New for 2013!

Bison Safaris offered every Thursday from May to September at 10:30 am and 1:30 pm.
Call 204-989-8355 to register

Natural adventure for the whole family ... 364 days a year!

Year Round Edutainment

Learn it, love it, and live it up in our 640-acre backyard! Choose from a variety of outdoor activities—for a new adventure every day.

• Interpretive Centre • Buffalo Stone Café • Aquarium of the Prairies • Bison Prairie • Saturn Family Tree House • Tipi Encampment • Prairie Dog Town • Pioneer Sod House • 7 km of forest trails • Nature Shop • floating marsh boardwalks • wildlife watching • canoeing & fishing on 5 lakes • cross-country skiing • snowshoeing • toboganning • public programs & events

Whether you are planning a first-time or return visit to this very special place, we are sure that you will leave with new insights into the natural world, a deeper appreciation of Manitoba’s heritage, new information and actions for sustainable living, and plenty of fresh air, memories of fun and discovery with family and friends.


Planning Your Visit

Guided Walks
Year round, Sundays at 2pm.

Rent-A-Naturalist
We have the resources to help you explore early bison hunting with atlatls, dipnetting in the marsh, canoeing, or orienteering. A naturalist is available to guide you in whatever FortWhyte Alive activity you desire. Monday to Friday in July and August. Please call ahead to reserve your time. 204-989-8355

Sailing & Paddling
Imagine sailing on tranquil lakes right inside the city of Winnipeg! Please call Sail Manitoba at 204-925-5650 about registration for classes. For information about open house paddling evenings or paddling programs please call 204-989-8355. Rowboat and canoe rentals are available from May to September, weather conditions permitting. Canoes and rowboats are suitable for 2 adults and 2 children. Rental fee: ½ hour: $7, 1 hour: $10, plus taxes. Personal floating devices are provided.

Cycling & Walking Trails
All trails lead to FortWhyte Alive, connecting neighbourhoods throughout southwest Winnipeg. Bike or walk 7 km of wood chipped and limestone trails, winding through wetland, prairie and forest habitats.

Buffalo Stone Café
Yum, scrumptious garden salads, delicious light meals, and freshly ground coffee. The Café is open until 4:30pm daily, but please call 204-989-8370 to inquire about early closings if you are planning a late lunch.

Nature Shop
Offering unique gifts for nature lovers, made in Manitoba fine crafts, natural foods including FortWhyte Farms honey, children’s items, local books and field guides, bird feeding supplies, jewellery, souvenir clothing and mementos.

FortWhyte Farms
Share in the bounty of this truly unique social enterprise that engages inner-city youth in hands-on urban agriculture. During the harvest (late June to mid September), look for the “Market Open” sign at the FortWhyte Farm building. A variety of vegetables, herbs, fruit and honey are for sale fresh from the field as well as pasture raised chicken.

Tobogganing, Snowshoeing & Cross-Country Skiing
This is the place for winter fun. Experience the thrilling Richardson rrrrun toboggan slide. Snowshoes take you off the beaten path over drifts and through the quiet stillness of the forest. Snowshoe rentals are $3. Bring your skis, access to our weekly groomed ski trails are free with regular admission. All winter activities are subject to ice and snow conditions.


Outdoor Exhibits

Prairie Dog Town
Always entertaining as colony members scurry about feeding, sunning and jump-yipping!

Pioneer Sod House
Take a step back in time. Weekends and holidays volunteer pioneers bring the Sod House to life. Always warm and inviting, be sure to look for the laundry on the line and smoke rising from the chimney.

Bison Prairie
Climb the stairs to the Saturn Family Tree House or take a trip to the top of the Bison Viewing Mound, for a great view of the bison herd and our Tall Grass Prairie. May through July, look for frisky cinnamon-coloured bison calves.

Floating Marsh Boardwalks
Walk along the wetland where wildlife thrives. Springtime brings marsh marigolds and lady slippers, in early summer ducklings dabble, painted turtles sun on logs, and muskrats swim in and out of the cattails. Kids can dipnet and discover the variety of insect life that live in Manitoba’s marshes.

Biodiversity Garden
The Biodiversity Garden is full of local plant life and flowers located between the Alloway Reception Centre and the Interpretive Centre providing a wealth of landscaping ideas for inviting nature into your own backyard.

Birdfeeding Stations
Walk the wood-chip trails into the forest to discover our local residents and seasonal migrants.

Interpretive Centre Indoor Exhibits

Kiwanis Touch Museum
The Kiwanis Touch Museum will bring you nose-to-nose with taxidermy specimens including an adult polar bear, timber wolf, mountain lion, prairie bison, and a variety of Manitoba’s birds.

Aquarium of the Prairies
Discover what lies below Manitoba’s lakes in the largest freshwater aquarium on the prairies.

Prairie Soil Diorama
The Prairie Soil Diorama demonstrates the changing landscape from pre-settlement to modern day agriculture.


Wawanesa Prairie Partners Exhibit

Opened Winter 2011. Take the rare opportunity to view an endangered species, the burrowing owl, and learn more about their plight and the continuing pressures on prairie grasslands. This new exhibit will also feature the black-tailed prairie dog, another prairie species that for thousands of years have provided the nesting burrows for this fascinating ground-dwelling owl.