This is a list of museums in Manitoba, Canada. There are nearly 200 museums in Manitoba, with over 40 in the City of Winnipeg alone.[1]
For this context, museums are defined as institutions (including nonprofit organizations, government entities, and private businesses) that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scientific, or historical interest and make their collections or related exhibits available for public viewing. Also included are non-profit art galleries and university art galleries.
Manitoba is home to nearly 200 museums with over 40 in Winnipeg alone. These include art galleries, community museums, cultural centres, heritage centres, nature centres, historic buildings, historic sites, parks, historical societies, natural history museums, science museums and zoos. Their focus includes art, history, science, nature, sports, leisure, transportation and industry. Manitoba museums are also essential to the province's tourism industry.
Name[2] | Town/City | Regions | Type | Summary |
---|---|---|---|---|
12th Manitoba Dragoons Museum | history of the 26th Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery | |||
Air Force Heritage Museum and Air Park[3] | Aerospace / Military | museum open by appointment | ||
Alex Robertson Museum | ||||
Anola & District Museum | pioneer village | |||
Antler River Historical Society Museum | Westman | Local History | includes antique firearms and pioneer artifacts | |
Canadian Aquatic Hall of Fame[4] | Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Sports (water spores) | |
Arborg Heritage Village | Local History | multicultural history of rural life and farm communities of the Interlake region prior to 1930 | ||
Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba | Brandon | Westman | ||
Ashern Pioneer Museum | Interlake | Open-air | historic buildings and agricultural equipment | |
Beautiful Plains Museum | Westman | Local history | period room and business displays | |
Beckoning Hills Museum | Westman | Local history | period room and business displays | |
Belmont & District Historical Museum | Westman | Local history | open in summer[5] | |
Binscarth & District Gordon Orr Memorial Museum | Parkland | Local history | Closed for the 2021 season but working to temporarily move online. | |
Birdtail Country Museum | Westman | Local history | period room displays | |
Blacksmith Museum | Westman | Industry (blacksmith) | fully restored and working blacksmith shop | |
Brandon General Museum | Westman | local history, schools, businesses, early entertainment and fashion, agriculture, includes the B.J. Hales Collection of bird and animal mounts, model railway layouts | ||
Pioneer Village Museum | Open-air | |||
Burrough of the Gleann Museum | Westman | Local history | heritage of the Glenboro-South Cypress area | |
Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre | Pembina Valley | Marine reptile fossils | ||
Canadian Museum for Human Rights | Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | explores the subject of human rights including Aboriginal issues, the Holocaust, etc. | |
Carberry Plains Museum | Westman | Local history | includes local memorabilia and paintings, sports memorabilia from all eras and many decade-specific collections | |
Charlebois Heritage Museum | Local history | local history of the Charlebois Chapel. It is a municipally-designated heritage building. | ||
Clack Family Heritage Museum | Westman | History | antique automobiles, equipment and pioneer artifacts | |
Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum | Brandon | Westman | Aerospace | World War II aircraft, British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, R.C.A.F. |
Cooks Creek Heritage Museum | Local heritage | local history of pioneer settlers from Eastern-European, Slavic countries and their cultural heritage | ||
Crystal City Community Printing Museum | Westman | dedicated to printing presses and equipment[6] | ||
Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Late-Victorian house | ||
Brandon | Westman | Historic house | Late-19th century Victorian house | |
Darlingford School Heritage Museum | Pembina Valley | Local history | historic four-room schoolhouse with exhibits of local history[7] [8] | |
Parkland | located in a restored 1912 Canadian Northern Railway station | |||
Pembina Valley | Local history | operated by the Dufferin Historical Society[9] | ||
Dunnottar Station Museum | Interlake | Railway | [10] [11] | |
Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Natural history | part of the University of Manitoba Department of Geological Sciences, skeletal replicas of animals from the Cretaceous period[12] | |
Elgin & District Museum | Westman | Local history | open in summer[13] [14] | |
Eriksdale Museum | Interlake | Local history | includes creamery artifacts, housed in the only remaining creamery in Manitoba[15] [16] | |
Itsanitaq Museum | formerly the Eskimo Museum;[17] includes Inuit sculptures, artifacts and carvings[18] | |||
Ethelbert & District Museum | Parkland | Local history | includes a school room, pioneer kitchen, sewing room, nursery, bedroom and artifacts from original settlers[19] [20] | |
Evergreen Firearms Museum | Westman | Military | military and sporting firearms[21] | |
Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | |||
Flin Flon Station Museum | Local history | located in a former Canadian National Railway Station building; includes artifacts from the 1920s', collected from mining, transportation, and cultural sources[22] | ||
Parkland | Open-air | 18th-century fur-trade post and pioneer village[23] [24] | ||
Fort Garry Historical Society Museum | Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Historic house | Two late-19th century houses (the Turenne and Bohémier homes) located in the historic St. Norbert Provincial Park; operated by the Fort Garry Historical Society |
Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | history of The Fort Garry Horse, a regiment of the Canadian Forces, as well as of Winnipeg cavalry, 1878 to present | ||
Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Summer living history demonstrations of 1815 fur-trading post life | ||
Open-air | includes pioneer village, Allis-Chalmers Museum with farm equipment, Ukrainian Orthodox church, Military Museum, Manitoba Softball Hall of Fame[25] | |||
Foxwarren Museum | Westman | Local history | operated by the Foxwarren Historical Society in the former St. George's Anglican Church[26] | |
Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Art | gallery of the University of Winnipeg | |
Gilbert Plains Museum & Tourist Information Centre | Parkland | Local history | [27] | |
Gladstone District Museum | Local history | [28] [29] | ||
Westman | History | [30] | ||
Westman | Local history | [31] | ||
Interlake | Open-air | includes a fishing industry museum, one-room school, 1920-1940s period Icelandic family house, tools | ||
Local heritage | includes local natural and cultural history, mining, First Nation, fur-trade artifacts, and fossils[32] | |||
Westman | Multiple | consists of several museums and historic buildings in Heritage Park, including Todd's Shoe Repair Museum, Badger Creek Museum, Mount Prospect School Museum, old MTS Office Museum, old Mather Post Office Museum, and the Heritage House Museum.[33] | ||
Westman | designated as a Municipal Heritage Site.[34] [35] [36] | |||
Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Historic house | Late-19th century house, also local history, farming, agriculture and blacksmith exhibits | |
Parkland | Education | designated as a Municipal Heritage Site.[37] | ||
Parkland | Agriculture | |||
Boissevain | Westman | Natural history | collection of full-mount animals set in interactive, natural scenes[38] | |
Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | dedicated to Ukrainian author and poet Ivan Franko | ||
Westman | Local heritage | features Indigenous and pioneer artifacts, war relics, photographs, cameras, maps, trophies, textiles, art, and a restored historic post office.[39] | ||
Jim's Vintage Garages | includes automotive and petroleum industry memorabilia; located in the Headingley Heritage Centre[40] | |||
Parkland | Indigenous heritage (Keeseekoowenin Ojibway FN) | recognized federal heritage building.[41] [42] | ||
Kenosewun Visitor Centre and Museum | Interlake | interprets the evolution of Aboriginal cultures in the Red River area, featuring excavated Aboriginal artifacts, history of the St. Andrews Locks and Dam;[43] located in Lockport Provincial Park.[44] | ||
Parkland | Local heritage | features local history, agricultural equipment, restored Elaschuk House, a pioneer log cabin and the Makaroff United Church[45] | ||
Lac du Bonnet and District Historical Society | Lac du Bonnet | Eastman | Local history | [46] |
Le Musée de Saint-Boniface Museum | Winnipeg (St. Boniface) | Winnipeg Capital | Francophone and Métis heritage | Winnipeg's oldest building and a national historic site[47] [48] |
Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Military | features the 400-year military history in Manitoba; it is maintained by the Military History Society of Manitoba.[49] | |
Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Nature center and prairie ecology | ||
Interlake | Living | 1850s Hudson's Bay Company fur-trading post | ||
Interlake | Open-air | features a former CNR station, Mary Hill School, Notre Dame Church, two log houses, and a caboose and jigger, among other historic buildings, and agricultural items and antiques.[50] | ||
Lynn Lake Mining Town Museum | Mining | area nickel mining and local history[51] | ||
Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Historic house / Biographical | home of writer Gabrielle Roy[52] | |
Parkland | Historic site (railway) | [53] [54] | ||
Agriculture | features vintage farm machinery and pioneer village buildings | |||
Technology (radio) | features antique communication equipment; located on the grounds of the Manitoba Agricultural Museum. It is Canada's only amateur radio museum.[55] | |||
Westman | Automobile | includes rare automobiles, pioneer farm equipment, steam tractors, and unique household artifacts | ||
Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame Museum | Pembina Valley | Sports (baseball) | [56] | |
Manitoba Basketball Hall of Fame & Museum | Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Sports (basketball) | located at the University of Winnipeg's Duckworth Centre[57] |
Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | |||
Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Art | "the only museum in Canada devoted exclusively to craft and its current and historical importance to Canadians"[58] | |
Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame & Museum | Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Sports (curling) | [59] |
Industry / Food & beverage (dairy) | features collection of artifacts related to the development of Manitoba's dairy industry; located on a complex that consists of several theme-related buildings including the Pioneer Museum, a country school, chapel museum, and other pioneer artifacts, and local history[60] | |||
Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Technology (electrical) | Electrical history of Manitoba | |
Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Human and natural history / Provincial | formerly the Museum of Man and Nature. | |
Manitoba Softball Hall of Fame & Museum | Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Sports (softball) | [61] |
Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Sports | Manitoba's sports teams and honoured athletes | |
Manitoba Transit Heritage Association | Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Transport | The MTHA collection includes a vintage bus fleet and public transit records of Manitoba, as well as memorabilia from the Winnipeg Electric Company, Greater Winnipeg Transit Commission, Metro Transit and Winnipeg Transit. The museum collections are typically showcased at various venues over the summer months.[62] |
Manitoba World War One Museum, Archives and Library | Pilot Mound | Central | War / Living | [63] [64] |
Margaret Laurence Home | Neepawa | Westman | Historic house / Biographical | childhood home of author Margaret Laurence[65] |
Interlake | includes several museum ships | |||
Westman | Historic house | turn-of-the century farmhouse; designated municipal heritage site.[66] [67] | ||
Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Ethnic heritage (Jewish) | features Jewish history of settlement in western Canada; hosted in the Jewish Heritage Centre | |
Open-air | dedicated to Russian Mennonite history | |||
Pembina Valley | Railway | national historic site[68] [69] | ||
Miami Museum | Miami | Pembina Valley | Historic House/Local History | Former Anglican church and schoolhouse, containing artifacts surrounding local history, as well as a display of a 40 ft Mosasaur fossil |
Midwinter School Heritage Site | East Braintree | Eastman | Historic school | [70] |
Westman | Historic house | includes two houses consisting of over 1200 different artifacts from all periods[71] | ||
Minnedosa District Museum and Heritage Village | Westman | Open-air | a pioneer village featuring 9 restored heritage buildings[72] | |
Boissevain | Westman | Archaeological (First Nations) | features Aboriginal history in the Turtle Mountain region, primarily from artifacts from the private collection of Bill Moncur[73] | |
Monseigneur-Taché Historic Site | Sainte-Geneviève | Eastman | Historic site / Francophone heritage | focused on the French-Canadian religious and local heritage from the time of the colonization of western Canada to 1980.[74] |
Interlake | History | information, information | ||
Westman | Local heritage | pioneer life in the Red River Valley area[75] | ||
Musée St. Pierre-Jolys Museum | St-Pierre-Jolys | Eastman | Francophone heritage | focuses on local pioneer life of the early 20th century; a provincial historic site[76] |
Local history | dedicated to local history and the Chanoisses, better known as Les Soeurs du Sauveur[77] | |||
Pembina Valley | [78] | |||
Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Military / Maritime | ||
Nellie McClung Heritage Site | Central | Historic house / Biographical | includes the only two homes of Nellie McClung in Canada that are open to the public: Hazel Cottage and McClung House[79] | |
Neubergthal Heritage Foundation | Neubergthal | Central | Open-air | Neubergthal is "the best-preserved single-street Mennonite village in North America."[80] |
Interlake | Ethnic heritage (Iceland) | History and artifacts of the settlers from Iceland; three locations in Gimli | ||
Westman | History | information, information, local history | ||
Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Ethnic heritage (Polish) | [81] | |
Parks Canada Visitor Centre | Visitor center / History | includes exhibits about the area's fur-trade industry and nearby Prince of Wales Fort National Historic Site and York Factory National Historic Site, military history, human and natural history, Wapusk National Park[82] | ||
Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Art | Pavilion located in Assiniboine Park[83] | |
Pembina Valley | Open-air | heritage buildings, vintage farm equipment, antiques[84] | ||
Pilot Mound & District Museum | Central | History | Local history[85] | |
Pioneer Village | Pilot Mound | Central | Living | recreates a small rural Manitoba community in the early 1900s[86] |
Plug In Institute Of Contemporary Art (Plug In ICA) | Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Art (contemporary) | [87] |
Plum Coulee Prairie View Elevator Museum | Pembina Valley | Agricultural | features grain elevator with displays depicting pioneer life[88] [89] [90] | |
Plum Museum & Visitor Centre | Westman | Local history | formerly the Plum Heritage Church Museum & Tea Room[91] [92] | |
Parkland | Local history | [93] | ||
Prairie Dog Central Railway | Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Railway / Living | owned by The Vintage Locomotive Society[94] [95] |
Westman | Open-air | includes several historic buildings and the collection of the former Cleggs Museum of Horse Drawn Vehicles[96] [97] [98] | ||
Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada Museum | Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Military | |
Westman | Local history | local history[99] [100] | ||
Royal Canadian Artillery Museum (RCA Museum) | Westman | as the central museum for the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery, it is Canada's national artillery museum; located near Brandon.[101] | ||
Reston & District Museum | Westman | Local history | [102] | |
Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Historic house | 1880s-period home of Métis leader and founder of Manitoba, Louis Riel[103] | |
Interlake | Transport / Local history | features local history as affected by area transportation: rail, boat, air, roads[104] | ||
Pembina Valley | Agriculture | dedicated to the history of 4-H Canada, the museum occupies a nearly 120-year-old former bank[105] [106] | ||
Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Historic house | 1850s-period homestead | |
Parkland | Local history | includes replica Ukrainian village, artifacts, agricultural tools, etc.[107] [108] | ||
Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Aerospace / Military | dedicated to military and civilian aircraft; formerly the Western Canada Aviation Museum | |
Royal Winnipeg Rifles Museum & Archives | Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Regimental | official museum of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles[109] |
Sagkeeng Cultural Centre Museum | Ethnic heritage (Sagkeeng FN) | [110] [111] | ||
Saint-Claude Gaol Museum & Tourist Office | St. Claude | Central Plains | Prison | [112] |
Saint Léon Interpretive Centre | Westman | includes interactive galleries focusing on such things as wind power (wind farms), birds, and sustainable living; known in French as Centre d'interprétation St-Léon.[113] | ||
Northern | Local history | Collections include First Nations, fur trading, mining, transportation | ||
Eastman | Forestry | website, forest ecology and biodiversity, sustainable forest management, fire management and prevention, trees and tree growth, the forest industry and forest products | ||
Sandy Lake Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Museum | Sandy Lake | Westman | Ethnic heritage (Ukrainian) | features artifacts from the original Riding Mountain settlement of 1899[114] |
Satterthwaite Log Cabin / Burrows Trail | Parkland | Historic site | Burrows Trail was the stagecoach route in the late 1880s and sits adjacent to the Satterthwaite Log Cabin, which is a designated municipal heritage site[115] [116] [117] | |
School of Art Gallery (SOAG) | Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Art | University of Manitoba’s School of Art Gallery, formerly known as Gallery One One One[118] |
Selo Ukraina (Ukrainian Village) | Parkland | Living | A Ukrainian heritage village (selo) depicting a pioneer crossroads settlement between 1896 and 1925.[119] [120] It is the site of major events like Canada's National Ukrainian Festival and Dauphin's Countryfest. | |
Interlake | Regional | includes the Canadian flag collection, as well as local history, agricultural, school, religious and railway history | ||
Westman | Biographical | a small museum, art gallery, and gift shop dedicated to the life and works of Ernest Thompson Seton[121] | ||
Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Historic house | Mid-19th century settlement life | |
Westman | designated as the province's official Mounted Police museum, dedicated to the North-West Mounted Police.[122] [123] | |||
Sipiweske Museum | Westman | Local history | exhibits various memorabilia from pioneers, Wawanesa Insurance Co., the Criddle Family, and Nellie McClung. The site includes two provincial heritage buildings.[124] | |
Snow Lake Mining Town Museum | Mining | also known as the Manitoba Star Attraction Mining Museum[125] [126] | ||
Somerset Lorne Citizens Museum | Somerset | Central | Rock and gem | [127] |
Sprague & District Historical Museum | Eastman | Open-air | local history, period room and business displays[128] | |
Interlake | Local history | [129] | ||
Parkland | Local history | website, historic Romanian Orthodox church and pioneer home with artifacts; also known as St. Elijah Romanian Orthodox Church Museum and Paulencu Romanian Folk House | ||
Winnipeg (St. Vital) | Winnipeg Capital | Community | operated by the St. Vital Historical Society[130] | |
Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Ethnic heritage (Ukrainian) | focused on Ukrainian Catholic heritage; operated by the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Winnipeg | |
Westman | School | one-room schoolhouse; includes First-Nations artifacts[131] | ||
Westman | Local history | [132] | ||
Parkland | Open-air | museum and pioneer village including over 20 historic buildings, focusing on the Swan River Valley[133] | ||
Interlake | Open-air | historic buildings, agriculture equipment, household items and antiques[134] | ||
Third Crossing Agricultural Museum | Agriculture | information | ||
Tolstoi Heritage Centre | Tolstoi | Eastman | Local heritage | [135] |
Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Community | History and culture of Transcona and the surrounding Springfield area[136] | |
History | includes period business displays, rifles, antique furniture, radios, tools, kitchenware, war paraphernalia, Native artifacts, agriculture equipment, farm machinery, blacksmith shop[137] | |||
Trembowla Cross of Freedom Museum | Parkland | Open-air | tribute to Ukrainian settlers, includes 1989 St. Michael's Ukrainian Catholic Church, a pioneer home, Trembowla school and other historic buildings. It is a provincial and national heritage site. | |
Westman | Agriculture | tractors, farm equipment, tools[138] | ||
Ukrainian Cultural and Educational Centre (Oseredok) | Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Ethnic heritage (Ukrainian) | Also known as Oseredok |
Ukrainian Museum of Canada, Manitoba Branch | Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Ethnic heritage (Ukrainian) | Ukrainian folk art and crafts, located in the Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral[139] |
Virden Pioneer Home Museum | Westman | Historic house | Victorian-period home; the site also includes a post office, general store, schoolhouse displays, memorabilia of pioneer life, World War I artifacts and uniforms, folk-art gallery[140] | |
Waskada Museum | Westman | Local heritage | the complex includes 6 buildings, 5 of which are original structures, as well as farm artifacts, antique vehicles, period business, and school displays[141] | |
Parkland | Open-air / Historic site | Ukrainian pioneer homestead and outbuildings[142] | ||
Parkland | Local history | pioneer home, log cabin, agriculture equipment, schoolhouse[143] | ||
Eastman | Open-air | pioneer village and farming museum; open seasonally[144] | ||
Eastman | Multiple | includes the Whiteshell Natural History Museum, Whiteshell Trappers Museum, West Hawk Museum, Whiteshell Fish Hatchery Interpretive Centre, Alf Hole Goose Sanctuary, and Interpretive Centre | ||
Eastman | School | 1911 one-room school[145] | ||
Winkler Heritage Museum | Winkler | Central | Local heritage | [146] |
Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Art | ||
Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Police | [147] | |
Winnipeg | Winnipeg Capital | Railway | ||
Winnipeg River Heritage Museum | St. Georges | Eastman | History | formerly St. Georges Museum[148] |
Parkland | History | information, local history | ||
Interlake | History | information, information, local history, household items, also includes 2 schools, log cabin and St. Luke's Anglican Church | ||
These are museums or collections that either exist only in cyberspace (i.e., virtual museums) or are virtual exhibitions provided by physical museums through their website. This does not include museums in Manitoba that have temporarily made their exhibits available online due to COVID-19 restrictions in 2020/2021.[149]
Name[150] | Owner | Type | Details | |
---|---|---|---|---|
A Museum Called Manitoba | Association of Manitoba Museums | Provincial history | exhibit of 150 artifacts, for Manitoba's 150th anniversary[151] [152] | |
Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba | Contemporary art | founded as the Brandon Art Club | ||
Brandon General Museum and Archives | ||||
Brandon Mental Health Centre Museum | History | formerly a physical museum | ||
CMHR – Explore from Home | Canadian Museum for Human Rights | includes video tours[153] | ||
Manitobia | University of Manitoba Libraries | Provincial heritage | digital collections[154] | |
PastForward | Winnipeg history | [155] |
Name | Town/City | Type | Closed | Details | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Archibald Historical Museum | La Rivière | History | 2016 | Included home of activist Nellie McClung | |
Brandon Mental Health Centre Museum[156] | History | now virtual only | |||
Canadian Orthodox Pioneer Museum | Sifton | History | 2010 | located in the Holy Resurrection Russian Orthodox Church which was destroyed by fire in 2010[157] [158] | |
Chatfield Park of Souvenirs Museum[159] | Armstrong | 2012 | |||
Chokecherry Junction | Boissevain | Railroad | model railway collection[160] | ||
Cleggs Museum of Horse Drawn Vehicles | Miniota | Transport | 2010 | horse-drawn vehicles and antiques; collection moved to the Prairie Mountain Regional Museums | |
Costume Museum of Canada | Winnipeg | Fashion | |||
Leaf Rapids National Exhibition Centre | Leaf Rapids | Multiple | included human, natural, scientific and artistic heritage of Canada[161] | ||
Manitoba Military Aviation Museum | Winnipeg | Military / aerospace | 2014 Jan | ||
Maple Grove Tea Room at Kennedy House | Winnipeg | Historic house | 2015 | former home of Captain William Kennedy[162] [163] [164] | |
Philip's Magical Paradise | Giroux | Magic | 2018 | magic and illusion equipment and history[165] [166] | |
Red River Valley Floods Interpretive Centre | Ste. Agathe | Interpretation centre | campground/RV park with history of the 1950 and 1997 Red River flood[167] [168] |