Summer must-sees in the middle
Not to go against our newly proclaimed middle child status, but this city is brimming with world-class attractions and unique spaces that should be garnering even more attention than a youngest child on a unicycle.
Here’s just a few must-sees you’ll only find in the middle.
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If you think our new slogan craves attention, just wait until you watch polar bears jump in a pool right over your head!
Assiniboine Park Zoo’s famed polar bears are always putting on a show in the massive, award-winning Journey to Churchill exhibit. Whether you’re watching them swim overhead in the Sea Ice Passage, or tumble and wrestle around the “tundra” in the huge enclosure, your family won’t believe their eyes. Heck, a few bears might even stand up and look into the floor-to-ceiling glass windows of Tundra Grill as you’re eating lunch. The Zoo is also home to more than 180 species from around the world, including new inhabitants like ring-tailed lemurs, red pandas, and Louis the domestic yak – whose long hair is actually quite wild.
Also making a splash in Assiniboine Park is Canada’s tallest indoor waterfall, which you’ll find in the Tropical Biome at The Leaf. This incredible horticultural attraction has so much to flaunt –– from thematic outdoor gardens made for contemplation, taking a stroll and watching a free concert, to its marquee biomes and butterfly garden. Admittedly, The Leaf’s eye-catching conical design does scream youngest child, but to be fair, it is the city’s newest blockbuster, so we’ll let it slide.
Not to be outdone on the architecture front is the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, which commands downtown’s skyline. This is the only museum in the world solely dedicated to human rights along with being Canada’s first national museum located outside of the capital region. Within its glass cloud and mountainous stone façade you’ll embark on a metaphorical and physical journey from darkness to light, as you ascend its interactive galleries and exhibitions.
Equally worldly, and always on the money, is the Royal Canadian Mint. Tours here demonstrate how this state-of-the-art facility produces millions upon millions of coins for countries across the globe, including all of Canada’s circulation coins. Its gift shop is also a must for collectors and history buffs.
Speaking of history, the Manitoba Museum provides countless unique experiences like boarding the Nonsuch ketch –– a mid-17th century replica ship that sailed the Atlantic and the Salish Sea (the original’s destination was Hudson Bay in 1668, where its storied voyage would spawn the Hudson’s Bay Company). This charming museum covers the region from its infancy to the present, so while walking its galleries you’ll be met by wondrous things like Chomper –– a 90-million-year-old pliosaur; countless plant and animal specimens from the present all the way to around 350-million years ago ; Indigenous archeological artifacts dating back 12,000 years to the last ice age; and the iconic life-sized Métis bison hunt diorama. Kids also can’t get enough of its hands-on Science Gallery, located on the bottom floor beside the Planetarium.
The Manitoba Museum sits between both sides of the Exchange District, which itself is a designated National Historic Site. Its late-19th century “terra cotta skyscrapers” were once some of the tallest buildings in the whole Commonwealth. Now, these handsome former banks, warehouses and office buildings house some of the city’s coolest shops, cafes, restaurants and galleries. The area also frequently doubles as New York and Chicago in Hollywood and Hallmark productions, so who knows, you might also see some stars!
Another touristy area of note is The Forks, which has been a meeting place for more than 6,000 years. Located right downtown where the Red and Assiniboine Rivers meet, the provinces’ most-visited tourism destination features an impressive public market brimming with shops, food kiosks, The Common bar and one of Western Canada’s largest patios; a port whereby you can take pontoon boat cruises up and down the river; Manitoba Theatre for Young People, a super cool playground and splash pad from Parks Canada and the MB Children’s Museum to keep the kids occupied; and novelty rental bikes to explore the whole huge area by Bee-2-Gether Bikes.
For a place that’s garnered critical acclaim by Forbes, Travel + Leisure, The Globe and Mail, Wallpaper*, and enRoute magazine, head to WAG-Quamajuq. Located downtown between Portage Avenue and The Manitoba Legislature Building, Winnipeg’s celebrated art gallery is home to the world’s largest collection of contemporary Inuit art, along with works in a variety of mediums from the Renaissance to the current period. It’s architecture alone, which combines the WAG’s original Manitoba limestone-clad arrowhead design with Quamjauq’s modern snowdrift-like facade, provides a stunning spectacle. Throughout summer, you can also enjoy some sun on its Rooftop Sculpture Garden.
