Attention parents: Spring Break is creeping up fast, and it’s about time you started to make your plans for Peg City.
We have great deals going on right now for hotels including The Hotel Fort Garry – whose Unplug package will see you spa-ing, wining and dining in the city’s most majestic property (perhaps for just a day or two as a staycation away from the kids – wink, wink), and Inn at the Forks – where your stay gets you cash towards some possibly much-needed craft cocktails at their handsome SMITH restaurant and lounge. As well, a three nights stay gets you 20 per cent off at Holiday Inn Winnipeg South.
On top of that, you can get discounted tours – which are worldly and worth their weight in gold – at the outstanding Royal Canadian Mint.
All these packages can be found right here, at our Packages and Deals website.
Now that we have that sorted, here’s what's going down in the city while you are here.
Specifically For the kids
Coinciding with Manitoba’s Spring Break (March 26-April 1), the biggest kid-centric event is The Festival of Fools, a seven-day free family festival that takes place annually at The Forks. This is a real spectacle for the senses, with a daily dose of jugglers, acrobats, clowns (fun ones, not the scary kind) and trapeze artists – who just may help your little ones become part of the show. Click here for a full schedule.
Kicking off the month is the 21st Annual Freeze Frame International Film Festival for Kids of All Ages (March 5-12). Who knows, you could be raising the next Wes Anderson or Guy Maddin, so why not take your kids to this eight-day festival that features over 40 films and 150 hours of workshops run by film industry experts.
For the budding little biologist in your life, Assiniboine Park Zoo is hosting a Spring Break Zoo Camp from March 27-31. During each day of Zoo Camp kids will take part in a thematic educational and experiential adventure at exhibits throughout the zoo. Both week-long enrolment and individual day camps are available. For more info click here.
The Big Ten
If you are coming with your family, it's very likely that polar bears, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (that stunning building that your kids will be marvelling at), and our celebrated museums, galleries, tours and outdoor activities are all going to be on your agenda.
On that note, check out our Top 10 Must Sees (as stipulated by regular visitors) which will explain why FortWhyte Alive, the Winnipeg Art Gallery, Manitoba Museum, Thërmea by Nordik Spa-Nature, Assiniboine Park and Zoo, The Hermetic Code Tour, and The Forks must all be on your to-do list.
Of particular interest right now at the Manitoba Museum is the brand new exhibit Legacies of Confederation: A New Look at Manitoba History. It just opened on February 9th, and the exhibit, in the words of the Museum, "highlights iconic artifacts and specimens from the Museum’s extensive collection, as well as some loaned items including the seldom seen walking stick used by Louis Riel and a Treaty document dating to 1875." You can read more about this fascinating exhibit here.
Plus, the Manitoba Museum has so many things that your kids will want to see, including a pliosaur exhibit and NASA's Moon Rock display.
The Arts
When you visit the “cultural cradle of Canada,” a show by one of our acclaimed professional performance groups and a trip to the galleries is a must.
For starters there is the Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG), where current special exhibits include Our Land: Contemporary Art from the Arctic, a collaboration between the Government of Nunavut and the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has referred to this exhibit as “stunning” and it features an outstanding selection from the Government of Nunavut Fine Art Collections including textiles, prints, sculptures and new media. The exhibit is on display until April 9.
Also new to the WAG is Boarder X, an exhibit featuring new work by Indigenous artists that use mediums including skateboards, surf boards and snowboards, which is on until April 23.
As well, the WAG currently has on display one of Rodin’s legendary sculptures of Le Penseur (the Thinker) from a private collection that you will find on the second floor.
Fans of the symphony are also in luck this spring. The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO) has 11 performances to choose from in the month of March, including the WSO teaming up with the legendary Second City comedy troupe from March 17-19.
Indoor Activities for the whole family
Let’s not kid ourselves, sometimes come spring it can get pretty melty out there, so why not try on these indoor activities for size?
At Sky Zone Trampoline Park you can let your kids jump around (and wear themselves out) in their huge, wall-to-wall trampoline arena. Or, everyone can shoot it up inside LaserTopia’s 10,200 square foot facility.
If your crew is older, and looking for some adrenaline-filled racing, Speedworld Indoor Kart Track is the place. Its motto is, “it's not like racing... It is Racing!” which is right on the money as you can get some serious speed going at this place. (They even have a cheeky podium for 1st to 3rd place finishers so you can rub it in to your fellow racemates after you put the pedal down past them).
As well, Winnipeg has a vast array of Escape Rooms located in areas throughout the city. These range from challenging for adults, to simpler rooms will your kids will enjoy too.
So what are you waiting for? Book your Spring Break trip to Winnipeg today!