Page 59 - 2023-2024 Travel Guide to Canada

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and McCreary and the self-proclaimed world lily capital of Neepawa,
then take the scenic Highway 16 Yellowhead route through vast farm-
land (www.discoverclearlake.com).
From north Winnipeg, drive River Road along the Red River to
Selkirk and the Marine Museum of Manitoba (www.marine
museum.ca), with Lower Fort Garry National Historic Site about
two-thirds along the 60-km (37-mi.) route. Tiny Lockport, an historic
catfishing spot (rent a boat and gear) and hot dog stand heaven, lies
between the two. From Selkirk, return to Winnipeg via pretty
Henderson Highway.
For a longer day trip, take Highway 44 east from Lockport, through
the Agassiz Provincial Forest and all the way to Seven Sisters Falls
and the classic hydro station there, then on to Pinawa for a visit to
Pinawa Dam Provincial Park and the picturesque town and lake. Stop
to walk the suspension bridge and hiking trails.
FAMILY FUN
Kids go wild at FortWhyte Alive, where bison roam on prairie grasses
near a pioneer sod house, teepee encampment and prairie dog town
(www.fortwhyte.org), and at Assiniboine Park’s Nature Playground
and Polar Playground (www.assiniboinepark.ca). Journey to
Churchill is home to polar bears, including Nanuq and Siku, rescued
from the Churchill area.
For history and fun, families can ride the vintage steam train
Prairie Dog Central Railway from north Winnipeg to the villages of
Grosse Isle and Warren and back (www.pdcrailway.com).
En route to Gimli, Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre
welcomes thousands of migrating geese in the fall (www.oakhammock
marsh.ca); and, at the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre in
Morden, see monster fossils from prehistoric Lake Agassiz and the 15-
m-long (50-ft.) life-sized replica of Bruce, the world’s biggest publicly
displayed mosasaur (www.discoverfossils.com).
NUIT BLANCHE, WINNIPEG • SHUTTERSTOCK/SALVADOR MANIQUIZ
Park Pick
THE FORKS NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE
The Forks National Historic Site ranks at the top of visitor to-
do lists, thanks to its marketplaces, Children’s Museum,
Manitoba Theatre for Young People, traditional Indigenous
Oodena Celebration Circle, Festival Park and CN Stage with
free concerts, Riverwalk and summer boat rides along the
Assiniboine. In winter, the river becomes a skating, skiing and
snowball-throwing playground, with warming huts designed
by an assortment of international architects. Around the
borders of The Forks is the Beaux Arts 1911-vintage Union
Station rail terminal, the post-contemporary Canadian
Museum for Human Rights, and the elegant cable-stayed
Provencher Bridge, spanning the Red River and linking
Winnipeg's French Quarter with Manitoba's capital
(www.parkscanada.gc.ca/forks).
National Parks and Historic Sites:
www.parkscanada.gc.ca
1-888-773-8888