Things to do in Winnipeg, Manitoba at The Forks
Things to do in Winnipeg, Manitoba at The Forks
There are many things to do at The Forks in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
The Forks is Winnipeg’s most popular attraction with over 4 million visitors a year. The Forks is located where the Red and Assiniboine Rivers meet and where indigenous people, settlers, and business people have traded for years.
The Forks is also right next to the CN Rail Station, so passengers on a cross-country train ride can easily explore The Forks when stopping in Winnipeg.
The Forks sort of reminds me of Granville Island in Vancouver and St. Lawrence Market in Toronto.
Two old shipping warehouses have been converted to bustling markets. All of the stores and restaurants are local except for Fro-gurts, Old Spaghetti Factory and Original Pancake House.
The Forks Market
The Forks Market building has many shops and restaurants.
On the second floor, there is a massive local gift shop with many Manitoba-made products called Forks Trading Company, a successful local candle store called Coal and Canary, and a semi-precious stone and crystal store called Gilbert’s Stones.
The main floor has an old school arcade called Phantom Amusement Arcade, a large candy store called Sweet City Candy, and a wine and spirits store called Ellement.
The Forks Market Food Hall offers restaurant kiosks with a modern food truck flair such as Bindy’s Carribean Delights, Passero/Corto (Italian, sandwiches and coffee), Danny’s All-Day Breakfast, Fergie’s Fish and Chips, Fools & Horses Coffee, Fusian Experience (Japanese food & sushi), Nuburger, Red Ember (pizza), Simon’s Steaks (South American food), Wienerpeg (gourmet hotdogs), and Zorba’s Greek & Italian.
If you have a sweet tooth, try Neon Cone for ice cream and Mini Donuts Factory. Tall Grass Prairie Bread Company has organic baked goods and famous cinnamon buns and Jenna Rae Cakes has yummy and attractive cupcakes and cake pops.
The Forks Market also a craft beer and wine counter called The Common. It can be very crowded and hard to find a seat. Luckily, their liquor license allows you to carry and consume your alcohol anywhere in the building.
Our favourite restaurant in The Forks Market is Taste of Sri Lanka that has spicy and flavourful dishes like curry eggplant and deviled chicken.
The Forks Market Tower is six stories high and offers nice views of the rivers, downtown, and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
Johnston Terminal
Johnston Terminal has a huge antique mall in the basement that has the feeling of a flea market with many different vendors and types of merchandise.
The main floor has several gift shops and a quaint coffee shop called Harrison’s Coffee Roasters Espresso Junction with a view of the central Plaza. Old Spaghetti Factory is not a local business, but it still has an awesome old-fashioned décor. Next to Old Spaghetti Factory is a small art gallery called Pulse Gallery with paintings, pictures, jewelry, and scarves by Manitoba artists.
Take the glass elevator up to the second floor of Johnston Terminal to get to a large local toy store called Kite and Kaboodle with many educational and brand name toys and book. There you will also find a bohemian store Global Connections with products like clothes, music, books, art, and statues, many made by foreign artisans.
Indigenous Culture
Indigenous culture and art is evident at an interesting aboriginal art & craft store called Teekca’s Aboriginal Boutique in The Forks Market, the Winnipeg Art Gallery store in Johnston Terminal.
Outside, you will find the Balance of Spirit Within Rock and the Niimaamaa sculpture.
We like to spend time at Oodena Celebration Circle, which is a natural shallow amphitheatre that honours the 6,000 years of Aboriginal peoples in the area. It features fantastic sculptures, a sundial, a naked-eye sky observatory, and a ceremonial fire pit.
Canadian Museum For Human Rights
The Canadian Museum for Human Rights is located adjacent to The Forks. The stated mandate of the museum is to “explore the subject of human rights with a special but not exclusive reference to Canada, to enhance the public’s understanding of human rights, to promote respect for others and to encourage reflection and dialogue.”
The Museum cost $350 million and is the only national museum outside of the Ottawa area. It was designed by Antoine Predock and is an innovative structure of curving lines and bold geometry. Many of the surfaces are irregular, with more than three‐quarters of the walls sloped at unusual angles.
Visitors climb up 1 kilometer of alabaster-clad ramps symbolizing the struggle for human rights and the climb from darkness to light with exhibits on each level and ending at the Israel Asper Tower of Hope. The tower is a good place to reflect on what you have learned while enjoying lovely views of Winnipeg, The Forks, Esplanade Riel, and the Red River.
One reason it was conceived was so that Canadians could learn about the Holocaust without going to the Holocaust Museum in Washington or Houston and while learning about other human rights abuses around the world at the same time.
If you go to the CMHR, be sure to bring comfortable shoes and be prepared to cry.
Other Attractions At The Forks
There is a great boutique hotel called Inn At The Forks on site with an amazing spa called Riverstone Spa.
In the Summer, people flock to The Forks for concerts at the outdoor CN Stage, festivals, special events, buskers, and people-watching in the Plaza.
It is wonderful to take a relaxing stroll along the lovely, tree-lined riverwalk, where you will see why Winnipeg got it’s name (Cree for “muddy water”). You can also look across the river and see the St. Boniface Cathedral.
Parks Canada has a 9-acre park at the Forks National Historic Site along the Red River with local history exhibits, art, and an amphitheatre. Kids love to play in the fun and unique playground there.
Keep going down the riverwalk past the Esplanade Riel and you will pass Shaw Park, the baseball diamond where the Winnipeg Goldeyes play.
Walk a little further and you are in the Historic Exchange District. Click here to read our post about the Exchange District.
Water Taxi
Historic PortFamilies can also take their kids to go skateboarding at Canada’s largest urban skate plaza, play for hours in the Parks Canada Playground, see a play at the Manitoba Theatre for Young People, or engage in interactive exhibits at the Manitoba Children’s Museum.
In Summer, you can also eat at Mon Ami Louis, a French restaurant in the middle of the Esplanade Riel bridge overlooking the Red River. Mon Ami Louis is the only restaurant located on a bridge in North America and has a so-called “million-dollar” toilet because of the high cost to get plumbing to the restaurant. As you enjoy menu items like Crepes, Tartes Flambees, and Escargots, you will be treated to a lovely romantic view.
Crossing the Esplanade Riel will bring you to the French Quarter. Please click here to read our post about the French Quarter.
You can also walk or bike across the The Forks Historic Rail Bridge for a great spot to overlook the junction of the Assiniboine River and the mighty Red River.
Manitoba 150 River Trail
Warming Hut
Skating in the Plaza under the CanopyIn the Winter, The Forks has the world’s longest skating surface along the rivers dotted with warming huts designed by artists from around the world.
You can rent some skates and skate over the Rail Bridge or hold hands while skating on a lovely ice skating rink under a canopy with music in the Plaza. If you can snag a hockey stick, there are several large sheets of ice for playing pick-up ice hockey.
In Winter, you can also play Crokicurl, a fun and surprisingly challenging game created in Winnipeg recently that combines curling and the board game Crokinole.
Happy Travels,
Kevin & Tina
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34 Comments
Under Flowery Sky
Wow market looks so elegant, love the fountain ice castle. Museum of human rights sounds awesome. Thanks for recommending..
Rochelle
This place looks like an amazing place to visit in winter!
Kevin Strong
The Forks is fantastic in the Winter. They have so many fun activities. There are many other great Winter things to do in Winnipeg and I’ll be writing a post about that soon.
Retirestyle Travel
If you ever travel to Winnipeg, the Forks is the one place you must experience. There are many things to do at The Forks, so plan for at least one whole day there.
My Kitchen
The whole place looks amazing. The food market hall is very beautiful, I’m pretty sure some tables and chairs have now been removed to allow social distancing.
Kevin Strong
At this time, Winnipeg is in code red lockdown, so we can’t eat inside the Food Market at all. We can just order for takeout at some restaurants that remain open. The Forks Food Market does have a unique and warm layout and design. There are lots of outdoor things to do at the Forks too.
Tim McLaughlin
A very useful and succinct guide!
Retirestyle Travel
Thanks, Tim. I wanted to put more, but tried to keep it brief with an overview of the main things to do in Winnipeg at The Forks.
C Shakhawat Sultan
As a foreigner, I found this very interesting. I am thinking about visiting soon.
Kevin Strong
You will love it in Winnipeg. There are so many things to do in Winnipeg. Glad you found it interesting.
Fransic Verso
What a wonderful place. Everything is just amusing and would love to visit it one day. Thank you for sharing!
Kevin Strong
These are fun things to do at the Forks in Winnipeg for sure and you will love it there.
Nkem
It looks like there’s quite a lot to do a the Forks! Never a chance for boredom there, huh?
Kevin Strong
You bet. There are many fantastic things to do at the Forks in Winnipeg, so you’ll always have something fun to do (or something great to eat).
Anosa
Not heard of Winnipeg before but boy are there so many things to do, there is a lot I would want to explore.
Kevin Strong
You are right. There are a lot of fantastic things to do in Winnipeg, and the most popular is the Forks.
Luna S
This looks like a fun and beautiful place to visit! Bonus that the food looks good too. Thanks for sharing this.
Kevin Strong
We are happy to share information about the beautiful things to see and incredible things to do at the Forks and other Winnipeg attractions.
Lyosha
looks like a great place to visit! I would enjoy it a lot!
Kevin Strong
We think you would really enjoy a visit to the Forks. When you come to Winnipeg, please see our other posts about the best things to do in Winnipeg for more travel inspiration.
Marjie Mare
These places look so inviting and right now I need a vacation. Thanks for sharing.
Kevin Strong
The Forks is the top tourist attraction in Winnipeg for a reason. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t many other incredible things to do in Winnipeg, so come and find out for yourself once it is safe.
Monidipa
It is indeed a lovely place to explore. I would enjoy it a lot!
Kevin Strong
You will find many beautiful and fun things to do at the Forks when you explore the site and the 2 buildings. You will love it.
Christianforemost.com
Looks at all those amazing places and fun things uou can do there. Hopefully we can all freelly travel soon. This pandemic is making us miss a ton of stuff huhu
Kevin Strong
We have really had a chance to explore our own province over the past year, but we also want to be able to travel soon.
We are happy you found lots of fun things to do in Winnipeg in our article.
Pinay Escapade
Wow! What an awesome place! I will surely be adding it to my bucket list! Thank you for sharing!
Kevin Strong
That sounds like a good plan. Visit Winnipeg and experience all the amazing things to do at The Forks.
Hannah
I’ve always dreamed of going to Canada! I’m definitely adding Forks in Winnipeg to my list. I hear it’s super cold during the winter.
Kevin Strong
We hope you can visit Winnipeg someday soon (after it is safe). If you are from a city that is hot year-round, a Winter vacation to Winnipeg would be so exciting and interesting. There are many things to do in Winnipeg in the Winter. However, if you don’t like the cold, then visit us during the a lovely Manitoba Summer.
Eric Gamble
I have not been to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada yet but I am definitely adding a trip to the Forks to our bucket list! What a cool area. I love the Johnston terminal and that Shoney’s Big Boy statue brought up memories from my childhood. The views of the bridge from the Esplanade are great too!
Kevin Strong
You will love visiting Winnipeg and the Forks. Johnston Terminal has less shops than the other building, but they are good ones. When you come, please check out my other posts for more ideas about things to do in Winnipeg.
Michele
I would have so much fun at Johnston Terminal. I love antiques, flea markets, and thrifting.
Kevin Strong
We also love to go to flea markets when we travel. The antique mall is kind of different. There are many small booths, but each item has a tag that you bring to a few cashiers who will sell the item to you. Each booth does not have someone working there. However, with so many other things to do in Winnipeg and at the Forks, you might not have much time to spend browsing for antiques.