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41 www.tourismwinnipeg.com Winnipeg Itineraries by the Manitoba Theatre for Young People for one of their whimsical, kid-centric productions. Finally, you can hop on Splash Dash Tours for a riverboat experience that has the whole family seeing the city from a very different perspective. A little outside the city lies the peaceful wilderness of Oak Hammock Marsh, where you can escape into the wetlands with a whole heap of activities like paddling as a family through the marsh and hiking through the trails, or embark on some eco-exploration by finding whichever small critters call the marsh their home. Then, learn about banding and feel a bird's feathers flutter in your hand as you release it and let it soar freely into the wilderness. WITH GREAT POWER, COMES GREAT INDOOR ACTIVITIES: If the weather is looking stormy, or simply if you are looking for some excellent spots where the kiddies can still run themselves ragged indoors, check out these spots: In LaserTopia's 10,200 sq. ft. facility, kids can set their phasers to fun as they zap it up in a giant, two-level laser tag stadium, The Lost City. The setting is like something out of Indiana Jones, Avatar and Halo, making for quite the spectacle. They also have the latest high-tech video games with food and beverages for the whole family. Escape rooms like Enigma Escapes, The Real Escape, and Codebreakers let you cleverly navigate through puzzles, codes, and clues to reach freedom from a thematic adventure room, with lots of wildly imaginative options available for kids 10 and up. At Sky Zone Indoor Trampoline Park kids can jump around while getting fit and have high-flying fun in the mammoth trampoline park (all under safe supervision), while the rock climbing walls of Vertical Adventures offer uplifting, muscle- building times for kids 10 and up. If your children are under 12, bring them to Great Big Adventure, a sprawling 12,000 sq. ft. indoor park featuring a mammoth 3,000 sq. ft. play structure, which features seven 20 ft. slides, a mini-sticks hockey zone, obstacle courses, a mini basketball court, and a nifty section tailored specifically for toddlers. Families can try out their swings together at The Golf Dome, testing out the driving range, playing some virtual golf, or practicing their putting with some always delightful mini-golf. MISSION MUSEUM: Right in The Forks is a perfect diversion for rambunctious young-ones looking to spark their creative energies. Head to the Children's Museum, where kids under 9 can get hands-on with some fun, inventive programming. The Manitoba Museum offers kids a chance to run their own experiments in the Science Gallery, get taken on a journey of the cosmos in the Planetarium, or hop aboard a 17th century ship and see gigantic fossils in the main galleries. The Canadian Museum for Human Rights lets kids see how they can make a difference in their world with specific galleries aimed at them, inspiring them to understand more about their own personal rights, through engaging, interactive galleries. A tour at one of the most visually striking buildings in the city, the Royal Canadian Mint, will have families touching gold bars, Olympic medals, and discovering how massive strips of metal get pressed into thousands of coins per second. Artistic kids can get creative at the Winnipeg Art Gallery with week-long art camps for children 6 and up. Youngsters will get to experiment with new art forms to inspire them, while teens get to paint their very own mural on the walls of the WAG Studio building. SUPER SPORTS: Two of our three sports teams also play throughout the summer with affordable, excellent seating. Take the whole family to a 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. IT'S A BIRD, IT'S A PLANE, IT'S… FAMILY EVENTS: • Teddy Bears Picnic: bring your teddy bears to the cutest event in the city in Assiniboine Park on May 29th, when local entertainment, health and safety information, and fun activities for kids of all ages take place in support of the Children's Hospital Foundation of Manitoba • Kidsfest: a four-day festival at The Forks featuring some of Canada's best children's performers along with countless games and educational activities (June 9–12) • Red River Exhibition: you name it, the Ex has it, from amusement park rides, to food stalls serving up some "out there" creations, to agricultural shows, to nightly concerts from some of the region's hottest acts (June 17–26) • Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival: a slew of live theatre from local and international performers comes to town July 13-24, and you can always stop by Old Market Square for free entertainment and great festival food • Folklorama: the world's largest and longest-running multicultural festival takes over Winnipeg from July 31 to August 15 featuring song, dance, cuisine and teachings from every corner of the globe