Beach Provincial Park and Victoria Beach nearby, plus the Pinawa, Granite Hills and Grand Pines golf courses. All of them are a drive away from the casino.

At the hotel, the tropical pool is open 7:00am to 10:00pm, then adults only from 10 to 11pm. The arcade runs 11 AM to 12 AM. Check-in at the 93-room hotel is after 4 pm, with check-out at 12 noon.

For dinner, Mango's Restaurant is open Monday to Saturday 8:00 am to 9:00 pm and Sunday 11:30 am to 9:00 pm. The Blue Dolphin Bar stays open daily 11:00 am to 2:00 am. Local musicians play free live music there, and South Beach posts the line-up on its own entertainment page.

At Assiniboia Downs, 3975 Portage Avenue, live thoroughbred racing runs only in season. The track sets the dates and keeps an events calendar on its own website. The LGCA, which licenses the province's race tracks, publishes no race calendar.

Racegoers get free admission and free parking. All race wagering is in cash, and there are ATMs on site.

Year round, the Club West Gaming Lounge at Assiniboia Downs opens daily 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. It is a licensed lounge of 4,000 square feet with 140 VLTs and no casino table games. Food and drinks are also served in the gaming lounge. The Club West Restaurant & Lounge serves daily from 10 a.m. to close, and televised racing runs every day.