Sights in Belfast, Northern Ireland

Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland and has a rich seafaring history and several historic sites that recount its long history in addition to fun museums for families to enjoy.

• Botanic Gardens—a beautiful attraction with grass, trees, flowers, curving paths, and wrought-iron benches that was laid out in 1827 on land that slopes down to the Lagan River and includes the curved-iron and glass Palm House that is a conservatory designed in 1839 which has exotic plants such as the bird of paradise flower and the scented frangipani; the Tropical Ravine House; an arboretum; a tree trail that leads visitors around 20 trees such as the Tree-of-Heaven and Japanese red cedar; located on Stranmillis Road
• City Hall—built between 1898 and 1906 and modeled on St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, this building was designed by Brumwell Thomas and is in the midst of Donegall Square which has statues of Queen Victoria and a column that honors the US Expeditionary Force, the first contingent of the US Army to arrive in Europe during World War II; inside is the 173-foot-high Great Dome with a magnificent view upwards from the entrance hall, beautiful stained-glass windows and arches, a café, an exhibition that describes the history of Belfast’s industrial development, and a photographic exhibition that celebrates 68 inspirational people of the past 100 years; Donegall Square
• Crumlin Road Gaol—a major tourist attraction that formerly was a prison that opened in 1846 and had over 500 prisoners at its peak and held some of Northern Ireland’s most infamous murderers between 1969 and 1996 when the prison closed; tours of the jail are 75 minutes long and show the holding, punishment, and condemned prisoner cells as well as the execution chamber which is behind a moving bookcase and a museum with exhibits such as handcuffs, uniforms, a flogging rack, photographs, and maps; 53-55 Crumlin Road
• Custom House—a creation of the 19^th century architect Charles Lanyon that is not open to the public but features a pediment of Britannia, Mercury, and Neptune on the front and a blue plaque recording the fact that the 19^th century novelist Anthony Trollope worked in the building as a post-office surveyor as well as a life-size bronze statue with arms raised commemorating the orator Jim Larkin who addressed crowds during the Dockers’ Strike of 1907 from the steps of the Custom House; Donegall Quay
• Grand Opera House—Belfast’s opera house that is Victorian in design with ornamentation, opulent gilt moldings, and intricate plasterwork and was designed by the well-known theater architect Frank Matcham in 1894 featuring bars on all floors, a café on the ground floor, a party room, and an angel-and-cherub fresco over the auditorium ceiling; 2 Great Victoria Street
• Knockbreda Parish Church—the oldest house of worship in Belfast that is dark and has large 18^th century tombs in the churchyard; Church Road off A24
• Lagan Boat Company N.I. Ltd.—a boat company that takes passengers on a 75-minute Titanic harbor tour of the shipyard where the liner was built; 66 Donegall Quay
• Linen Hall Library—a distinctive gray-yellow brick library that is the oldest subscription library in Ireland with a huge collection of 80,000 documents and books relating to the Troubles regarded as the most definitive archive that attracts scholars from around the world and the original document recording the first ever acts passed by the American Congress in New York on March 4, 1789; 17 Donegall Square North
• Metropolitan Arts Centre—Northern Ireland’s flagship home for the arts and an energetic fixture of the Cathedral Quarter’s creative scene that is six stories tall with two theaters, three art galleries, and artists’ studios along with a café, bar, and restaurant and galleries presenting current Northern Irish artists; St. Anne’s Square, Exchange Street
• Northern Ireland War Memorial—a memorial building that has an interactive exhibition about World War II as the area was bombed by the Luftwaffe in April 1941 resulting in more than a thousand deaths and features the American Wall of Friendship that contains a copper frieze expressing the wartime bonds created between Northern Ireland and the United States; 21 Talbot Street
• Queen’s University Belfast—a historic university with its main buildings modeled on Oxford University’s Magdalen College and designed by Charles Lanyon in 1849 in the Tudor Revival style with a redbrick and sandstone façade for the main building; the Seamus Heaney Library named after the Ulster-born 1997 Nobel Prize-winning poet who died in 2013; the McClay library in College Park with a multi-story open atrium, 1.5 million volumes, and the Brian Friel Theatre named in honor of one of Ireland’s most famous playwrights; and the C.S. Lewis reading room on the first floor that has a replica of the wardrobe door used in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; University Road
• Sinclair Seamen’s Church—another Charles Lanyon building that has served seafarers since 1857 with a pulpit shaped like a ship’s prow, the bell from the HMS Hood sunk in 1916, and collection plates shaped like lifeboats; Corporation Square off Donegall Quay
• Titanic Belfast Visitor Centre—a major attraction that is the headliner for the “Titanic Experience” exhibition with nine linked interpretive galleries that illustrate the Titanic’s history as well as Belfast’s seafaring and industrial heritage; a bow-shaped façade for the six-story building reflecting the lines of the Titanic; a ride through the reconstruction of the shipyard with the sounds and sensations of the past century; and a current view of the Titanic’s story with the discovery of its wreckage and live links to contemporary undersea exploration; Olympic Way, 6 Queen’s Road, Titanic Quarter
• Titanic’s Dock and Pump-House Tour—one of the top attractions in Northern Ireland that has been accessible to visitors since 2012 and allows visitors to take steps down to the floor of the Titanic’s dock otherwise known as the Thompson Dry Dock which is a relic of the ship’s legacy and its physical footprint and taking a guided walk will allow visitors to reflect on the ship’s history and the importance of shipbuilding to Belfast’s history; Queen’s Road
• Ulster Museum—a renovated museum that is popular with visitors for its light-filled atrium and polished steel and inside features exhibitions that trace the rise of Belfast’s crafts, trade, and industry and offers a photographic archive of the Troubles as well as a large natural history section with a famous skeleton of the extinct Irish giant deer, jewelry and gold ornaments recovered from the Spanish Armada vessel Girona; a great collection of 19^th and 20^th century art from Europe, Britain, and America; a modern history gallery which tells the story of Ulster from 1500 to 1968; and art, history, and nature discovery zones with hands-on activities for children; Stranmillis Road
• W5: whowhatwherewhenwhy: a science discovery center with a high-tech focus that interprets science and creativity for adults and children with video displays and flashing lights that add to the futuristic atmosphere, Discovery exhibits for children under eight covering subjects such as spying and forensics, and a huge multistory climbing structure in the atrium which provides a great view of the city and beyond from the top; 2 Queen’s Quay

Sights in Dublin

Dublin is a lively capital with many noteworthy sights such as Trinity College, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Phoenix Park, and Merrion Square. It is an old city that is certainly worth taking a trip to although you may need a week to see everything the city has to offer its visitors.

• Baily Lighthouse—a lighthouse built in 1814 that provides great views across the Irish Sea and the parking lot above the lighthouse looks out over the bay and Dublin; Howth Summit
• Bank of Ireland—located across the street from the west façade of Trinity College is this striking building that was formerly the home of the Irish Parliament and has a pedimented portico; inside is the original House of Lords with an oak-panel nave, a 1,233 drop Waterford glass chandelier, and tapestries that depict the battle of the Boyne and the Siege of Derry; 2 College Green
• Chester Beatty Library—deemed a library but actually more like a museum, this collection assembled by Sir Alfred Chester Beatty is considered to be one of the most significant collections of Islamic, Early Christian, and Far Eastern art in the Western world with exhibits including clay tablets from Babylon that date back to 2700 BC, Japanese wood-block prints, Chinese jade books, early papyrus bibles, and Turkish and Persian paintings with a second floor dedicated to the major world religions that includes 250 manuscripts of the Koran from across the Muslim world and an early Gospel; Castle Street
• Christ Church Cathedral—a Dublin landmark that was first built in 1172 by Strongbow, a Norman baron and conqueror of Dublin from England and finished constructed in 1222; major reconstruction occurred in the late 19^th century due to the deterioration of the church and added a bridge that connected the cathedral to the old Synod Hall which is now home to a Viking multimedia exhibition called Dublinia; the crypt has 12^th and 13^th century vaults and is Dublin’s oldest surviving structure and the most noteworthy feature of the cathedral with an exhibition called “The Treasures of Christ Church” that has manuscripts, various historic artifacts, and a tabernacle used when King James II was a worshipper; Christ Church Place and Winetavern Street
• City Hall—this building that was once the Royal Exchange is at the southwestern corner of Temple Bar and is now the seat of Dublin Corporation, the governing body of the city, that was designed by Thomas Cooley with 12 columns that encircle a central rotunda and 12 frescoes that show Dublin legends and ancient Irish historical scenes and inside is a multimedia exhibition that features artifacts, kiosks, graphics, and audiovisual presentations that trace the evolution of Dublin; Dame Street
• Custom House—a beautiful Georgian building that was built by James Gandon, an English architect, between 1781 and 1791 with a statue of Commerce atop the copper dome and statues based on allegories on the main façade and a visitor center that recounts the history of the building and the life of Gandon; Custom House Quay
• Dublin Castle—the seat and symbol of British rule of Ireland for over 700 years and is used today for Irish and European Union governmental purposes with a large Great Courtyard that allegedly is the site of the Black Pool (Dubh Linn) from which Dublin got its name; the Record Tower which is the largest remaining relic of the original Norman buildings built by King John between 1208 and 1220; the clock tower building that houses the Chester Beatty Library; and the State Apartments which are now used by the president of Ireland to host visiting heads of state and EU ministers; Castle Street
• Dublin City Gallery the Hugh Lane—Francis Bacon’s studio that was reconstructed exactly as the artist left it upon his death and has a beautiful façade with two half-moon arcades and was built as a town house for the Earl of Charlemont in 1762 and is now an art gallery named after sir Hugh Lane, a nephew of Lady Gregory, W.B Yeats’s aristocratic patron, who collected impressionist and 19^th century Irish and Anglo-Irish works; Parnell Square North
• Dublin Writers Museum—a museum situated within a restored 18^th century town house on the north side of Parnell Square that features the Gallery of Writers which includes rare manuscripts, diaries, posters, letters, limited and first editions, photographs, and other mementos and a room dedicated to children’s literature; 18 Parnell Square North
• Dublin Zoo—founded in 1830 and the third-oldest public zoo in the world that went through a major renovation completed in 2007 and is home to animals from tropical climates, Arctic species that swim in lakes near the Reptile House, lions, an African Plains section, a safari, and a primate area; Phoenix Park
• Farmleigh—a 78-acre Edwardian estate located northwest of Phoenix Park that includes Farmleigh House which has antique furnishings and historic art and accommodates visiting dignitaries; a working farm; walled and sunken gardens; picnic grounds; an organic food market; and a restaurant in the boathouse; Castleknock
• GAA Museum—the main stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association as well as a museum that explains the four Gaelic games (hurling, football, camogie, and handball) and has high-tech displays that allow visitors to learn about the history and highlights of the games; St. Joseph’s Avenue, Croke Park Stadium
• Gallery of Photography—the premier photography gallery in Dublin with a permanent collection of early 20^th century Irish photography and monthly exhibitions of works by modern Irish and international photographers; Meeting House Square South
• Garden of Remembrance—a garden in Parnell Square that honors those who died fighting for Ireland’s freedom and at the entrance has a large plaza with steps that lead down to the fountain area where there is a swan sculpture; Parnell Square
• General Post Office—a rebuilt post office building with a long history that dates back to the early 19^th century when it was built by the British as a communications center and was used by Irish rebels in 1916 during the Easter Rising when Irish Republican forces stormed the building and issued the Proclamation of the Irish Republic; it was rebuilt and reopened in 1929 becoming a working post office in 1929; O’Connell Street
• Glasnevin Cemetery and Museum—the most well-known burial ground in Dublin that is the site of the graves of many Irish leaders including Eamon de Valera and Michael Collins as well as the late 19^th century poet Gerard Manley Hopkins and Daniel O’Connell who helped fight for Catholic emancipation which was achieved in 1829 and also includes a museum with a “City of the Dead” permanent exhibition that delves into the burial practices and religious beliefs of the 1.5 million people buried in Glasnevin and a gallery with exhibits on significant historical figures buried there; Glasnevin
• Guinness Storehouse—Ireland’s top brewery founded by Arthur Guinness in 1759 and once the largest stout-producing brewery in the world that covers a 60-acre area west of Christ Church Cathedral and is the most popular tourist destination in Dublin with a museum housed in a 1904 cast-iron and brick warehouse spread out over six floors built around a central glass atrium shaped like a giant pint glass; under the glass floor of the lobby is Arthur Guinness’s original lease for the site for 9,000 years and the exhibition in the museum explains the brewing process and its history with antique presses and vats; a glimpse into bottle and can design over the years; a history of the Guinness family; an archive of Guinness advertisements; and a chance to pull a perfect pint with the main attraction being the top-floor Gravity Bar with 360-degree floor to ceiling glass walls that provide a great view out over the city; St. James’ Gate
• Irish Jewish Museum—a museum opened in 1985 by Israeli president Chaim Herzog and dedicated to the European Jews who fled pogroms of Eastern Europe to Ireland in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries that features a restored synagogue and a display of photographs, letters, and personal memorabilia from Dublin’s most prominent Jewish families as well as exhibits that explore the Jewish presence in Ireland dating back to 1067 and references to Jews in Ulysses; 3-4 Walworth Road
• Irish Museum of Modern Art—situated within the Royal Hospital Kilmainham this art museum focuses on the work of modern Irish artists, has international exhibitions, displays works by non-Irish artists such as Picasso and Miro in addition to more current artists like Damian Hirst, and hosts touring shows from major European museums; Kilmainham La
• Iveagh Gardens—a garden designed in 1865 by Ninian Niven in an “English landscape” style that has a rustic grotto and cascade, sunken lawns with fountains, a blooming rosarium, and wooded areas as well as a waterfall with rocks from each of Ireland’s 32 counties; Clonmel Street
• James Joyce Centre—a center devoted to James Joyce housed in a restored 18^th century Georgian townhouse that was once the dancing academy of Professor Denis J. Maginni (a figure in Ulysses, just one of Joyce’s celebrated novels), and features an extensive library and archives, exhibition rooms, a bookstore, and a café with the collection including letters from Beckett, Joyce’s guitar and cane, and an edition of Ulysses illustrated by Matisse; 35 North Great George’s Street
• Little Museum of Dublin—an eclectic museum with a singular purpose to tell the history of Dublin in the last hundred years through objects and stories from residents with a collection including art, photography, ads, letters, objects, and other items relating to life in Dublin since 1900; 15 Stephen’s Green
• Malahide Castle—a castle that was occupied by the Talbot family from 1185 to 1976 when it was sold to the County Council and has a large expanse of parkland around the castle with over 5,000 different species of trees and shrubs clearly labeled, a three-story tower house dating back to the 12^th century, walled gardens, and the only medieval great hall in Ireland kept in its original form; an addition includes a visitor center, Avoca restaurant, and a shop; 6 miles north of Howth on Coast Road, Malahide
• Marino Casino—an architectural landmark built between 1762 and 1771 from a plan by Sir William Chambers that has a china-closet boudoir, a huge golden sunset in the ceiling of the main drawing room, and the signs of the zodiac in the ceiling of the bijou library, and a mysterious amount of rooms; Malahide Road, Marino
• Marsh’s Library—Ireland’s first public library with a collection of 250 manuscripts and 25,000 books from the 15^th to the 18^th centuries that has been restored with attention to its original architectural details; St. Patrick’s Close off Patrick Street
• Merrion Square—a beautiful square lined on three sides by well-preserved Georgian townhouses and on the west side are Leinster House, the National Museum of Natural History, and the National Gallery; also, in the square are flower gardens, evergreen grounds with sculptures and winding paths, and the south side which has the Church of Ireland St. Stephen’s Church
• National Botanic Gardens—this botanic garden dates back to 1795 and has more than 20,000 varieties of plants, a rose garden, and a vegetable garden as well as the Curvilinear Range that are 400-foot-long greenhouses designed and built by a Dublin ironmaster, Richard Turner, between 1843 and 1869; Glasnevin Road
• National Gallery of Ireland—an art museum that has over 2,500 paintings and 10,000 other works including pieces by Caravaggio, Van Gogh, and Vermeer with highlights that include a major collection of paintings by Irish artists from the 17^th to 20^th centuries with works by Roderic O’Conor, Sir William Orpen, and William Leech and a Yeats Museum section with works by members of the Yeats family including pieces by Jack B. Yeats, brother of W.B. Yeats, and the most well-known Irish painter of the 20^th century; Merrion Square West
• National Library—a library that includes works by W.B. Yeats, George Bernard Shaw, Samuel Beckett, and Seamus Heaney and features first editions of every major Irish writer including works by Jonathan Swift, Oliver Goldsmith, and James Joyce, and almost every book ever published in Ireland housed within the library along with a great selection of old maps and a large collection of Irish newspapers and magazines; Kildare Street
• National Library Photographic Archive—a significant photographic resource with regular exhibitions and a collection that has 600,000 photographs many of which are Irish and provide a visual history of Ireland; Meeting House Square
• National Museum of Archaeology—this museum which is one of four branches of the National Museum of Ireland has a vast collection of Irish artifacts dating from 7000 BC to the present with the largest collection of Celtic antiquities in the world including gold jewelry, carved stones, bronze tools, and weapons; the Treasury permanent collection with the 8^th century Ardagh Chalice, a two-handled silver cup with gold filigree decoration, the bronze St. Patrick’s Bell, the oldest surviving example of Irish metalwork (5^th-8^th century), the 8^th century Tara Brooch made of white bronze, amber, and glass, and the 12^th century jewel-encrusted Cross of Cong; an exhibit on Vikings with a life-size Viking skeleton, swords, leather works recovered in Dublin and surrounding areas, and a replica Viking boat; location: Kildare St. Annex 7-9, Merrion Row
• National Museum of Decorative Arts and History—the National Museum’s large collection of glass, silver, furniture, and other decorative arts located within the Collins Barracks named after the assassinated Irish Republican leader, Michael Collins, and featuring one of the best collections of Irish silver in the world and Irish period furniture; Benburb Street
• National Museum of Natural History—one of the four branches of the National Museum that is Victorian in nature with an Irish room that features skeletons of the extinct giant Irish elk; the International Animals collection with a 65-foot whale skeleton suspended from the roof; and the Blaschka Collection with detailed glass models of marine creatures; Merrion Street
• National Transport Museum of Ireland—a museum that houses a tram that once traveled from the railway station in Howth over Howth Summit and back to the station and other vehicles such as horse-drawn bakery vans; Heritage Depot, Howth Demense
• National Wax Museum—an engaging museum with famous figures from Irish history and literature in wax form, figures from children’s cartoons, and movie characters as well as a green-screen room where music videos can be recorded; The Amoury, Foster Place
• Newbridge House and Farm—a stately Irish home built between 1740 and 1760 for Charles Cobbe, archbishop of Dublin, that is still home to the Cobbe family although the municipal government took over the house in 1985 and features the Red Drawing Room which is Ireland’s most luxurious 18^th-century salon with Old Master paintings, Corinthian columns, and a rococo-style plaster ceiling and 366 acres of parkland, a restored 18^th century animal farm, and a well-regarded coffee shop; Donabate, 5 miles north of Malahide, signposted from N1
• 29—a refurbished home dating back to 1794 that is in line with the lifestyle of the middle class in Dublin between 1790 and 1820 with period furniture, paintings, carpets, curtains, paint, wallpapers, and bell pulls; 29 Fitzwilliam Street
• Phoenix Park—Europe’s largest public park that extends about 3 miles along the Liffey’s north bank and has 1,752 acres of green lawns, woods, lakes, and playing fields with old-fashioned gas lamps lining both sides of Chesterfield Avenue, the main artery of the park, Victorian-era tea rooms, a flower garden, a visitor center, a café, and a walled garden
• Royal Hospital Kilmainham—the most important 17^th century building in Ireland that was commissioned as a hospice for disabled and veteran soldiers and completed in 1684 surviving into the 1920s as a hospital but then falling into disrepair until its renovation and includes a beautiful Baroque chapel with unique plasterwork ceiling and wood carvings and the Irish Museum of Modern Art; Kilmainham Lane
• Science Gallery—a family-friendly museum/gallery with rotating exhibitions that allow art and science to interact with hands-on experiments and a sister shop on a neighboring street with a walk-in area where visitors can join in workshops on a variety of topics from robotics to clockmaking; Pearse Street
• Patrick’s Cathedral—the largest cathedral in Dublin and the national cathedral of the Church of Ireland which was built in honor of Ireland’s patron saint and dedicated in 1192 in an early English Gothic style; it is the longest church in the country at 305 feet and has the Choir of St. Patrick’s with medieval banners and the tomb of Jonathan Swift, the most famous of St. Patrick’s deans, who held office from 1713 to 1745, the 17^th century Boyle Monument with many painted figures of family members, and the monument to Turlough O’Carolan, one of the country’s finest harpists; located on Patrick Street
• Stephen’s Green—a year-round 27-acre square that was once a private park and renovated in 1880 under the patronage of Sir Arthur Guinness and includes flower gardens; formal lawns; a Victorian bandstand; an ornamental lake with waterfowl; and winding paths with many statues throughout the park including a memorial to W.B. Yeats and another to James Joyce
• The Ark—a children’s cultural center with creative activities such as music, poetry readings, film, dance, painting, interactive exhibitions, and other activities; 11a Eustace Street
• The Old Library and the Book of Kells—home to Ireland’s largest collection of books and manuscripts with its most treasured work, the Book of Kells, which is considered to be one of the greatest masterpieces of early Christian art dating back to the 9^th century and bound in four volumes in 1953; other treasures in the library are the Long Room which is the main room of the library with 200,000 of the 3 million volumes in Trinity College’s collection, a series of marble busts including one of Jonathan Swift, and the carved Royal Arms of Queen Elizabeth I (the only surviving relic of the original college buildings; Front Square, Trinity College
• Trinity College—Ireland’s oldest and most well-known college founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I that has had a host of famous alumni including Jonathan Swift; Oscar Wilde; Bram Stoker; and Samuel Beckett and is spread out over 40 acres with many of the buildings built in the 18^th and early 19^th centuries including the West Front which has a classical pedimented portico in the Corinthian style, faces College Green, and is across from the Bank of Ireland; a cobblestone quadrangle called Parliament Square usually referred to as Front Square; Examination Hall which dates back to the mid-1780s and has an interior designed by Michael Stapleton and an organ recovered from an 18^th century Spanish ship and an oak chandelier from the old House of Commons; and a bell tower erected in 1853 that is at the center of the square
• Wall of Fame—the front wall of the Button Factory music venue that has a huge mural dedicated to major Irish rock musicians such as U2, Sinead O’Connor, and Shane McGowan; Curved Street

Sights in Winnipeg

Winnipeg is both the capital and the major city in Manitoba and has great museums, a zoo, parks, and historic sites worth checking out.

• Leo Mol Sculpture Garden—a sculpture garden with bronze sculptures by Polish immigrant Leo Mol, a pavilion, and a lily pond; 2355 Corydon Avenue
• Assiniboine Park—a large park with a zoo, English gardens, walking paths, a miniature train, and a theater; 2355 Corydon Avenue
• Manitoba Legislative Building—the home of Manitoba’s legislature where visitors can watch proceedings of the assembly when it is in session and tour the building on their own every day; 450 Broadway
• Canadian Museum for Human Rights—a new museum that emphasizes the importance of human rights through interactive technological exhibits, videos, films, and art; 85 Israel Asper Way
• Manitoba Museum—a great museum with exhibits on the history of Manitoba, the world, and the universe as well as highlighting ecology and astronomy; 190 Rupert Avenue
• Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada—situated at Winnipeg Airport, this museum is dedicated to preserving, restoring, and displaying planes from throughout Canada’s aviation history; 958 Ferry Road, Hangar T-2
• The Forks National Historic Site—a 9-acre park with interpretive displays, sculptures, stone pictographs, and bronze gambling sticks that highlight events throughout the site’s history; 401-25 Forks Market Road
• Fort Whyte Alive—a 640-acre outdoor destination with an interpretive center; café; aquarium; burrowing oil enclosure; bison prairie; prairie dogs; a pioneer sod house; walking trails; a nature shop; five lakes; and seasonal activities; 1961 McCreary Road
• Assiniboine Park Zoo—a major tourist attraction with 200 animal species including an arctic species exhibit reputed to be one of the best in the world; musk ox; owls; and caribou; 2595 Roblin Boulevard
• Winnipeg Art Gallery—Canada’s oldest civic art gallery with over 25,000 works of art from 15^th century European paintings to 21^st century American multimedia art; 300 Memorial Boulevard
• Fort Gibraltar—a living history museum with interactive and guided tours about the fur trade with costumed interpreters, a blacksmith shop, winterer’s cabin, and trading post; 866 St. Joseph Street
• Winnipeg Railway Museum—a railroad museum with antique trains and passenger trains that visitors can walk through; 123 Main Street
• Le Musee de Saint-Boniface Museum—Winnipeg’s oldest building that is the convent of the Grey Nuns and has artifacts that depict life and culture of French-speaking and Metis residents of Manitoba; 494 Tache Avenue
• Grand Prix Amusements–a children’s amusement park with go-karts, batting cages, bumper boats, miniature golf, and other activities; 738 Symington Road
• Manitoba Electrical Museum and Education Centre—a museum that depicts the history of hydroelectric power in Manitoba from the 1880s to the present with a model streetcar, a robot made from over 50 household appliances, and an interactive discovery area; 680 Harrow Street
• Seven Oaks House Museum—the oldest house in Winnipeg built between 1851-1855 for John and Mary Sinclair Inkster that is a rare log structure that illustrates the history of residents within the Red River settlement during the 19^th century; 50 Mac Street
• Oak Hammock Marsh—a marshy area that is a stopping point for migrating birds as well as a bird sanctuary; Route 200 at Highway 67
• Living Prairie Museum—a 12-hectare unplowed prairie with a nature center that offers self-guided tours of the land where seasonal wildflowers grow; 2795 Ness Avenue
• Tinkertown Family Fun Park—a family amusement park with rides, games, and miniature golf; 621 Murdock Road
• Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art—a modern art gallery with exhibitions from local and international artists; 460 Portage Avenue

 

 

 

 

Sights in Calgary

Calgary is home to historic parks, great museums, a historic village, and a spacious zoo. I think I could definitely see myself checking out Calgary.

• Fish Creek Provincial Park—a large urban park with over 54 miles of trails for hiking, biking, and running; 13931 Woodpath Road SW
• Gasoline Alley Museum—a museum that celebrates the great changes the car brought to society with vintage vehicles, gas pumps, products, and signs from petroleum companies; 1900 Heritage Drive SW
• The Military Museums—a museum complex consisting of the Naval Museum of Alberta; Army Museum of Alberta; Air Force Museum of Alberta; Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) Museum; Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry Museum and Archives; The King’s Own Calgary Regiment (Royal Canadian Armored Corps) Museum; The Calgary Highlanders Regimental Museum and Archives; and the University of Calgary Military Museums Library and Archives that is the second largest military museum in Canada and teaches visitors about Canadian military history; 4520 Crowchild Trail SW
• Heritage Park Historical Village—Canada’s largest living history museum with hundreds of exhibits, rides aboard steam trains and antique midway rides, shops, restaurants, and daily demonstrations and activities; 1900 Heritage Drive SW
• Studio Bell—the home of the National Music Centre with five floors of exhibits about Canadian music history, the Canadians Hall of Fame, interactive instrument installations, and vocal booths; 850 4^th Street SE
• Glenbow Museum—an arts and culture museum that has historical galleries and exhibitions of art and culture from around the world such as Asian art and First Nations art; 130 9^th Avenue SE
• The Calgary Zoo—a large zoo with over 900 animals from around the world including gorillas, hippos, grizzly bears, four species of penguins, red pandas, and lemurs; 1300 Zoo Road NE
• Famous Five Statues—five statues of historic Canadian women; 8^th Avenue SE, Olympic Plaza
• Calaway Park—western Canada’s largest outdoor family amusement park with live performances, miniature golf, a fishing pond, stores, and an RV park; Highway 1, Springbank Road exit
• Calgary Chinese Cultural Centre—located in Chinatown, this center is home to a prayer hall in the Temple of Heaven with ornate column details and paintings including 561 dragons and 40 phoenixes as well as a cultural museum, art gallery, crafts store, herbal medicine store, and a 330-seat Chinese restaurant; 197 1^st Street SW
• Calgary Tower—a 626-foot scepter-shaped building with views of Calgary, surrounding plains, and the Rocky Mountains and at the top is a revolving restaurant, grill, and gift shop; 9^th Avenue and Centre Street South
• Devonian Gardens—on top of the Toronto Dominion Centre shopping mall, this 2.5-acre enclosed garden has 20,000 plants, walkways, a sculpture court, and a playground; 317 7^th Avenue SW between 2^nd and 3^rd streets
• Fort Calgary Historic Park—a fort established in 1875 at the intersection of the Bow and Elbow rivers that was in operation until 1914 and now includes an interpretive center which describes the history of native peoples, Mounted Police, and European settlers; a restaurant which was once the fort superintendent’s house; and the Hunt House built in 1876 and believed to be Calgary’s oldest building; 750 9^th Avenue SE

Sights in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Halifax is the capital and major city of Nova Scotia and has a maritime history, art galleries, and fun museums for families to enjoy.

• Anna Leonowens Gallery—founded by Anna Leonowens, the royal governess who inspired The King and I, and the founder of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, this gallery was named in her honor and has three exhibition spaces with an emphasis on modern studio and media art that has 125 exhibitions a year; 1891 Granville Street
• Art Gallery of Nova Scotia—an art gallery housed in an 1867 building that once served as a post office, bank, and the headquarters of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, that has a permanent collection of over 17,000 works of art by modern Canadian painters, photographers such as Annie Leibowitz, and a renowned collection of maritime folk art; 1723 Hollis Street
• Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21—Pier 21 once was the entry point into Canada for almost a million immigrants between 1928 and 1971 and is now the focus of a national museum that honors the contributions these immigrants made to Canada’s culture and economy; 1055 Marginal Road
• Discovery Centre—an interactive science center with hands-on exhibits that explore physics, engineering, architecture, viscosity, and other subjects; 1593 Barrington Street
• Halifax Citadel National Historic Site—this citadel built between 1826 and 1856 on the highest hill in Halifax is Canada’s most visited National Historic Site; there is a multimedia presentation on small forts and gun emplacements on the harbor islands and the bluffs above the harbor; tours of the barracks, guardroom, and powder magazine; and costumed reenactors practicing drills; Citadel Hill, 5425 Sackville Street
• Halifax Public Gardens—among the oldest formal Victorian gardens in North America, this garden was completed in 1875 by the former gardener to the Duke of Devonshire and has gravel paths that wind around ponds, trees, and flower beds with a variety of plants from around the world as well as a café in the gardens; bounded by Sackville, Summer, and South Park Streets and Spring Garden Road
• Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market—a waterfront market that features the wares of artisans, over 200 local farmers, and cooks in a sustainable building with wind turbines, solar-energy and water-conservation systems, and a bio-wall providing for natural ventilation; 1209 Marginal Road
• Historic Properties—a collection of restored waterfront warehouses that have been converted into shops, offices, restaurants, and pubs but seven have been designated as National Historic Sites; 1869 Upper Water Street
• Maritime Museum of the Atlantic—a waterfront museum with displays that commemorate Nova Scotia’s sailing legacy particularly the Titanic and the Halifax explosion with 20 or so artifacts from the wreck of the Titanic including the ship’s only surviving deck chair, wall paneling, a balustrade molding, and the wireless operator’s log from the day the ship sank; other exhibits focus on the Canadian Navy, sailing ships, small craft boats, and steam-powered ships; 1675 Lower Water Street
• Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History—a museum that allows visitors to learn about the plants and animals in Nova Scotia and has a nature center that is home to snakes, frogs, insects, and other animals; 1747 Summer Street
• Point Pleasant Park—a former fortification site converted into a public park with 186 acres of walking paths and seafront paths as well as a massive round tower military installation and great views of ships entering the harbor; 5718 Point Pleasant Drive