Best List, Essentials Listings

Manitoba’s Best Museums

Winnipeg's many museums offer lovers of art, history, science and more the opportunity to dig in and learn something new. With interactive exhibits, stunning design, and important artifacts, add these must-see-em's to your summer bucket list.

Air Force Heritage Park & Museum

The largest outdoor park of its kind in Canada, featuring 13 aircraft tracing the history of military flight in Canada, ranging from a Second World War aircraft to a CF-5 fighter. See rare artifacts including two Victoria Crosses and one of only twelve remaining Battle of Britain Lace Tapestries in the world.

Hours: Indoor museum open Mon-Fri 10 am-3 pm. Guided tours by appt please call ahead.
Admission: Free.
Location: The Air Command Air Force Way, north of Sharp Blvd

Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre

This discovery centre is home to the most extensive collection of marine reptile fossils in Canada and features the world’s largest mosasaur Bruce, who swam the deep seas approximately 80 million years ago. Museum tours available for booking.

Hours: Mon-Fri 10am – 6pm; Sat-Sun noon – 6pm
Admission: Adults $8.25; Students $5.25 (5 – 18 y/o and University/College Students); Family $18.25 (2 adults, any number of children)
Location: 111-B Gilmour St, Morden, 204-822-3406

Canadian Museum For Human Rights

The CMHR is the first museum dedicated solely to the history, evolution, celebration, and future of human rights. This national museum aims to educate and inspire Canadians to take action against hate and oppression, working towards a better world. Follow its gorgeous design through rotating exhibitions up to a beautiful glass-paned tower for an unequaled view of the city.

Hours: Daily 10 am-5 pm, Wed 10 am-9 pm.
Admission: $16/adult, $8/youth, $13/students and seniors, $45/family, members and children under 6 free.
Location: 85 Israel Asper Way, 204‑289‑2000 or 1‑877‑877‑6037

Dalnavert Museum

See how the city’s upper crust lived at this turn-of-the-last-century home. The restored home of Sir Hugh John Macdonald, former Premier of Manitoba, is one of Winnipeg’s finest examples of Queen Anne Revival architecture. The lavish interior is decorated with period antiques dating back to the Victorian era.

Hours: Wed-Sun 12 pm-4 pm.
Admission: Adults $6, seniors/students $5, children $4, groups of 10 or more $4 each.
Location:61  Carlton St, 204-943‑2835, friendsofdalnavert.ca

Lower Fort Garry National Historic Site

Lower Fort Garry is a historic trading post that offers insight into the lives of Hudson’s Bay Company trappers and Canada’s First Nations people. Self-guided tours through the site’s stone buildings demonstrate 19th century skills like blacksmithing, wool processing, and hearth cooking. Also the location where Treaty 1 was signed.

Hours: Mon-Fri 10am – 4pm
Admission: Adult $12.50, Senior $10.75, Youth free
Location: 5925 Provincial Trunk Hwy 9, St. Andrews, MB, 204-785-6055

Manitoba Agricultural Museum

Located in Austin, this museum is a wealth of prairie and pioneer history. You can explore churches, log cabins, grist mills and schools, as there are over 20 pioneer buildings on‑site. The grounds also includes the Manitoba Amateur Radio Museum.

Hours: Oct-May 11 2016 Mon-Fri 9 am – 4 pm. Open daily 9 am-5 pm. Oct 1 and onward some buildings remain open, Mon-Fri 9 am-4:30 pm.
Admission: Adult $10, senior/student $8, kids $5, under 5 years free.
Location: 1.5 hours west of Winnipeg, 1‑204‑637‑2354, ag-museum.mb.ca

Manitoba Children's Museum

Enchanting exhibits made for tiny hands and inquisitive minds create an exciting environment for learning and play. A variety of interactive exhibits are perfect for little ones with big imaginations and energy levels.

Hours: Daily 9:30am – 4:30pm
Admission: All Ages $12
Location: 45 Forks Market Rd, 204-924-4000

Manitoba Electrical Museum & Education Centre

Explore the history of electricity in Manitoba from the 1800s to the future. Interactive and interesting exhibits include a replica turn-of-the-last-century tram car and a towering robot made of 50 home appliances.

Hours: Tue-Sat 1-4 pm
Admission: adults/youth $3 (5 & under free)

Location: 680 Harrow St, 204-360-7905

The Manitoba Museum

Start amid a stampeding buffalo hunt and travel through Manitoba’s history at this celebrated museum. Gaze up at towering dinosaurs, walk the deck of the famous Nonsuch ketch, watch a silent movie in 1920s Winnipeg and explore the ancient Ordovician Sea that once covered Churchill. Explore the Arctic/Sub-Arctic gallery, and learn about Manitoba’s barren northland.

Hours: Tue-Fri 10 am-4 pm, Sat & Sun 11 am-5 pm. Adult $12, senior/student $10, youth $7, under 3 free
Admission: Adult $12, senior/student $10, youth $7, under 3 free.
Location: Centennial Centre, 190  Rupert Ave, 204-956‑2830 or 204‑943‑3139

Manitoba Sports Hall Of Fame

Whether it’s curling or hockey, golf or softball, Manitoba has been the breeding ground for some great athletes. Here you’ll see their smiling portraits, signed jerseys, vintage equipment and other artifacts including the AVCOCup and Clara Hughes’s bike from the ‘96 Olympics. Take a look at the evolution of sport in Manitoba, from uniforms to stadiums.

Hours: Tues-Sat 10 am-4 pm
Admission: By donation.
Location: 145 Pacific Ave, 204‑925‑5936

Mennonite Heritage Village

Set on 17 hectares of land that spread out from one village street, the park replicates life in an early Mennonite village. It includes period houses, a blacksmith shop, general store, the Old Colony Church, schools and a replica 1877 windmill. Learn more about the Mennonite experience from 1525 to the present at the on-site museum and visit the Livery Barn for a sample of traditional foods.

Hours: Open October until April, Mon-Fri 9 am-5 pm
Admission: Adult $12, senior/student $10, children (6-12) $6, annual family pass $50.
Location: Forty minutes east of Winnipeg, 2 km north of Steinbach, 1‑204‑326‑9661 or 1‑866‑280‑8741

New Iceland Heritage Museum

Located in the Icelandic community of Gimli, the New Iceland Heritage Museum allows you to visit ywo exhibits in two locations. At the Waterfront Centre, the story of New Iceland is told through multi‑media exhibits. Discover the history of Lake Winnipeg and see its inhabitants in a 500‑gallon aquarium at the Lake Winnipeg Visitor Centre. Call for hours.

Admission: Adults $7, seniors/youth $6, children under 6 free, family $15, guided group tour $4/person.
Location: Gimli, one hour north of Winnipeg on Hwy 8, 204‑642‑4001

Royal Aviation Museum

A newly renovated and reimagined gallery focusing on Canada’s aviation and aerospace heritage. Filled to the brim with 90 reconstructed aircraft and 70,000 artifacts. While visiting, be sure to climb aboard the Vicker’s Viscount vintage airplane, which illustrates the former luxury and style of commercial flight. 

Hours: Daily 10am – 5pm
Admission: Adult $15, Senior/Student $12, Youth $9
Location: 2088 Wellington Ave, 204-786-5503

St. Boniface Museum

Discover the history of the early days of Winnipeg’s Francophone community. The building is the oldest in Winnipeg, and the largest oak log structure in all of North America. Inside, the museum depicts the day-to-day lives of the French and Métis people of the early Red River Settlement. A statue honouring Louis Riel stands on the front lawn of the building, which was once the Grey Nuns’ Convent. Featured exhibits include: Louis Riel: Son of Red River, Father of Manitoba and The Cathedrals of St. Boniface.

Hours: Mon-Wed, Fri 10 am-4 pm, Thu 9 am-9 pm, Sat 12 pm-4 pm, closed Sun.
Admission: Adults/youth $7, children under 11 free, family $20.
Location: 494  Taché Ave, 204‑237‑4500

Winnipeg Art Gallery

Nine galleries feature constantly changing exhibitions of local, Canadian and international art. The newly renovated Qaumajuq centre houses the world’s largest collection of contemporary Inuit art; a two-storey glass vault holds nearly 5,000 stone sculptures. Rooftop restaurant and The Gallery Shop on-site.

Hours: Tue-Sun 11 am-5 pm, Fri 11 am-9 pm                                                                                                                      Admission: WAG members free, adults $18, seniors/students $14, children 5 and under free, family $46
Location: 300 Memorial Blvd, 204‑786‑6641

Winnipeg Police Museum

See artifacts showing the history of the Winnipeg police force. Displays include an exhibit of the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919, original bomb suits and a 1925 police patrol wagon.

Hours: Tue-Fri 10 am-3 pm. Group tours available.
Admission: Free.
Location: Winnipeg Police Headquarters, 245 Smith St, 204‑986‑3976

Winnipeg Railway Museum

The railway played a major role in the development of this city and the museum’s goal is to preserve that heritage. Among other artifacts the museum is home to the first steam locomotive on the Canadian prairies, The Countess of Dufferin.

Hours: Mon & Thu 9 am-4 pm, Tue 10 am-4 pm, Wed, Fri-Sun 11 am-4 pm
Admission: Adult $7,senior/students $6, years 3-15 $5, 3 and under free, family $20
Location: VIA Rail Station, 123  Main St, 204‑942‑4632