There's plenty of history to be found in Winnipeg, since this city is where Canada's west truly began. Replicas of the earliest settlements—wood-stake construction from those days didn't last long—can still be seen at the former center for fur-trading, Lower Fort Garry and at Fort Gibraltar, once a favorite place of the voyagers. Visitors can chat with role-playing, costumed employees to learn a bit of history.
The Exchange District presents a more modern and different kind of living history, where contemporary businesses, galleries, shops, bars and restaurants occupy a carefully preserved, late-19th-century district. The Exchange District Biz operates a historic walking tour well-worth taking.
The city's much more modern downtown is characterized by the intersection of Portage Avenue and Main Street, each with eight-lane traffic. Said to be the windiest intersection in Canada, pedestrian traffic is prohibited at Portage and Main. Underground corridors and shopping facilitate a year-round safe and climate-comfortable crossing.
Winnipeg's vast green spaces should be seen to be appreciated. Early-20th-century city fathers showed remarkable prescience when setting aside large tracts as parks for the use of future residents. Neatly manicured Kildonan Park, Assiniboine Park and the neighboring, purely wild Assiniboine Forest are all worth leisurely strolls.
Casinos
The Club Regent and McPhillips Street Station casinos are operated by the Manitoba Lotteries Commission. South Beach Casino is independently operated on the Brokenhead Ojibway Nation reserve. Dress is casual. All three casinos have an excellent restaurant and bar to keep you refreshed during your visit.
Public smoking is banned in Manitoba except on native-owned land. South Beach currently allows smoking, but will become smoke-free at the end of 2008.
Historic Sites
You might want to start your visit at The Forks or one of three historic sites of note. The Riel House National Historic Site is on the Red River in southeast Winnipeg. It is where Louis Riel, the father of Manitoba, lay in state after he was hanged for treason in Saskatchewan. Riel's grave is on the cemetery grounds of the St. Boniface Basilica, across the Red River from The Forks. St. Boniface Basilica is, in part, the oldest Roman Catholic cathedral in western Canada. The current building came into being after the original basilica burned in 1968. A modernist structure was grafted onto the original facade in 1972, resulting in a startling building. (Whether the results are pleasant is a matter of heated debate.)
In a small park across the street from The Forks, near Main and Broadway downtown, you'll find the stone gateway of Upper Fort Garry, the only remaining part of the fort that was constructed by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1821 (the gate dates to 1835).
Downtown you'll find the Legislative Building (look for the Golden Boy statue on top of the dome), the Winnipeg Commodity Exchange (one of the largest grain exchanges in the world) and the city's MTS Centre, its sports and concert arena.
