Manitoba's sprawling wildlife bumps right up against Winnipeg, so visitors don't need to travel very far to see nature in its splendor any time of the year.

Starting in Winnipeg, head north on Highway 7 or 8 for about 20 minutes and spend the morning at the Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre. If you're visiting in warmer months, the interpretive centre offers many different activities: guided marsh walks, nature surveys, canoe adventures and more. If there's snow on the ground, try snowshoeing, animal tracking and various winter games like snow golf or human curling!

Come inside and enjoy lunch at Oak Hammock Café.

Head back to the southwest side of Winnipeg to visit FortWhyte Alive. Try one of the FortWhyte canoe programs in warmer months - you can receive a basic introduction to canoeing, or just hit the water. Winter visitors can snowshoe, hit the toboggan slide, or try ice fishing. FortWhyte also offers many different walking trails that provide great bird watching opportunities throughout the year.

Finally, enjoy world-class cuisine with a local focus at Fusion Grill before unwinding at one of Winnipeg's many world-class hotels.