Have you ever wondered about the history of some of your favourite historic Saskatoon buildings? What about the work that goes on behind the scenes at the Canadian Light Source?

All of those questions and more will be answered next weekend at the Jane’s Walk Festival taking place in Saskatoon.

Jane’s Walk Chair Murray Gross explains that Jane Jacobs was an urbanist who believed in walkable cities. In her honour, hundreds of cities across the world organize free walks every year to keep residents active and in-the-know.

Between May 1st and May 3rd, Saskatoon volunteer walk leaders will be guiding over 20 walks through the natural, potentially haunted, and historic landscapes of the city.

“Some will be indoors. Some will be outdoors. Some will be in urban locations, and some will be in natural locations.”

For example, several of this year’s walks include ‘The Hidden Universe Above the City’, a spring hike on the North East Swale, two hidden trail walks, a Canadian Light Source Tour, Broadway Door Decor, History of the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park, and a downtown ghost walk, just to name a few.

“Jane’s Walk is a community building exercise disguised as walking tours. It’s an opportunity to get out and walk, to see parts of the city perhaps you didn’t know, but it’s even more important, in my mind, to get out there and meet people.”

The walks are for all ages to attend, and pre-registration is only required for the Canadian Light Source Tour and the Ghost Walk.

You can find more information here.