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Manitoba Museum

A museum built around a full-size replica of the ketch that founded the Hudson's Bay Company trade.

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Typemuseum
WhereManitoba
Nearest cityWinnipeg
Best seasonYear-round
Time to allowHalf a day
Getting thereManitoba; central Winnipeg, near the Exchange District
EntryTicket; planetarium extra

The Nonsuch is the museum's centrepiece: a full-size seaworthy replica of the ketch that sailed into Hudson Bay in 1668 and returned with a cargo of furs, the voyage that led to the Hudson's Bay Company charter in 1670. Built in England in 1968 for the company's tercentenary, she sailed and toured before being given to the museum, and the gallery was constructed around her as a dockside scene, so the building could not release the ship now if it wanted to. Other galleries cover the boreal forest, the Arctic, the grasslands and a walk-through 1920s Winnipeg street. A planetarium and science gallery adjoin.

What you actually see

  • The Nonsuch - a full-size 1668 ketch replica in a built dockside setting.
  • The 1920 Winnipeg street - a walk-through recreation of the city at its peak.
  • The regional galleries - Arctic, boreal, grassland and Hudson Bay Lowlands.
  • The planetarium - a dome theatre in the same complex.

When to go

Year-round; the museum closes some Mondays outside summer. Galleries have been progressively renewed, so returning visitors find changes. Allow half a day with the planetarium.

Honest expectations

The planetarium and science gallery are priced separately. Some older galleries feel dated next to the renewed ones. It is indoors, which matters in a Winnipeg winter.

Nearby

The Exchange District surrounds it; The Forks lies south.

What to pack for Manitoba Museum

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Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.

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