Tourism Winnipeg

40 2015 SPRING/SUMMER EVENTS & ITINERARIES GUIDE Winnipeg There are so many places to bring the kids in Winnipeg that we could write a novel in this section, but for the sake of this being a guide, that wouldn't be novel at all, would it? So here below we're highlighting the very best to get the most oohs and aahs out of your little ones. If you follow this itinerary closely it will help validate your "Mom is the Coolest" or "Best Dad Ever" shirt (which we still don't recommend you wear in public), all while you get to have your own fun in the process. For starters, fuel up your family at a Salisbury House, a delectable local chain that knows how to handle little ones. From there, it's off to the races at Grand Prix Amusements whose Grand Prix (ages 10+) or Formula Fun (14+) tracks are guaranteed to start your family's engines. Even the little ones can get in on the action on its bumper boats and bumper cars. They also have pirate-themed mini golf, batting cages, and a host of water weaponry that is guaranteed to have you soak up some good times. And speaking of getting soaked, you can also take your kids to Fun Mountain Waterslide Park where water slides, tunnels, and multiple pools are an ideal place to beat the summer heat. If it's a boat life for you, may we suggest fishing, canoeing or kayaking at FortWhyte Alive, Winnipeg's urban nature reserve. It is studded with more wetlands, wildlife and family-friendly activities than you can toss a spear at, which you can learn how to do on FortWhyte's A Prairie Legacy: The Bison and its People tour. (Don't worry, your kids will not be throwing the spear at bison, but you can get close to them to hear them grunt and munch on grass). Water also features (pun intended) at Assiniboine Park in the summer where splash pads are part of the kid-centric Nature Playground. This year-round play zone is especially inciting in the heat with its snaky slides, water and sand feature, children's garden – which contains these massive whimsical creatures made from vegetation–willow tree tunnels, net bridges, and modern climbing, running and jumping apparatuses. Plus, the Assiniboine Park Zoo is right there too featuring over 200 animals along with the incredible Journey to Churchill exhibit – the world's most comprehensive northern species exhibit – where your family will be absolutely awestruck at the sight of our seven polar bears swimming and playing (which you can watch from below through a clear acrylic tunnel). So to recap, in one day in Winnipeg you can get nose-to-nose (through a thick acrylic window, thankfully), with the world's largest land predator – the polar bear, along with North America's largest animal, the bison at FortWhyte Alive. No bull! While you are at the zoo, tuck into lunch or dinner at The Tundra Grill, whose 150-foot-wide wall of nine-foot-high windows allows the polar bears to come watch you dine, which they will. There is also the Park Café inside the Qualico Family Centre. With its sunny patio and panoramic floor- to-ceiling windows that look out on Assiniboine Park's duck pond and vast green spaces, it's an ideal spot to keep the kids occupied for a quick meal. Just outside of Winnipeg is A Maze in Corn, an old-school adventure park that includes a gigantic corn maze in late summer (it's over 10 feet high!), ziplining (which opens in June), a petting zoo, and pony and hayrides. Two of our three sports teams also play throughout the summer with affordable, excellent seating. Take the whole family to the ball game at Shaw Park, centrally located downtown, where there is not a bad seat in the house when watching the Winnipeg Goldeyes minor league baseball club. Our Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League bring high-tempo excitement inside Investors Group Field right into early winter. Family Fun Fun Mountain Waterslide Park: Henry Quach of HQ Photography Nature Playground at Assiniboine Park: Dan Harper

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