Issue link: http://tourismwpg.uberflip.com/i/763284
Children's Museum Manitoba Museum Journey to Churchill: Nicole Bartecki Family Fun You won't need to tell the kids this — as they'll be all over Instagram and Snapchat upon arrival with their iPads — but there are a couple #hashtags you need to know when looking for fun #onlyinthepeg in order to be the #bestparentsever. First off, there's #meetmeattheforks, which we assure you has nothing to do with carnivorous eating habits. Meet me at The Forks refers to The Forks, Winnipeg's most visited tourist destination no matter the season. During summer, you'll find near endless public art-strewn tree-lined trails; Cool Gardens and other artsy design- savvy elements; water taxis that will show you the best of the city along the Red and Assiniboine rivers; along with fun occurrences and events like Salsa Sundays, skaters shredding one of Canada's best skateboard parks and so much more. Come winter, The Forks becomes the definition of a winter wonderland. It's home to one of the world's longest naturally frozen river trails, where you can skate as far as the eye can see in both directions amongst brilliantly designed warming huts; a snowboard park; horse-drawn carriage rides and everything in between. All year at The Forks you have the Children's Museum — whose exhibits, play structures and displays will even entertain adults; Manitoba Theatre for Young People — who put on productions from October to April; The Oodena Celebration Circle — which hosts Pow Wows and pays homage to the area's 6,000 years of Aboriginal history via sculptures and interpretive signage; The Public Market — with its locally crafted stores and wine and beer hall called The Common (where you can get great food for the kids too); and of course, the stunning Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR). The CMHR itself is an awe-inspiring spot to say the least, with a design and architecture so spectacular there are tours dedicated solely to highlighting its façade and features. Inside its ever- climbing galleries you'll be immersed in human rights stories from across the globe, while the Museum is also an expert in creating content specifically to educate kids, frequently playing host to student groups and classes. The other major exhibit you simply can't miss involves #polarbears — massive full grown rescued ones who will swim right over your family's heads in the Sea Ice Passage at the Journey to Churchill in Assiniboine Park. This place is so amazing that your kids will freak out while you adults will be stopped in your tracks — which is the pretty standard reaction when you get nearly nose to nose with these playful polar bears, along with Arctic fox, wolves, snowy owls, muskox and other northern animals. The exhibit also contains an amazing indoor polar-themed play area and the Tundra Grill — where you can eat lunch while watching the bears roam the mammoth grounds. Plus, the rest of the zoo is just as amazing featuring over 80 acres of enclosures and over 200 different species ranging from snow leopards to a Goliath birdeater spider (which is the largest spider in the world). Another stunner of an edutainment centre is the Manitoba Museum, which is filled to the gills with life-sized dioramas along with replicas of the sea serpents, dinosaurs and giant mammals that once walked this very land. Their interactive science gallery and planetarium are both super cool for the kids, while everyone loves walking the plank onto the Nonsuch, a massive replica 17th century ship that sailed into Hudson Bay in 1668 (to get it here, they actually sailed this replica from England to mark the 300 year history of the Hudson Bay company in 1970). 10 2017 OFFICIAL VISITOR'S GUIDE Winnipeg