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Make your list of Mustseeums

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/05/2016 (3425 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Whether you’re inspired by nature or fascinated by history, Manitoba has you covered when it comes to museums. With over 270 across the province, there are more than a few that are likely on your must see list. We call those ‘mustseeums’!

History comes alive at Grant’s Old Mill (grantsoldmill.ca) on the banks of Sturgeon Creek in Winnipeg. The working replica of a water-powered mill built by Metis leader Cuthbert Grant delights visitors by grinding wheat into flour. It’s a replica of the original built in 1829. The adjoining museum is open Tuesday to Sunday throughout the season.

Visit a 1940s farm kitchen at the Manitoba Electrical Museum and Education Centre in Winnipeg to see how electricity made daily living so much easier. The museum chronicles the arrival of power in the province, including a glimpse of what things were like without it. Visitors can experience a hair-raising moment by getting in touch, literally, with a small generator.

The collection of buildings on the outskirts of Portage la Prairie tells the story of early life on the Prairies. Fort La Reine Museum’s (fortlareinemuseum.ca) 25 heritage buildings include a trapper’s cabin, barns, a bunkhouse, churches and schoolhouses. Jump on one of the Walk Thru History Tours for an in depth visit to pioneer life on the Prairies.

He was a collector, naturalist, taxidermist and teacher and Sam Waller’s (samwallermuseum.ca) curious nature is forever preserved at the museum that bears his name in The Pas. The collection includes natural history specimens, human history artifacts, books and library materials, photographs and negatives, fine art pieces and the archives of the Town of The Pas. There’s also an albino alligator, Chinese water pipe and birch bark purse in the archives along with countless other items.

Protected by a wooden palisade, Fort Dauphin Museum tells the story of the area beginning with prehistoric life and wrapping up with the pioneer settlers. There’s an authentic blacksmith shop, trapper’s cabin, pioneer log house from 1892 and a one-room school built in 1894. One of the newest additions to the museum is also the oldest. Chris the Croc is  a 90-million-year-old marine reptile fossil that was discovered in the area and one of only seven of its kind in the world.

Be prepared to spend the whole day at the Mennonite Heritage Village (mennoniteheritagevillage.com) in Steinbach. The 40-acre site is packed with things to see and do including wagon rides, breadmaking and threshing demonstrations. With over 30 destinations inside the village, you’ll need a break and the Livery Barn Restaurant is just the place. Refuel with traditional Mennonite fare including impossible-to-resists baked treats.

Return to a time when mighty ships cruised Lake Winnipeg and the Red River at Selkirk’s Marine Museum of Manitoba (marinemuseum.ca). Take a twirl on the deck of the S.S. Keenora that spent a season as a floating dancehall. Or tour the C.G.S. Bradbury, a hardworking vessel that broke through 15 cm of ice in 1917 to get doctors to a northern community struck by the flu epidemic.