Assiniboine Park
Assiniboine Park’s roster of world-class attractions just keeps growing. Its zoo features The Journey to Churchill, which astounds visitors with show-stealing polar bears that playfully swim right overhead in the Sea Ice Passage. Fun fact: The zookeepers and scientists are famous here too, having starred in two seasons of CBC Television’s Arctic Vets. The Parks’ grounds have it all, from beautiful gardens; The Pavilion with its art galleries; a steam train for families; the Leo Mol Sculpture Garden; and Cargo Bar where you can sip craft cocktails while looking out on the Riley Family Duck Pond. Brand new for 2023 is The Leaf—Canada’s Diversity Garden, which features a number of tranquil thematic gardens surrounding the eye-catching conical Leaf building. The Leaf’s 64,000 sq. ft. interior is home to Canada’s largest indoor waterfall; massive biomes featuring colourful, fragrant plant species from across the globe; a restaurant called Gather Craft Kitchen & Bar; and a butterfly garden at its apex.
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Royal Canadian Mint
One of Winnipeg’s most beautiful buildings, its reflective glassy exterior is a sight to behold at sundown, glowing under an orange prairie sky. On the inside you’ll find guided tours that will have you holding a $600,000 gold bar (it’s really quite heavy), ogling over the Olympic gold medals that were made for Vancouver 2010, and witnessing coins being produced for over 70 different countries. A trip to the Mint is surely worth every penny.
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Winnipeg Art Gallery-Qaumajuq
While Qaumajuq, the Winnipeg Art Gallery’s brand new $65-million Inuit art centre, can be seen right on the cover of TIME magazine’s World’s Greatest Places 2021 issue, you really must witness it in person. This gorgeous building pays homage to Canada’s Arctic landscape with a façade and galleries that flow like snow drifts. It brilliantly presents the world’s largest collection of contemporary Inuit art, while its first exhibition, INUA, was curated by an all-Inuit curatorial team. The WAG itself houses an internationally acclaimed collection of over 27,000 works, spanning the Renaissance to modern Canadian and Manitoba-centric pieces, with a particular emphasis on contemporary Indigenous artists.
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The Manitoba Museum
How many places do you know that can take you from the ancient creatures of the Cretaceous Period, across the cosmos through space and time, to the prairie plains all under one roof? If your answer is none, then you haven’t been to the Manitoba Museum. The immersive permanent galleries in this award-winning museum will enthral kids and adults alike. Whether you're catching a Planetarium show featuring one of the world’s most advanced projection systems, or viewing some of Canada’s most important historical artifacts and specimens in the Hudson’s Bay Company Museum Collection, the Manitoba Museum is sure to please.
Check out the new Winnipeg Gallery and hear the stories of the people and events that have shaped Manitoba’s capital city.
Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada
Your imagination will take flight at the brand new Western Aviation Museum of Western Canada. The stunning new facility at Winnipeg Richardson International Airport is home to more than 20 aircraft with 17 exhibits that showcase Western Canada’s history of flight—celebrating both the machines that soared and whacky creations that never really took flight. Immerse yourself in inspiring stories of pioneering aviators and heroes, explore the many interactive exhibits that include boarding certain craft and experience the state-of-the-art audio-visual displays. There’s an Observation Lounge overlooking the airport’s runways, a pretty sweet boutique gift shop and your little ones are guaranteed to land in the far-out Galaxy Exploration Zone.
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The Forks
Saturated in 6,000 years of history, the meeting of the Red and Assiniboine rivers has always been a gathering place for peoples. Across 54 beautiful acres you’ll find a bustling central market, exceptional dining and accommodations, vast treelined paths overlooking all the bends in the riverbank, a world-class skate park, a children’s play area and water park, and all the best things a Winnipeg winter has to offer, like skate rentals and access to one of the world’s longest skating rinks. It also bridges, via the sexy Esplanade Riel, the très-European St. Boniface — with its restaurants, cafés, artistic heir and francophone flavour — and the downtown core.
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FortWhyte Alive
Six hundred-forty acres of pristine prairie beauty are waiting to welcome you in this oasis just south of the city. In summer, feel the wind in your hair canoeing or sailing on one of FortWhyte’s several lakes. In fall, sip a locally brewed beer on their restaurant patio while witnessing North America’s largest animal (the bison) roam in its natural habitat as migrating birds fill the sky. In winter, go cross-country skiing or snowshoeing on its many trails or take the kids out for a ridiculously fun day of sliding on the Richardson Rrrun Toboggan slide. No matter what the season, there is always an adventure to be had at FortWhyte Alive.
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The Exchange District National Historic Site
One of Canada’s architectural marvels, this 20-block district boasts North America’s most extensive (and handsome!) turn-of-the-20th-century buildings. While walking its charming streets, you’ll find some of the city’s trendiest and tastiest spots including small plate restaurants and bistros, who flaunt their exposed brick and beam; up-and-coming and established galleries; vintage and antique shops, and some of the best the city has to offer in coffee and café culture.
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Thermëa by Nordik Spa-Nature
The newest jewel in Winnipeg’s luxuriant-spa crown, Thermëa brings a bit of Scandinavia to the heart of the Canada. Let the stress soak out of you in thermal pools situated amongst the pines; indulge your senses in Finnish saunas; treat yourself to the best in body treatments and massage therapy. Then, finish your day with some exquisite dining because hey, you're worth it.
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The Canadian Museum for Human Rights
Designed by architect extraordinaire Antione Predock, Canada’s newest, most eye-catching attraction dominates the Winnipeg skyline, shining like a beacon. Inside an immersive experience that you can’t possibly shake awaits as 11 powerful, interactive and awe-inspiring exhibits gradually climb to the CMHR’s pinnacle, the Tower of Hope (which provides a stunning view of the city). An ambitious museum meant to foster dialogue and promote change for a better world, the CMHR provides a stirring account of the human experience unlike anything you’ve ever witnessed.
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