The Forks, Winnipeg

The Forks, located at the junction of the Assiniboine and Red rivers, is Winnipeg’s most popular spot for entertainment and shopping. This vast indoor market sees a lot of action throughout the year. Cultural celebrations, fireworks, the Winnipeg International Children’s festival and the regular day to day activities associated with a shopping center lend a unique character to this place. Undoubtedly, The Forks is the biggest tourist attraction in Winnipeg, and sees more than 4 million visits at its doorstep every year.

When you consider the history of The Forks, you are immediately intrigued by it. To begin with, what is a major tourist attraction now used to be actually a railway repair facility. Unbelievable, isn’t it? Effort has gone into restoring and revamping the buildings of this facility and when you stroll along the shopping arcade, you will find hardly any evidence of its connection with locomotives of any sort. There is a lookout point in one of the buildings and from there you can get a bird’s eye view of the entire area.

There are walking trails along the riverfront and one of them leads to the Legislative Buildings of Winnipeg, yet another crowd puller in this area. Give yourself another 5 minutes and you will reach the Osborne Village, a tourist spot in its own right. Finally, if you have the time to spare and if you are a baseball enthusiast you can make a trip to the Can West Stadium, the place where the Winnipeg Goldeyes play minor league baseball.

The first floor of The Forks Market has a lot of food shops, and you can buy fresh fruit and vegetables along with various other specialty items. On the second floor, the craft store and the ballet conservatory are two places definitely worth a visit. And, in the basement bits and pieces from history can be bought from the large antique store looked after by the cooperative.

The skatepark near The Forks is a relatively new addition. It is one of the biggest skateparks in Canada. The size of this skatepark isn’t the only noteworthy feature. It is also known for its diversity and pleasant style. Professional skateboarder Tony Hawk chose this place to shoot scenes in 2006. The skatepark encompasses a skate plaza that spans close to 30 000 square foot along with a 8,500-square-foot bowl complex. All the artwork in this skatepark is well, ’skateable’. After all, nothing should be allowed to come in the way of the enjoyment of skateboarders and bikers.

Finally, The Forks is also mentioned in the Guinness Book of World Records as it is home to the ‘Longest skating rink in the world’. The ice rink on the Assiniboine River and the Red River is over 8 kilometers long, 8.54 kilometers to be precise. Keep that in mind when you slip on your skating shoes and step onto the rink for some fun with your friends and family.