Tourism Winnipeg

inside the Pavilion — where you'll learn about the world's most-famous bear's connection to the city; Winnipeg Art Gallery at the Pavilion; and the Qualico Family Centre — a restaurant and event space overlooking the duck pond. In the afternoon, a trip to FortWhyte Alive — a picturesque nature reserve located right within the city — is surely in order. Here, your group can experience another Canadian Signature Experience, that being A Prairie Legacy: The Bison and its People. This tour gets you up close to a grunting, munching herd of North America's largest land animal, the bison (FYI: bison are heavier than polar and grizzly bears), while learning their importance in the history of the region's Indigenous peoples. You'll be regaled with tales in a Plains Cree Tipi, and either go snowshoeing in winter, or paddling on FortWhyte's lakes in robust Voyageur canoes in summer. DAY 3 Spend the day exploring two of the city's most-visited areas, those being The Forks and St. Boniface. Manitoba's number one attraction, The Forks National Historic Site, is a four-season destination. Some of its many features include: a world-class skate park; entertaining walking tours from Parks Canada; a bustling market — home to shops selling local wares and food kiosks by some of Winnipeg's best restaurants; river boat tours in the summer and the world's longest naturally frozen skating trail in the winter; and spiffy art installations like the Cool Gardens (summer) and Warming Huts (winter), which have been designed by some of the globe's most well-known architects, artists, and design firms. Immerse your group in French-Canadian culture by spending the afternoon in Winnipeg's French Quarter, St. Boniface. Begin with a guided walking tour of the neighbourhood, where you'll discover the unique architecture, atmosphere and charm of this vibrant community that reflects both the determination and joie de vivre of Franco- Manitobans. You can learn more about this charming neighbourhood's history at the Tourism Riel office, where At the Heart of Manitoba's Francophone Community is shown daily in French and English. This 40-minute documentary portrays the trials, achievements and struggles of a community meant to disappear, but which has instead persevered and is today a vibrant part of Winnipeg's cultural fabric. In the evening, head to the Manitoba Legislative Building, one of the most fascinating and impressive neoclassical buildings in Canada. Its primary architect, Frank Worthington Simon, was a freemason who secretly created a temple of hermetic knowledge using symbolism, Greek and Assyrian mythology, hieroglyphics and numerical architectural features — a fact that lay hidden in plain sight for over a century. On a Hermetic Code Tour — A Canadian Signature Experience often hosted by Dr. Frank Albo, the architectural historian who uncovered this mystery — this staggering building will be brought to life in an evening of intrigue that will ensure you never look at architecture the same way. Hermetic Code Tour: William Au Snowshoeing at FortWhyte Alive: Kristin McPherson winnipeggroups.com 2019 TRAVEL TRADE PLANNER 7

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