Exploring spring break in Manitoba

Spring break arrives in Manitoba when winter slowly starts to recede and warmer days draw ever-so-near. If you’d like to get out and explore activities right here at home, here are a few ideas for things to do in our back yards in the week of Monday, March 30 through Friday, April 3 (which is Good Friday).

The Manitoba Museum showcases the wonders of science and discovery during spring break. The Think Big scavenger hunt will get kids and families solving riddles that reveal the museum’s largest and most fascinating artifacts. Planetarium shows on the schedule take you travelling through the solar system with Perfect Little Planet and exploring the earth’s deep history over billions of years in Living Worlds. In the Science Gallery, you can learn about how oceans regulate global temperatures and why they’re essential to keeping the planet in balance.

Spend a day outdoors during Wild Wetland Week at Oak Hammock Marsh, just north of the city. The wildlife management area near Stonewall is a prime location for witnessing spring migration. Up to 100,000 birds can pass through here in a single day during peak season, with more than 300 species drawn to the restored marshlands, tall-grass prairie, and aspen-oak trees. Visitors can take learn to spot geese, ducks, and other species as they return north, on guided walks along the 30-kilometre network of trails. It’s one of Canada’s most important wetland ecosystems, and it’s an internationally recognized locale for birdwatching.

A great place to explore nature right here in the city is within the 660 acres of reclaimed urban green space at Fort Whyte Alive, an environmental centre and outdoor recreation haven with the motto ‘connecting humans with nature’. During spring break, Fort Whyte offers Alive in the Woods self-guided activities, and nature-inspired games and crafts. You can rent snowshoes, walking poles, wagons, binoculars, and other interesting items. Naturalists will teach you how to spot migratory birds on walks that wind through the wetlands, or how to identify the tracks of deer, foxes, rabbits, and other woodland creatures in wildlife tracking sessions.

Creativity takes centre stage at WAG-Qaumajuq, one of Canada’s leading visual art institutions. Founded in 1912 as the Winnipeg Art Gallery, with Qaumajuq added in 2021, the centre now features over 27,000 artworks – including the world’s largest collection of contemporary Inuit art. During spring break, WAG-Qaumajuq host drop-in sessions where you can try hands-on drawing, sculpture, and mixed-media crafts inspired by works in the galleries. It’s a fun and relaxed way for families to create something artistic together, discover more about different mediums, and connect with the exhibits in an interactive way.

If you’d prefer to physically drop your kids off somewhere and use the day in some other way… that’s OK, too. There are multiple day camps on offer over spring break, at places such as Assiniboine Park Conservancy, Manitoba Theatre for Young People, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg YMCA, Brandon YMCA, Camp Manitou, and more. A good resource for spring break camps is the Travel Manitoba website – www.travelmanitoba.com.

Whether you’re in a city or a smaller town, spring break is a great time to get out and explore our local prairie culture, art, attractions, nature, and wildlife, as the province begins the welcomed transition from winter to spring.