Gardens – Sculptures – Coins

First morning in Winnipeg and we need a plan. Top three places we want to include are the Royal Canadian Mint, The Forks National Historic Site and the Manitoba Museum. Research shows that we need a reservation for a tour of the mint and that the museum is closed until Saturday morning for upkeep. Oops, we were planning on heading to Western Ontario on Saturday Morning. Upon calling the mint I am able to secure a 2:00pm tour reservation. What to do until then?

We decide to check out Assiniboine Park, a large multi-feature park on the west side of town. After a drive through we stop for a walk in the English Garden and Leo Mol Sculpture Garden. An hour later we are sorry that it’s time to head to the mint, we could use more time in these two gardens and there is much more in the park to explore. Perhaps we will make it back during our stay – definitely an enticement.

The rest of the afternoon is spent at the Royal Canadian Mint, one of two in Canada. (We visited the one in Ottawa almost twenty years ago.) The tour is informative with views down onto the production floor. A multitude of coinage and commemorative coinage lures visitors to the gift shop. Bob selects a 2015 mint set. The shop’s manager is our sales clerk and we appreciate her friendly manner since we leave with lots of local information and restaurant suggestions. Plus her husband is a huge Denver Bronco fan.

Back at our hotel we find the area bustling with activity. There is an AC/DC concert at the nearby stadium tonight and the hotel is sold out. We decide to make life easy and have drinks and dinner at the hotel once the concertgoers have departed. A successful plan for Winnipeg day one.