Manitoba Museum — Attraction in Winnipeg

The museum is an austere brutalist building, which might not look very welcoming from the outside, but it is in fact a treasure trove with two particular, stunning galleries that are a must-visit in Winnipeg! I spent about 2 hours in the museum and only went through about two-thirds of the exhibits.

Granted, not all of the exhibits are of the same quality. Some of the natural history and ecological exhibits have areas that don’t seem to have been updated in decades, with font styles that echo back to the 1980s, although I actually quite enjoyed seeing it (like travelling back in time) and everything was still exceptionally clean and well-maintained. There are a lot of dioramas, including full-scale landscape recreations, in the museum, which I absolutely loved.

The two must-visit galleries, however, are the Nonsuch Gallery and the Winnipeg Gallery. The Nonsuch Gallery’s centrepiece is a full-size replica of the ship that launched the Hudson’s Bay Company, which you can get on to explore, including descending to the lower deck, which was just fascinating. It also has great sound and light effects. Having been to Hudson’s Bay so many times, it was great to learn about this integral piece of its history that I had never heard of until then. I want to give a shout out to the staff member on duty at the time of my visit – she was highly enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the exhibit, and gave me the amazing recommendation of visiting the 1920s Winnipeg cityscape exhibit, which I might have skipped otherwise because I was running out of time at that point. That brings me to the Winnipeg Gallery with its fantastic 1920s cityscape recreation, which is another must-visit. The exhibit is just big enough for you to be immersed in the surroundings, and it has so many details to explore and some buildings that you can go into. You would really appreciate the amount of thought that has gone into creating this exhibit. It’s the perfect exhibit for the architecture/history/I Spy fan.

The museum also houses a Science Gallery and a Planetarium, which I didn’t visit. However, the Nonsuch and the Winnipeg Galleries alone make the Manitoba Museum a must-visit for anyone in Winnipeg and I think the museum really deserves more...

I had a terrible experience at the pirate boat line up. My son, myself and my husband were all waiting in line for the ship. My 1 year old wanted to explore the area and did not have the patience to wait in line. I offered to step away with him to play, while my husband waited in line for all 3 of us. At one point, my son wanted to see his dad, so I passed him over to my husband who was still waiting in line for us. I briefly left to recollect myself as my son had a slight meltdown prior to passing him off (I did not leave the area, i sat on the bench right beside the ship.) When I looked up, I saw my husband and son were on the ship, so I asked the attendant who was managing the line if I could join them. She very rudely declined saying the ship was full. I then reminded her she told us she had room for 3 and only two have gotten on (she actually checked us in prior to boarding on the ship.) She said she could not let me in because I wasn't waiting in line. I decided not to argue any further and stepped away. The attendant then immediately placed her hand to block the ship entrance, assuming I would run in. This was a very disappointing and embarrassing experience. I am still taken aback that the attendant seperated me from my family. She took away the experience I wanted to share and create with my son and husband. To add, yes I wasn't in line - I was watching my child the whole time however the attendant knew this.

This happened on Jan 1 around 1-220pm. Attendant was a women with long brown curly hair. I believe she was wearing a skirt

The museum has been contacted directly and provided this feedback. I wanted to share as a review to prevent other families from...

I remember loving the museum as a child, so it saddens me to only give it a 3-star review. Just to be clear, my family and I love museums, and we've been to some excellent small-town museums this summer. However, a lot of the Manitoba Museum is very dated and/or virtually unchanged from my childhood, despite not being there for over 20 years. Some of the newly renovated areas - the Nonsuch being a shining example - are very good, but much of it is just old and tired. Other newer areas were very narrow and difficult to navigate with a stroller and a wheelchair, or had weird floor textures that made it hazardous. I could excuse that in older exhibits, but many of these exhibits were new to me, so they've come up in recent decades.

I also disliked how they "changed" the Urban Gallery into the 1919 Strike exhibit. I understand that it's the centennial year for such a seminal event, but it feels like it was half done. It took the shine off some of the charm of that gallery while not quite fulling what it was attempting to do.

I also found it very expensive. There is no family rate, and it cost me nearly $100 for my family to go just to the general museum. Like I said, we enjoy museums and will go to many in a year, but I didn't feel like I got the value for my money...