The Complete Guide to Visiting the Winnipeg Forks

Compiled by the Road Trip Manitoba team

Last updated July 24, 2024

Without a doubt, The Forks is one of our top recommendations for things to do in Winnipeg. With a central location downtown and a fantastic atmosphere, it’s the perfect place to eat, shop, and visit some of the city’s best attractions. Encompassing a huge 5.5-hectare site, it’s also popular for walking, cycling, skateboarding, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and ice skating, with many places to rent equipment if you don’t have your own.

There’s also plenty of public art to enjoy, public gardens, walking trails along the Red and Assiniboine Rivers, and regular events and entertainment. Put it this way: if anyone asks us the one spot to visit when in Winnipeg, we always say The Forks first.

With that in mind, we’ve put together a massive guide on everything you need to know about the Winnipeg Forks, including opening hours, restaurants to try, shops to visit, events to see, and things to do. You could easily spend a few days in and around The Forks if you include some of its surrounding attractions (such as the museums… more on that below), but we recommend at least a couple of hours for a meal and some shopping. In summer, The Forks is one of the nicest places to be in the evening, as you can grab a drink and watch the sunset over the Red and Assiniboine Rivers on their huge outdoor patio.

Keep reading to learn everything you need about the Winnipeg Forks.

The Best Things to Do When Visiting the Winnipeg Forks

History of The Forks

The Forks has been a major hub of activity for over 6,000 years. Located at the confluence of the Red and the Assiniboine Rivers—the two major rivers that run through Winnipeg—the site has long been a trading post, rest spot, and place for hunting and fishing by Indigenous peoples. Evidence from archeological digs shows that the Nakoda (Assiniboine), Cree, Anishinaabe (Ojibwa), and Sioux (Dakota) peoples frequently visited the site over the past 6,000 years.

By the mid-1700s, European fur traders arrived. Fort Rouge and the Red River Colony were established nearby, and the Forks area remained the hub of the fur trade up until the 1880s. By then, grain production had become Western Canada’s main industry, and the waterways were no longer the main form of transportation as trains became the standard. The rail industry was dominant in this area for the next few decades, and many of the current buildings at The Forks were former railway stables and warehouses. By the mid-20th century, the site had mostly been abandoned.

The Forks was designated a National Historic Site in 1974. By 1989, The Forks officially opened to the public in the way that we understand it now: as a place to meet, eat, shop, and enjoy the surrounding green space. Today, it is one of the most popular places in Winnipeg, and it is estimated that over four million people visit The Forks every year. Pretty impressive when you consider that the entire population of Winnipeg is only about 750,000! Even more incredible? The Forks contributes over $126 million to the local economy and receives no government funding whatsoever.

Tours of The Forks

Want to know even more? Spend an hour walking around The Forks while listening to this self-guided audio tour or visit the Travel Manitoba Visitor Information Centre onsite.

Another fantastic audio tour is the One Heart, Two Rivers, Four Directions walking tour, a nine-stop tour exploring Indigenous connections to The Forks. Delving into topics ranging from astronomy to technology, you’ll have the chance to immerse yourself in what life was like years ago.

Parking and Location

The Forks is found at 1 Forks Market Road in downtown Winnipeg, a few blocks from Main Street. It encompasses a 5.5-hectare site that is open year-round.

There is ample parking at the Forks, but the closer you get to the entrance of the indoor Forks Market, the busier the parking lots get. Parking is reasonably priced at $2 per hour, which you can pay for at one of the many machines around the parking lots. We haven’t seen any machines that accept cash, so be prepared to pay by card.

Hours of Operation

The Forks Market building is open every day from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. However, individual tenants (such as shops or restaurants) inside the building may open or close at their discretion. It’s always best to check a shop or restaurant’s hours before you go.

For example, The Common – where you can purchase local beer and wine – opens at 11 a.m. daily and closes at 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Many of the food stalls and restaurants open around 11:30 a.m. every day but close by 8 or 9 p.m. (except for breakfast spots).

Always check in advance to see if The Forks is open on holidays.

Where to Stay at The Forks

Inn at the Forks is one of our favourite hotels in the city. Its location is fantastic, as you’re right beside the Forks Market but also extremely close to other Winnipeg attractions, including the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, the Manitoba Children’s Museum, Blue Cross Park (for Winnipeg Goldeyes baseball games), the St. Boniface Cathedral, and so much more. It is also home to SMITH restaurant and the Riverstone Spa, two of the very best attractions in Winnipeg.

Numerous other hotels in Winnipeg are located downtown or within a short drive or walk of The Forks.

Shopping at The Forks

There are quite a few shops at The Forks, and most are dedicated to selling items from local Winnipeg and Manitoba makers. It’s an amazing place to shop if you’re looking for Manitoba souvenirs or a unique gift! Most of the shops are found inside the Forks Market, but there is also the Johnston Terminal building (only a minute’s walk from the Forks Market building), which houses many shops and galleries, including the Johnston Terminal Antique Mall.

A few of the shops at The Forks include:

• Coal and Canary Candle Company
• Dconstruct Jewelry
• Distant Caravans
• Element Wine and Spirits
• Forks Trading Company (selling Canadian art, ceramics, jewelry, cookware, toys, and more)
• Gilbert’s Stones
• Global Connections
• Grass Roots Prairie Kitchen
• Lennard Tayler (clothing)
• Maker Faire (celebrating and showcasing makers from the Winnipeg community)
• Mandarin International
• Manitobah (moccasins and mukluks)
• McNally Robinson Booksellers
• Planet Pantry
• Pulse Gallery
• Sweet City Candy
• Teekca’s Aboriginal Boutique (listed as one of our top Indigenous experiences in Manitoba)

What to Eat at The Forks

One of the highlights of attending the Forks is sitting in the common area and enjoying some of the food offered by the many restaurants and food stalls. The cuisine is extremely diverse, ranging from Filipino to Italian to Mexican to Caribbean. We recommend ordering from a few places so that you have a smorgasbord of food to enjoy!

You can order in person from the individual stalls and then wait for a text or buzzer; all of the restaurants in the Forks are self-serve, meaning you won’t find any servers around, nor can you make a reservation (with the exception of The Old Spaghetti Factory and The Original Pancake House). There are many seating options and seating is first-come, first-served, so it’s common to share a table with someone when it gets especially busy (weekends and lunchtime tend to be the busiest). There are also a few restaurants that allow you to order online and then pick up your food when it’s ready.

A few of the restaurants at The Forks include:

• BASTA! Filipino Kitchen
• Bindy’s Caribbean Delights
• Danny’s All Day Breakfast
• Fergie’s Fish ‘n Chips
• Fusion Experience
• Habanero Sombrero
• Mini Donuts Factory
• Neon Cone (some of the best ice cream in Winnipeg)
• Nuburger
• Red Ember Common (one of our choices for the best pizza in Winnipeg)
• Taste of Sri Lanka
• Wienerpeg
• Zorba’s Greek and Italian

Another extremely popular spot is The Common, where you can purchase local wine and beer. We always go for a wine or beer flight so we can sample a few flavours. In summer, a bar also opens outside to serve the patio.

There’s also Fools and Horses Coffee Company and Harrison’s Coffee Roasters (two of our picks for the best coffee shops in Winnipeg), as well as Tall Grass Prairie Bread Co. and Jenna Rae Cakes (a couple of the top Winnipeg bakeries).

For something a bit fancier, try SMITH, which is found inside the Inn at the Forks. We’ve included that as one of our favourite restaurants in Winnipeg, as the food and service are excellent. Reservations are recommended for SMITH.

Attractions at The Forks

Some of Winnipeg’s best museums are found at The Forks, as are many of the city’s best attractions nearby. A few of the major attractions you’ll find within the 5.5-hectare site of The Forks include:

• Canadian Museum for Human Rights
• The Forks Market (where you’ll find most of the shops and restaurants)
• The Children’s Museum
• CN Stage and Field
• The Forks Historic Rail Bridge
• The Forks Historic Port (in summer, you can take a boat tour from here)
• Johnston Terminal (home to many shops and galleries)
• Manitoba Theatre for Young People
• Oodena Celebration Circle
• Parks Canada Playground
• Riverwalk (walk from The Forks to Manitoba’s Legislative Building and back for a lovely riverside tour of the city)
• Parks Canada Red Chairs (find these just north of the Fort Parks playground/splash pad facing the Red River or inside the Travel Manitoba visitor centre)

Activities at The Forks

Had your fill of shopping and eating? There are quite a few activities to try at The Forks, both indoors and outdoors. In summer, take advantage of the walking path along the river or try a boat tour; in winter, enjoy cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, or skating on the Nestaweya River Trail and the Winnipeg 150 Winter Park (some of our favourite spots for ice skating in Winnipeg).

Some other activities, including equipment rental, include:

• Audio walking tours, including the self-guided audio tour of the Forks or the One Heart, Two Rivers, Four Directions walking tour (scroll up to our section on “Tours of the Forks” for more)
• Bee2gether Bikes (bike rental including tandem and other novelty bikes)
• Iceland Skate Rentals (skate rental and/or sharpening)
• Kendrick’s Outdoor Adventures (rent e-bikes, e-scooters, kayaks, pedal boats, paddle boards, and trail bikes in summer, and ice bikes, ice trikes, and novelty skating assists in winter)
• Walking through the prairie garden, public orchard, and urban garden
• Phantom Amusement Arcade
• Plain Bicycle (bike rentals in summer, cross-country ski rentals in winter)
• Royal Dance at The Forks (dance lessons)
• Public art around The Forks
• The Plaza at The Forks (Canada’s best and largest urban skateboard plaza and bowl complex)
• Riverstone Spa (found inside Inn at the Forks, this is one of the best spas in Winnipeg)

Events

Numerous events take place at The Forks throughout the year, from musical performances to peaceful walks for justice/civil rights to children’s entertainment. Keep an eye on the events calendar for more.

Target Zero Initiative

One of the most impressive things about The Forks is how ecologically responsible it is trying to be. With Target Zero, the ultimate goal is zero garbage, zero water waste, and zero carbon emissions. Implementing innovative and responsible environmental practices, it utilizes systems such as composting, recycling, a geothermal heat pump system, biofuel, public gardens, and more to be as good for the planet as possible.