No matter what time of year you visit, the Manitoba Museum is sure to inspire wonder.
But when Spring Break hits, the hits just keep coming when it comes to entertaining the whole family with marvelous things both big and small.
Here’s what’s in store for Spring Break at the Manitoba Museum (March 23-31) along with the many reasons why this downtown institution always endears.
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What’s new for Spring Break
New zone tailored for toddlers in the Science Gallery
Kids and adults alike have always loved the Science Gallery, but what about your little tots? Introducing: the pop-up Toddler Zone, which encourages your littlest ones to explore. This new area will be brimming with interactive elements that your toddler will relish, while the designated area will make it easy to keep an eye on them.
Of course, the whole Science Gallery (located in the basement) is filled with interactive exhibits for all ages, with classics like The Matrix Room (which will fool your mind with all its mirrors), the Animation Station (where you can make your own stop-motion movie) and the thrilling Engineered for Speed racetrack, where you can race various cars against all your buds. Keep an eye out for some exciting new additions like the Aurora Wall, Magnetic Ball Wall and a life-size Lite Brite as well.
What’s playing at the Planetarium
There’s a new show on at the Planetarium that presents an overview (pun intended!) of earth using jaw-dropping visuals. We Are Guardians uses satellites as characters to show how everything on the planet is interconnected, with a central focus on man-made climate change and how satellites can help address and offer answers to solve the climate crisis. The production is by the award-winning UK-based company NSC Creative (We Are Guardians is one of its award-winners), who are known for their immersive Fulldome films, and will air daily at 12:15 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Also on is In My Backyard, hosted by nationally celebrated local children’s entertainer Fred Penner. This one, which will air daily at 11 a.m. and 2:45 p.m., features Fred at his very best, singing engaging educational songs about everything under the sun, and even things like meteors that were born far past our sun. Plus, there’s Edge of Darkness (daily at 1:30 p.m.) that goes well past our solar system to shed light on some of the most remote parts of the galaxy.
Get ready for scavenger hunts in the galleries!
Walking through the galleries of the Manitoba Museum is always a feast for the senses. The life-sized dioramas always draw you into unique world’s brimming with something eye-catching that will trigger your imagination, while the assortment of fossils and replicas is nothing shy of astounding.
From massive Cretaceous-era pliosaurs swimming overhead with their massive jaws (along with a real, world-class fossil of a juvenile one)––so topical(!) to the huge giant sloth that towers above and the legendary Métis Bison Hunt diorama that first greets you inside the museum, making your way through the galleries is always an enchanting experience for all ages. To make it even better, for Spring Break the museum has created a massive scavenger hunt that will ensure your kids make a full meal of all the visual feasts.
They’ll be supplied with a clipboard containing all the clues that will have them carefully examining so many exhibits, searching out things both massive and miniscule, all while answering questions that could win your family a family membership and other prizes. And really, it’s not just for kids: Our Tourism Winnipeg staff embarked on one of these scavenger hunts last year and you’ve never seen a group of 20-somethings and middle-aged people go buck-wild like that in a museum before. Needless to say, it got competitive, so take note if you have a large family that decides to split into groups for competition sake.
The Manitoba Museum always amazes
Outside of spring break programming, it’s always a good time to visit the Manitoba Museum––no matter your age or what you are into.
Here’s just a few gems to look out for when visiting:
For fans of art, there are some incredible murals and works, including this large mural by Indigenous artist Daphne Odjig that greets visitors in the Welcome Gallery, along with Dee Barsy’s "Rhythmic Movement in the Grasslands,"* which is sure to catch your eye on your way into the Prairies Gallery. The Museum also has “The World at Prayer,” one of the largest works ever created by celebrated artist Jackson Beardy, which you can find in the Boreal Forest Gallery.
For artifacts, you’ll find thousands. Some of our personal favourites are located in the Earth History Gallery, which does a remarkable job in showcasing how you are standing on what was once the Western Interior Seaway. On top of that 90-million-year-old and still intact juvenile pliosaur, you’ll also spot mosasaur skulls (a creature that recently entered the mainstream due to the Jurassic World series of films), and BBC’s awesome Prehistoric Planet series and a number of other creatures from the Cretaceous. In this same area, the award-winning Ancient Seas exhibit goes back even further with its cool video display, where you’ll see countless creatures like trilobites and various cephalopods that are often found in Tyndall stone throughout Winnipeg (which all formed 450-million years ago, as you’ll learn in the Museum).
Of course, no day spent at the Manitoba Museum is complete without letting your imagination set sail on the Nonsuch, a replica 17th century ship that you can board. The Museum did such a mesmerizing job updating this gallery several years ago, adding elements like the sounds of the sea, changing weather and sunrises to really bring the port of Deptford, England, to life. This whole Nonsuch Gallery is also surrounded by so many artifacts that are part of the Museum’s famed HBC Gallery, containing some of the most important artifacts in Canada.
*** The Manitoba Museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For tickets and more information on its galleries, exhibits and Planetarium shows go to manitobamuseum.ca.
