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year where you can learn about its mythological and Hermetic-based architecture and sculptures. For even more insights into the city's famed architecture, the Winnipeg Architecture Foundation (winnipegarchitecture.ca/tours) has placed QR codes on some of the city's most beloved buildings, providing insightful information on each site. The Foundation also regularly hosts free walking tours, while Heritage Winnipeg's marquee event—Doors Open Winnipeg— allows you to join free group tours of Winnipeg's most fascinating buildings for one weekend at the end of May. Learn about The Forks, Manitoba's most-visited tourism centre, using its self-guided audio walking tour (available at theforks.com). Narrated by award-winning columnist and Indigenous academic Niigaan Sinclair, the tour will guide you to the area's most noteworthy sites, all while providing context on the area's 6,000 years of Indigenous history. In winter, The Forks' Winter Park is always free too, while Parks Canada often has free programming on at Fort Parka (located behind the Manitoba Children's Museum) all summer long. And of course, there's the Nestaweya River Trail, with its main access point at The Forks Historic Harbour. You can skate, ski, walk or bike the trail throughout winter (ice conditions are updated daily) all while checking out its signature warming huts—which are the result of an international design competition—that dot the Red and Assiniboine Rivers. Just across Main Street from the Forks, you'll find Upper Fort Garry Provincial Park. Enter via its original circa 1853 limestone gate, then head to the colossal Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries Heritage Wall where you can watch daily sound and light shows. Its free CanNect Upper Fort Garry app (available at upperfortgarry.com) brings the park to life while you explore, showcasing unique features while shining a light on this unique space's history. Museums and more The city is brimming with free museums and galleries. This includes the Winnipeg Police Museum, the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and the Oseredok Ukrainian Cultural and Educational Centre, where you'll find one of the largest pysanky (Easter egg) collections in North America, along with a fine art collection featuring more than 900 works and an inspiring boutique. Winnipeg also has several by-donation museums, including Seven Oaks House Museum, Ross House Museum, Transcona Museum and the Fire Fighters Museum. WAG-Qaumajuq is free on the second Sunday of every month for Canada Life Free Sundays. Its first floor, featuring nearly 5,000 stone carvings displayed in striking fashion in a two-story glass vault, is also always free to view. The Manitoba Museum provides free admissions on the first Friday of every month, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. For even more art, be sure to mark your calendar for late September for Nuit Blanche Winnipeg, an all-night examination of the city's creative side. Taking place across the Exchange District, The Forks and Saint-Boniface, Nuit Blanche features free art installations, happenings, tours and more, all of which you must experience to believe. Doors Open Winnipeg, photo courtesy of Heritage Winnipeg 13 tourismwinnipeg.com BUDGET-FRIENDLY/FREE THINGS TO DO IN WINNIPEG