Spring Break is coming up quick!
If you are planning to spend some of it in Winnipeg we highly recommend you pick up the Winnipeg Attractions Pass so you can see the most of the city all while saving big.
The Manitoba Museum, Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada, FortWhyte Alive, and Royal Canadian Mint are all part of this unique online pass, granting you up to 35 per cent off admission!
Here’s how you can maximize the three-day Winnipeg Attractions Pass this spring, along with a few other can't-miss spots to visit in Winnipeg along the way.
First night
Check in to your Winnipeg hotel and drop off those bags.
If you haven’t booked yet, use that link there to see all your options. You can also find exclusive packages and deals on our Packages and Deals website.
For your first dinner, The Forks Market is always a great choice as it offers an abundance of options all under one roof. Within the Market, you’ll find tacos, tapas, sushi, pizza, locally caught fish and chips, Greek, Sri Lankan, gourmet hot dogs and burgers and several other options (including house-made ice cream!), all executed by some of the city’s best restaurant groups, chefs and food truck operators. Ordering from the kiosks is seamless, plus there’s plenty of seating. It's quite possible you'll also appreciate the craft beer, unique wine options and craft cocktails from The Common (which also has an outdoor bar) and The Common Cocktails.
You can also use our Best Eats website anytime to find a delicious, unique locally owned restaurant, all laid out by category.
Day 1
Start with breakfast or room service from your hotel, then activate that three-day pass!
The Manitoba Museum is open seven days a week, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., making it a great first stop any time after opening. Here, you’ll encounter countless artifacts and specimens across a diverse lineup of exhibits depicting our region’s history. Marquee galleries like the Hudson’s Bay Company Gallery and Nonsuch Gallery––home to the famed 17th-century replica Nonsuch ship (which you can board!)––are surely can’t-miss experiences, but try to take in as much as you can, including the Earth History Gallery too.
In Earth History, you’ll find some show-stopping pieces like a giant sloth replica (which many people mistake for a dinosaur) and a 90-million-year-old pliosaur fossil that was excavated north-west of the city that is truly remarkable. Kids will love this section as dioramas depict the Western Interior Seaway that once covered where they stand. This body of water was also home to mosasaurs, those giant aquatic lizards that recently became popular due to the Jurassic World films and David Attenborough’s Prehistoric Planet series. The new Prairies Gallery will also astound, showcasing local flora and fauna everywhere you look––from birds and eagles hanging from the ceiling to foxes and badgers burrowing below the displays.
For lunch, The Manitoba Museum is surrounded with options—all of which are located within historic buildings with ample seating. Kids craving pizza will love the piled-on cheese at Corrientes, while its next-door neighbour Kevin’s literally specializes in mac n’ cheese. Saddlery on Market does everything right, from tacos to burgers and share plates, while Cibo Waterfront Café serves Italian right beside the Red River.
For the afternoon, take a journey through the interactive galleries of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR). Located at The Forks, it’s just a five-to-10-minute walk from all of the above, so there’s no need to even hop in a car.
You’ve never seen anything like the CMHR (unless you happen to be holding a CDN $10, which has the CMHR on the back). The facility’s glass cloud façade encases the building like the wings of a dove, and inside the interactive exhibits bring you from darkness to light.
Give yourself some time to contemplate the exhibits. The subject matter is telling and always impactful as the Museum urges visitors to strive for a better world for all people. Finish your CMHR visit at The Tower of Hope, which provides views of downtown, The Forks and Saint-Boniface across the Red River.
For Spring Break at the CMHR, admissions for kids 12 and under are free from March 23-31, while there will be new youth programming scheduled throughout the week from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Come evening, keep it central and see what else is happening downtown. If you are a group or family, check out spots like The Merchant Kitchen, which is celebrated for its international street food, The Tipsy Cow for a wide range of burgers or Hargrave Street Market with its kiosks slinging tacos, smash burgers, bountiful salads, sushi, ramen and wood-fired pizzas. Hargrave Street Market also offers excellent bar options: upstairs you can get craft cocktails from Rose Bar, and downstairs, you can grab a craft beer at the Lake of the Woods Brewing Company taproom.
Day 2
Make it a morning in the great outdoors at FortWhyte Alive (open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week). Located in the southwest of the city, this place is brimming with natural wonders, providing excellent birding year-round. Trails through the aspen forests are great for hiking and biking, while you can grab breakfast or brunch from the Buffalo Stone Café (opens at 9 a.m.) while looking out onto its lakes.
Once you’ve had your fill of nature, you might want to do a little retail therapy within the Seasons of Tuxedo area–just a five-minute drive from FortWhyte’s natural beauty. Shop at IKEA, Outlet Collection Winnipeg and several other big box stores, and stop at one of the locally owned eateries amongst all the chains for a bite. Check out the bustling Trans Canada Brewing taproom (it serves up some pretty impressive pizzas, and kids are welcomed), Holy Spice East Indian (a hidden gem on our Indian scene) or Snow & Moon Dessert Café (a super cute Korean spot serving up massive desserts).
Should you have energy to burn, The Hive Climbing gym is right there, with its multiple walls and motto, “You are never too young to start climbing.” For dinner, head to the West End to take your taste buds globetrotting. This cool, colourful neighbourhood is chock-full of murals depicting the area’s multiethnic history and has our highest concentration of restaurants. Feast on authentic Filipino, Mexican, Middle Eastern, Caribbean, Vietnamese or Ethiopian cuisine.
Day 3
Start your morning right on the money with one of Winnipeg’s best breakfasts (Clementine, Juneberry, or Marion Street Eatery to name a few) followed by a tour of The Royal Canadian Mint.
On your way into The Mint, you’ll notice the 'Parade of Flags’ representing the 73 countries for which The Mint manufactures coins. See state-of-the-art machines that produce millions coins and test your worldly knowledge through the interactive exhibits. Its gift shop contains many cool coins, memorabilia and special collectors’ items.
You still have one more stop to hit to finish off your pass––the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada––so on your way there, be sure to drive through South Osborne to experience lunch and snacks from a few can’t-miss locations. For snacks, along with Winnipeg-made products you’ll want to bring home, see Black Market Provisions. Further up the street, satisfy your sandwich cravings at the crazy delicious Hoagie Boyz or Andy's Lunch/Crumb Queen, then get yourself some of the best ice cream in Canada (they have the award to prove it) from Chaeban Ice Cream.
From there, see your expectations soar at your final destination, the Aviation Museum.
This brand-new facility presents the region’s history of flight in fascinating ways, combining giant artifacts (whole commercial aircraft you can board), with some of the strangest vehicles you can imagine to have ever flown (or attempted to). There are open-air helicopters that will have you scratching your head (or ducking your head if you imagine the blades rotating above), an experimental spaceship-like hovering car, plus plenty of historical tidbits. Being in the western part of the city, this is an incredible spot to see the sun start to set as the whole western façade of the building features floor-to-ceiling windows. There’s also a second-floor observation deck at Winnipeg Richardson International Airport where you can see planes in action.
Cap off your adventures in the area by starring in your own 8-bit-inspired game at Activate, or go for more shopping at CF Polo Park, central Canada’s nicest shopping centre. Brands here include Anthropologie, Apple, Disney, Lego and Aritzia. The surrounding area is home to a variety of unique, locally-owned restaurants, including gems like Preservation Hall, One Great City Brewing, all these other greats, and these bright new spots in Sunny St. James.
