Top Things to See in Winnipeg: Forks, Museums, Mint, and More

Winnipeg—Manitoba's capital—blends history, culture, and prairie spirit. Must-visits:

1. The Forks National Historic Site – Confluence of Red & Assiniboine Rivers. 6,000 years of gathering. Now: markets, restaurants, Canadian Museum for Human Rights (iconic architecture), Winnipeg Art Gallery (Inuit art), riverwalk, skate plaza (winter).
2. Exchange District National Historic Site – 20 blocks of 1880s–1910s warehouses. Galleries, boutiques, cafés, Centennial Concert Hall, Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre.
3. Royal Canadian Mint – Winnipeg facility produces all Canadian circulation coins + collector coins. Tours: see massive presses, gold refinery, Olympic medals.
4. Manitoba Museum – Province's history (fur trade, immigrants, fossils), Planetarium, Science Gallery.
5. Assiniboine Park & Zoo – 1,100+ animals (polar bears!), Leo Mol Sculpture Garden, English Garden, steam train, The Leaf (tropical conservatory).
6. Saint Boniface – French quarter: Cathedral-Basilica, Louis Riel's grave, Festival du Voyageur (Feb).
7. Canadian Museum for Human Rights – Separate entry; 10 galleries, Tower of Hope. World's first national HR museum.

Food scene: Pierogies, pickerel, bannock, craft beer (Half Pints, Torque), indigenous cuisine (Feast). Winter: Festival du Voyageur, skating on frozen rivers, RAW:almond art.