Winnipeg, Manitoba’s biggest city and number ten on the “Best Places to Live in Canada” list, is a great place to visit and have fun in, too. There are lots of things to do with kids in Winnipeg. Check out some of our favorites!
1. Fort Gibraltar
Fort Gibraltar is a reconstructed North West Company fur-trading post and fort on the Red River’s banks, where you and the kids can explore the frontier life of the early 1800’s. Costumed actors will demonstrate all kinds of interesting things like blacksmithing, making bannocks over an open fire, and more. Fort Gibraltar is a celebration of Winnipeg’s French Canadian and Métis culture. Don’t miss the wintertime snow sculptures for the Festival de Voyageur!
2. Manitoba Theatre for Young People
The Forks is a tourist hotspot in Winnipeg’s downtown area, where spring, fall and winter plays are put on by the players at this local children’s theatre, Manitoba Theatre for Young People. Whether your kids are toddlers or teens, there is something for everyone, including local works and bigger, well-known presentations.
3. Oak Hammock Marsh
A short drive north of Winnipeg, Oak Hammock Marsh is a beautiful wildlife management area that is perfect for nature watching with kids. The prairie marshes, aspen and oak forest, artesian springs, and tallgrass prairie landscapes are gorgeous, and your kids can see all kinds of animals, like deer, frogs, snakes, and several hundred species of birds. Check it out during the spring and fall, when the migrating birds are passing through. It’s also a good place to go snowshoeing or animal tracking in the winter, or canoeing or trail-walking during the rest of the year. The resident naturalists allows observers to watch the ID’ing and banding of birds.
4. Planetarium
The Planetarium’s Zeiss projector brings the mysteries of the nighttime sky to life in the multimedia theatre, showing constellations, meteor showers, the Aurora Borealis, and much more. Located inside the Manitoba Museum, the Planetarium has shows for old and young, including laser light shows with a Led Zeppelin soundtrack!
5. Manitoba Children’s Museum
The Manitoba Children’s Museum is a fantastic place for sparking your children’s imaginations and learning new things, all in the guise of fun! Located in the heart of Winnipeg, the Children’s Museum has all kinds of fun things to do, including a five-story lasagna noodle ready to be climbed, an illusion tunnel, a working vintage train locomotive, an exhibit allowing you to curl up into a huge cocoon, and more. There are a dozen new galleries to explore since the recent renovation, and a toddler-only area for families with little ones.
5. A Good Old Hockey Game!
Treat yourself and your kids to a piece of true Canadiana and see an NHL hockey game starring the Winnipeg Jets!
There are many more things to do with kids in Winnipeg, so get up and get busy!
Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/boblinsdell/
