Winnipeg, the capital of Manitoba, is a modern metropolis, yet its many attractions proudly extoll the heritage and beauty of the prairies and woodlands that surround it. The city's history as Canada's "Gateway to the West" is evident in its oldest buildings, best revealed with a walk through its oldest neighborhoods. When the weather demands it, head indoors and enjoy some of Winnipeg's excellent cultural institutions, which rank among its most popular sites to visit.
The Forks National Historic Site is notable as the most-visited attraction in Winnipeg and the location of the first permanent European settlement in the Canadian West. The site, where the Red and Assiniboine Rivers intersect, has been a meeting place for some 6,000 years. Native North Americans gathered, traded and camped at the spot during migrations, later becoming middlemen between fur trappers and traders. Two forts once guarded The Forks, but the oldest buildings standing today were constructed during the early 20th century. The 20-block Exchange District National Historic Site is the original center of Winnipeg. Its 150 heritage buildings, built between 1880 and 1913, are relics of an era when the grain trade was booming. Guided walking tours of the district are available throughout June, July and August. Themed tour options include a food tour exploring Winnipeg's culinary scene; a tour showcasing newspaper row, where the city's competing early papers were published; and a death and debauchery tour, with sordid tales of vice in the old city.
Among Winnipeg's numerous museums and galleries are the Manitoba Museum, comprising nine permanent galleries, a state-of-the-art planetarium and revolving special exhibits. Highlights include a 17th-century ship, a northern lights exhibit and a gallery where you can learn how farmers and herders replaced bison in dominating the prairies. Established in 1912, the Winnipeg Art Gallery was the first civic art gallery in Canada. Its mission today is to promote Manitoba artists, as well as display a diverse collection of art from all over the globe. The gallery boasts the world's largest collection of Inuit art, including sculptures carved from stone, whale and caribou bones and antlers. Textile wall hangings handmade by Inuit women in the 1970s are also on display. Other interesting museums in Winnipeg include the Living Prairie Museum, with 30 acres of wildflowers, and the interactive Manitoba Children's Museum.
Winnipeg's French Quarter includes several popular tourist attractions, among them the Archbishop’s House, on the banks of the Red River in St. Boniface. Its west wing is one of the oldest stone buildings still standing in Western Canada. Take a walk across the striking Esplanade Riel Bridge, which connects the French Quarter with downtown Winnipeg, for unmatched panoramic views of the city. The Cathedrale de Saint-Boniface offers free guided tours on Saturdays during the summer. You can also take a guided walking tour of Old St. Boniface, the heart of the French Quarter. Tours of the Royal Canadian Mint, where every single Canadian coin in circulation is produced, are available year-round.
Assiniboine Park is one of Winnipeg's top attractions for families, hosting the Assiniboine Park Zoo, a nature playground, a conservatory of more than 8,000 plants, a miniature steam-train ride and an art gallery with a sculpture garden. A double-decker bus runs around the park from May to September, stopping at all the major attractions. Be sure to visit the Winnie the Bear Statue, honoring a brown bear named after Winnipeg, later inspiring the character Winnie-the-Pooh. FortWhyte, a 640-acre natural recreation area about eight miles outside the city, offers walking and cycling trails through a forest habitat, a 70-acre bison prairie and lakes where you can canoe and fish.
