Things to do

A Winnipeg invention that has taken the world by storm, Activate Games debuted in Winnipeg in January 2019. Since then, owners and co-creators Adam and Megan Schmidt have expanded to hundreds of locations across the US, Canada, Northern Europe, UAE and Malaysia. It’s like starring in an 8-bit video game, with your team of three-to-five players having 90 minutes to embark on a quest to beat as many levels and garner as many points as possible. The games/levels involve everything from ducking lasers, shooting hoops, avoiding an all-seeing eye, and jumping around in the ultimate floor is lava-type game.

And they’re off! Hear the thundering hooves as you sit trackside, or watch the jockeys urge their horse down the home stretch from the second-floor clubhouse or the third-floor open grandstand at Manitoba’s premier horse track. Get some tips from friendly Guest Services staff before you make your wager on each high-energy event. Open year-round, offering onsite dining and daily televised racing when live racing is out of season. Assiniboia Downs is also available for trade shows, private events and corporate gatherings

The city’s largest park flaunts ample gardens and greenspaces, the Lyric Stage for free entertainment throughout summer, the historic Pavillion with its galleries and two world-class attractions. The Leaf is a horticultural centre like no other, home to a Tropical and Mediterranean Biome, Butterfly Garden and Canada’s tallest indoor waterfall. Assiniboine Park Zoo features the most comprehensive Arctic species exhibit of its kind where polar bears swim overhead and muskox, Arctic fox and wolves all roam. You’ll also find numerous culinary opportunities and patios, from brunching at the Park Cafe to lunch and dinners at Gather Craft Kitchen & Bar.

Central Canada’s premier shopping mall boasts190 stores, three restaurants and a multiplex movie theatre. Just a short drive from downtown Winnipeg and the James Richardson International Airport, this impressive shopping centre features top brands from Apple to Aritzia, Forever 21, Harry Rosen, H&M, Victoria’s Secret, Zara and Uniqlo.

Bet on having some fun at the Casinos of Winnipeg. Club Regent offers dining, live entertainment including legendary rock, pop and comedy performers in its state-of-the-art Club Regent Event Centre, and plenty of gaming. McPhillips Station’s grand architecture is home to a vast variety of slots, table games and fun dining at its Loft 180.

See North America’s most complete (and handsome!) collection of turn-of-the-20th century buildings come alive during these witty and insightful walking tours. Choose from any number of thematic tours covering our colourful history – from the world-famous strike of 1919 to the birth of “terra cotta skyscrapers” and our once legal red-light district.

Your kids will jump for joy at the city’s largest trampoline park with its vast trampoline arena, bouncy basketball courts, foam pits and climbing walls. Amenities also include arcade games, pool tables, pizza and ample seating for adults who don’t want to bounce.

Dating back to 1809, Fort Gibraltar is a historic gathering place on the banks of the Red River. During summer and Festival du Voyageur, costumed interpreters bring the fort to life with demonstrations of traditional voyageurs’ skills and activities. This early 19th-century replica trading fort also offers a unique setting for meetings, conferences, receptions and dinners, with indoor and outdoor spaces inspired by the voyageurs and fur trade era. The Great Hall accommodates up to 140 for dinner or 188 for a reception, while Maison Chaboillez hosts up to 48 for dinner or 60 for a reception.

Six hundred-forty acres of pristine prairie, aspen forest and North America’s largest urban bison herd can all be encountered at this oasis in south Winnipeg. In summer, feel the wind in your hair canoeing or sailing its lakes. In fall, savour a farm-to-table meal as migrating birds fill the sky and descend on the wetlands at sunset. In winter, go cross-country skiing and snowshoeing on its many trails, then catch some speed on the Richardson Rrrun toboggan slide. The new Buffalo Crossing facility –– Canada’s greenest new building –– contains the Nature Nook store, event spaces and views of Muir Lake.

With bumper boats, mini golf, batting cages, trampoline basketball and three challenging go-kart tracks, Grand Prix Amusements has more than a little something for everyone in the east of the city. Plus, no bookings are required, while group rates are also available. Ages four and up for the go-karts.

Located right in the heart of Assiniboine Park Zoo, the Journey to Churchill is both the world’s most comprehensive Arctic species exhibit of its kind, and an unforgettable venue for all manner of events. Invite your guests to a one-of-a-kind venue where they’ll dine under dancing Northern lights in the Aurora Borealis Theatre and mingle in the Sea Ice Passage under swimming polar bears. Its expansive grounds are home to wolves, Arctic fox, snowy owls and muskox, while you can also casually dine in Tundra Grill where the dining room looks out on the massive polar bear enclosure.

Stand where Treaty No. 1 was signed by the seven chiefs of the Ojibwe and Swampy Cree First Nations, creating the foundation of modern Manitoba. Run your hand along a historically accurate York boat and imagine what it was like to travel from Hudsons Bay to this Red River settlement, which is still ringed by the original circa-1830s stone walls. Learn about the Indigenous communities in the surrounding area, watch costumed interpreters do historical demonstrations and explore the grounds which now includes a bison hide teepee and wigwam made by local Indigenous builders.

This cherished, kid-centric institution at The Forks is brimming with all manner of hands-on exhibits that inspire young minds. Here, your kiddos can board the train in the Engine House, make waves in the Splash Lab, slide through the Illusion Tunnel and make crafts at Pop m’Art, amongst many other exhibits that make learning so much fun.

This icon of neoclassical architecture is also a secretive temple of hermetic knowledge! You’ll find uses of the numbers 13 and 6 throughout, along with gorgons on the walls and two sphinxes on its roof carved by the Piccirilli brothers (who also did the colossal Abraham Lincoln in Washington). Winnipeg’s most famous figure stands on top of the building, a 17-foot-tall sculpture of Hermes called Eternal Youth (aka The Golden Boy). Explore the Manitoba Plaza with its stately fountain, while the grounds also feature numerous statues and plaques. Guided tours are also available.

Dancing for the Jumbotron at Canada Life Centre is officially a rite of passage for young hockey players in Winnipeg – and we guarantee your family will love doing it, too. During AHL Moose games, the arena turns into one big family friendly party, with refs that will constantly throw pucks to kids, Mick E. Moose banging on his drum, non-stop dance tunes and super fun vibes –– all replete with outstanding group ticket rates so whole families can affordably get great seats.

The region’s history is showcased in many delightful and striking ways at downtown’s legendary museum. Dinosaur buffs can marvel at world-class fossils like a 90-million-year-old Cretaceous-era pliosaur that once hunted the inland sea where you now stand. When you enter, you’ll pass the iconic life-sized Métis bison hunt diorama, which truly sets the tone as this place is packed with wondrous dioramas big and small you can lose yourself in for hours. The museum’s most famous item is the Nonsuch ketch, a replica 17th-century ship that traversed the Atlantic — board and explore and let your imagination set sail.

The province’s only professional opera company presents two full-scale productions each season, often featuring acclaimed artists from Canada and around the world. Attend pre-show chats and read the English translations projected above the stage during performances to enrich your opera experience.

This birder’s paradise offers a number of ways to explore the wetlands, from onsite canoe and bike rentals, to guided tours where you’ll get up close to the cattails. This important wetland is teeming with life in the summer, from colourful and vocal bird species, to countless amphibians and fowl. Its Discovery Centre has fascinating displays on the local flora and fauna, and you can lunch while overlooking the waters from both the dining room and patio.

Manitoba’s only dedicated outlet shopping centre flaunts 100+ fashion brands including Kate Spade, Michael Kors Outlet, Coach, Nike Factory Store, H&M and more. Located less than 20 minutes from the airport and downtown Winnipeg, Outlet Collection Winnipeg also offers exclusive benefits for tourists. Visitors shopping who live 60 km or more outside city limits can take advantage of special discounts and offers up to 25 per cent off from participating retailers!

Located in the heart of Downtown Winnipeg, PTE’s intimate 323-seat thrust stage hosts seven or more productions a season, from a variety of contemporary and new Indigenous works, to riotous comedies, compelling dramas and everything in between.

Canada’s largest and longest continually running outdoor theatre company, Rainbow Stage is Central North America’s premier destination for professional Broadway-inspired musical theatre. Each summer, they stage two open-air productions (usually musical comedies) under the dome in picturesque Kildonan Park, where you’re more than welcome to sing along in their iconic yellow chairs.

The Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada is a state-of-the-art facility that showcases the region’s history of flight. See artifacts that shaped and connected this vast region, along with whacky creations that didn’t really take off, like the flying saucer-inspired Avrocar and the very dangerous looking Froebe Helicopter. The flight plan here also includes inspiring stories of pioneering aviators and boarding multiple planes. As an event space, guests can enjoy an intimate cocktail reception in the Observation Lounge overlooking active runways, host a client appreciation event on the hangar floor surrounded by 20 vintage aircraft, or meet and network in private meeting rooms.

One of Winnipeg’s most striking buildings, designed by famed local architect Étienne Gaboury, the Mint’s mountain-like glass exterior is a sight to behold at sundown, glowing under an orange prairie sky. Inside, you can embark on guided tours that will have you holding a $600,000 gold bar (it’s really quite heavy), ogling over the Olympic gold medals that were made for Vancouver 2010, and witnessing millions of coins being produced for over 70 different countries. With so much in store, a trip to the Mint is always on the money.

Canada’s oldest regional theatre, each season Royal MTC produces ten plays at two venues as well as the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival, Pimootayowin: A Festival of New Work and an annual regional tour. From autumn to spring, you can catch marquee productions on the John Hirsch Mainstage, while just up the street the Tom Hendry Warehouse regularly hosts edgier fare.

Canada’s oldest ballet company and the longest continuously operating ballet company in North America is world renowned for its artistic excellence and boundary-pushing new works. The repertoire of Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet embraces a wide array of dance styles, including classical story ballets and an intriguing collection of shorter dances. The company stages three professional performances from October to May, along with Nutcracker every year during the Christmas season. Come summer, you can occasionally catch free performances on the Lyric Stage in Assiniboine Park.

Stand inside the oldest building in Winnipeg, and the largest oak log structure in North America. This rustic museum showcases objects related to the heritage of French-Canadian and Métis peoples. Originally built as the Grey Nuns Convent – a robust bunch if there ever was one – this museum also boasts the largest collection of Louis Riel artifacts in the country.

The south-east’s top mall just got an upgrade with Venetian Nail Spa, Lulu Lemon and the brand new Uniqlo joining its more than 150 shops. Located just 15 mins from downtown, the 631,000 square foot centre is “big enough to have it all and cozy enough to feel like home.”

Winnipeg’s Fort Garry Hotel not only provides an Old-World getaway in its castle-like setting, it is also one of Canada’s top spots for pampering. Its Ten Spa – located on the 10th floor – is luxury at its finest. Along with a number of body treatments and tranquil common areas, Ten Spa has made a name for itself with the hamam experience – a traditional Turkish bathing ritual meant for rest and rejuvenation. During the experience, on top of a massage, you’ll be exfoliated with salts before having water slowly poured over your limbs. It’s like heaven in a steamy, intricately tiled room.

A meeting place for more than 6,000 years, The Forks marks the intersection of the Red and Assiniboine rivers. Across 54 beautiful acres you’ll find a bustling central market; exceptional dining and accommodations; a world-class skate park; public art and all the best things a Winnipeg winter has to offer –– like skate rentals and access to one of the world’s longest frozen recreation trails. Embark on Indigenous-led walking tours, boat tours and self-guided bike tours (rentals onsite), then chill on one of Western Canada’s largest patios with a local beer or unique wine from its bar, The Common.

Located in Assiniboine Park, The Leaf offers three distinct biomes and several event spaces. Its Tropical Biome is brimming with towering palms and fruiting trees, all bathed in mist from Canada’s tallest indoor waterfall. Beside it, the arid Mediterranean Biome features Wollemi pines, succulents and fragrant herbs, while tucked within is the Display House, which changes quarterly. As an event space, along with accessing the biomes, there’s a large private space and the building’s atrium for mingling, the restaurant Gather Craft Kitchen & Bar, an indoor butterfly garden, along with 30 acres of thematic gardens that surround the building.

Family friendly, although tailored to a more adult clientele, The Rec Room makes much use of its 30,000 square foot setting. Its eclectic offerings include billiards, archery, axe-throwing, 10-pin bowling, AR archery, Virtual Reality games, car simulators and countless arcade games. They also host trivia nights, singles nights, live E-sports and so many more events.

This tranquil outdoor spa brings a bit of Scandinavia to the heart of Canada. Let the stress soak out of you in thermal pools situated amongst the pines, then sweat it out in a massive Finnish sauna before taking an icy plunge under a waterfall. Treat yourself to the best in body treatments and massage therapy indoors, then dine in your robe in its most excellent Restö. With steam rooms, relaxation areas with or without a fireplace, a misty beach and more, we’re certain you’ve never relaxed this hard. Book in advance, this place is popular no matter the season.

Thunder Rapids makes a big splash when it comes to family fun. Its impressive mini golf course has everything from a waterfall to an island green, while there’s five different types of go-karts, batting cages, a huge jungle gym, barbecue and picnic areas (with rentals onsite), and bumper boats with built-in water guns.

Indigenous-owned and operated by award-winning tourism operator Ashley Smith, a proud Anishinaabe woman, Turtle Tours offers several group experiences at two of the city’s most popular venues. From their headquarters at The Forks, you can embark on a guided walking tour that uncovers the area’s 6,000 year history, which saw waves upon waves of Indigenous peoples using the land over the centuries. During winter, at FortWhyte Alive, Turtle Tours hosts glamourous ice fishing experiences, with luxurious heated tents and the optional addition of guides and storytelling.

This massive, family-friendly entertainment centre has almost everything you can think of across its 43,000 square feet. There are 30 lanes for five-pin bowling replete with the latest on-lane technology, a specialty-built table tennis room, a laser tag arena, and a tonne of arcade games – including many new to Winnipeg.

All the charms of the worldly West End are revealed on these walking tours of downtown’s closest neighbour. The West End is brimming with restaurants whose owners come from across the world and on a West End Biz food tour you’ll go globetrotting across four distinct stops, starters through to dessert. Along the way, you’ll learn about the colourful murals and characters that add to the area’s charms. Mural walking tours also take place twice a day, five days a week, throughout the summer.

Bombers’ fans (aka Bomber Nation) are wild, and they’ll welcome you warmly to the best atmosphere in the CFL. The 32,343-capacity Princess Auto Stadium is stunning, and for the past four seasons the Bombers have continually set league-wide attendance records, selling out 14 consecutive games in 2025. Arrive early for the Princess Auto Pregame Tailgate (free admission), while inside the stadium you’ll love the zesty atmosphere with its beer snakes, Rum Hut, and Buzz and Boomer generating high-fives from the multigenerational fans (fun fact: It’s a 55-45 split of male and female game-day fans).

The best little stadium in baseball is located downtown between The Forks and Portage and Main. Goldeyes games are a blast because this lively organization understands what fans of minor league ball crave. From theme nights like Bark in the Park, where your section will be filled with furry friends, to Rock ‘n Wrestling Night featuring a pre-game on-field wrestling match and mask giveaway, every Goldeye game has that extra bit of spice. Come hungry to sample the local delicacies and feel free to watch the game in left field from the Craft Beer Corner. Affordable tickets and fireworks too!

Consistently ranked as one of the top locations in the world to watch hockey, Canada Life Centre goes off during Winnipeg Jets games. Being one of the most intimate arenas in the NHL, there’s not a bad seat in the house, while Jets fans are league legends for their saucy chants and ability to push the decibel level. With 41 home games from October to April, it’s easy to join the 15,000+ fans watching pro hockey at its finest. Canada Life Centre’s amenities also continue to improve after millions of dollars in renovations and the addition of local beer.

The Sea Bears have proved to be downtown’s hottest summer sports ticket, breaking back-to-back Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) attendance records in 2024 and 2025. Before the Bears tip-off at Canada Life Centre, revel in the pre-game parties for the whole family in True North Square, then join fans who are so much more than a sixth man when it comes to end-of-game Target Scoring. Theme nights bring everything from hip hop acts at half time, to live wrestling right beside the court. With tickets as low as $20, the Sea Bears are a slam dunk.

A powerhouse orchestra since its debut in 1948, the WSO continues to captivate audiences and guest artists alike with its outstanding musicianship. With Music Director Daniel Raiskin at the helm, the WSO presents timeless classics, exciting contemporary performers and blockbuster movies in concert throughout the year. The orchestra also hosts matinées, kids’ concerts and the internationally acclaimed Winnipeg New Music Festival to kick off each new year.

Cruise the streets of Winnipeg in style on this jolly orange historic-looking trolley. Keep your eyes peeled for possible film crews using the Exchange District as a stand in for New York or Chicago, feel the charm of the French Quarter, marvel at the mansions along Wellington Crescent, and learn more about Winnipeg’s connection to famous characters such as James Bond. With 70+ stops in two hours and tours departing twice a day from Winnipeg’s castle, the Fort Garry Hotel, this is the ultimate way to see the most of the city, all driven by fun storytelling.

Sightseeing, history and fun are all aboard Winnipeg Waterways. Look for the yellow pontoon boats at The Forks Historic Port to get current on river tourism from May to October, as wry captains showcase the top sites along the Assiniboine River. You’ll learn about the region’s unique history, how our rivers first served as ancient highways, and all about the public art and architecture you’ll see along the way. Tours run approximately 35 mins; seven days a week from noon until 8 p.m.