Things to Do in Regina in February

February's clear, cold nights create the best aurora conditions of the year - head 20 minutes north of the city to the flat prairie where the horizon stretches forever, and the green lights reflect off the snow-covered fields. Local operators set up heated viewing shelters with hot chocolate and bannock, timing trips around the new moon for maximum darkness.

When the wind howls outside, the museum's climate-controlled galleries offer a crash course in prairie ecology - walk through the life-size diorama of a 1920s grain elevator, smell the dried sage in the Indigenous history wing, and warm up watching the full-size T.rex cast that dominates the natural history hall.

The 13th Avenue heritage district becomes a self-guided winter food tour - duck into 1920s brick buildings where Ukrainian bakeries serve perogies fried in butter, the old fire hall turned brewpub pours vanilla porter stout, and the Scottish tea room does proper scones with clotted cream. February weekdays mean no queues and chefs who have time to chat.

The Regina Pats junior hockey team plays their most important February games - the arena fills with the smell of popcorn and arena beer, and the crowd's roar echoes off the concrete in a way that makes the hair stand up on your neck. Even if you don't know icing from offside, the between-period chuck-a-puck contests and 50/50 draws are pure prairie entertainment.

The 1912 marble palace offers free guided tours that feel atmospheric when snow piles against the copper dome - inside, the heated floors keep your feet warm while you gawk at the 2,000-pound chandelier and learn why the assembly chamber has two maces. The view from the front steps stretches across the frozen lake to downtown's few remaining grain elevators.