# Brand new experiences for group tours in Winnipeg \- Winnipeg **URL:** [View](https://winnipegdev.dci-test.com/brand-new-experiences-for-group-tours-in-winnipeg/) **Last Updated:** 2026-11-05T18:49:46+00:00 **Summary:** Gorgeous new interpretive centres and Indigenous-owned experiences lead the way We’re always coming up with new experiences and attractions in Winnipeg –– and 2025 is no exception. This summer has seen a new tour at The Forks that celebrates the site’s 6,000-year history, along with two stunning new additions to our most cherished natural attractions that are guaranteed to wow your group. Plus, the Manitoba Museum has created a new online resource to learn local Indigenous languages. \*\*\* ## Turtle Tours at The Forks This summer, The Forks saw the opening of its newest tour operator at the province’s most visited tourism centre. [Turtle Tours (opens in new window)](https://www.turtletours.ca/) is owned and operated by award-winning tourism operator Ashley Smith, a proud Anishinaabe Ikwe woman. She runs the company with her daughter Jaylee Smith, from Gambler First Nation, and Ella Flett-McMahon, an Anishinaabe woman, who both work as tour guides. Leaving directly from the Turtle Tours office at The Forks Market, the 45-minute walking tour takes you around these grounds that are home to over 6,000 years of Indigenous history. You’ll learn about the public art and artifacts on display, and about the movement of Clovis peoples to the area after the end of the ice age. The tour follows the Assiniboin, Cree, Dakota and later, Ojibway peoples who came to the area centuries later, and finishes with the birth of the Métis nation. You’ll walk beside the rivers and uncover their importance as trade routes. You will also discover the life of John “The Falcon” Tanner – a fascinating man who lived between the worlds of the Ojibway and white settlers, whom Ashley and Jaylee are descendants of. It’s a fascinating experience, and one that also showcases the inherent beauty of The Forks –– including new initiatives like its orchard –– while you’ll also be given time to reflect upon residential schools as we work toward Reconciliation. Tours run all summer long (perhaps as late as October 30) and can be booked for groups of up to 35. ## Buffalo Crossing at FortWhyte Alive FortWhyte Alive’s new Buffalo Crossing centre is not only stunning, it is also Manitoba’s most sustainable building. This purpose-built educational facility is located at a new entrance point for FortWhyte Alive off McGillivray Boulevard. Here, student groups can learn about sustainability and prairie ecosystems, through plenty of hands-on tours and experiences. It’s also connected via a bridge across Muir Lake to the rest of FortWhyte Alive, where 660-acres of reclaimed urban landscapes feature lakes for canoeing and sailing, aspen forests for hiking and birding, marshlands for dipnetting, and so much more to enthrall your students. Whether it’s summer or winter, or any season in between, FortWhyte Alive’s expert interpreters and noted [school programs (opens in new window)](https://www.fortwhyte.org/educators/school-programs/) provide countless interactive learning experiences for your students. ## Oak Hammock Marsh’s newly revamped Wetland Discovery Centre Just north of Winnipeg is where you’ll find Oak Hammock Marsh, one of the most important wetlands and migratory stopovers in Canada. Its marshlands are brimming with countless bird, amphibian and mammal species, many of which you can get up close to on large voyageur canoes, or in hip waders. But before you embark on a tour, you must take in all the glory that is its newly remodelled and greatly expanded Wetland Discovery Centre – which provides stunning views of the marsh from its terraces. This new centre is open year-round and features numerous dioramas and exhibits on all the creatures found below, along with many fun interactive elements that will teach students about ecology. With so many adventurous [student programs (opens in new window)](https://www.oakhammockmarsh.ca/programs-and-events/) on offer, Oak Hammock Marsh excels at sparking young minds. Plus, educators will be pleased to note that its signature experiences, which include bird banding, paddling its waters, and finding out your wing span in relation to birds found in the marsh (mine is the same as a great blue heron, which is pretty cool). ## Learn animals in Ojibwe with Manitoba Museum Winnipeg is home to the largest Indigenous population in Canada and is located on Treaty 1 Territory, the traditional lands of the Anishinaabeg (Ojibwe), Anishininewuk (Cree), Dakota Oyate, Denesuline, and Nehethowuk Nations, and the homeland of the Red River Métis. At the Manitoba Museum, you’ll find numerous exhibits detailing these peoples way of life and their histories, while the museum has also developed a new online tool to assist students in learning Anishinaabemowin (the Ojibwe language). > [ View this post on Instagram (opens in new window)](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DH3jDbvsZlr/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading) > > [A post shared by Manitoba Museum (@manitobamuseum) (opens in new window)](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DH3jDbvsZlr/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading) [Anishinaabemowin with Amik (opens in new window)](https://manitobamuseum.ca/anishinaabemowin-with-amik/?promo=) is a free, interactive online language game that teaches the names of species found throughout the museum and surrounding lands. The game teaches pronunciation, the significance of animals like amik (beaver), and more, giving future visitors a better understanding of Ojibwe culture while supporting the revitalization of this language.