Fun for older kids and teens

The skateboard park at The Forks is popular with kids

Wishing you could find some activities that are fun for older kids and teens?

Traveling with a bored pre-teen or teenager who'd rather be just about anywhere else?

Or maybe you're that older kid/teen, worried that when you visit Winnipeg, perhaps because a younger sib is competing in ringette or hockey or you’re here for a family get-together, you’ll end up spending hours being dragged around town by your ancient parents bored out of your skull?

Trust me -- it IS possible to find some fun for older kids and teens in Winnipeg!

Here are suggestions to brighten up your visit!

Cool stuff to do…fun for older kids and teens

Rent a kayak or a canoe at The Forks and explore the Red and Assiniboine Rivers.

Rent a bicycle at The Forks or at Natural Cycle (downstairs from Mondragon restaurant) at 91 Albert St. (204-957-5762) and get out and explore the city. It’s mostly flat, ideal for biking, and there are plenty of bike paths.

Take a helicopter tour of the city with Yukon Helicopters, who fly out of St. Andrews airport north of Winnipeg. Info: (204) 339-1163.

Or how about a tour in a Hot-Air Balloon? There are two certified hot-air balloon tour companies that offer flights over Winnipeg for anyone over age 10 from May 1 to October. Sundance Balloons has daily sunrise, sunset and anytime 2 ½ hour flights. Info: (204) 895-3151. Balloons Aloft has one-hour rides at sunrise or sunset. (Balloon tourists under age 17 need a signed waiver from a parent or guardian). Info: (204) 793-2821.

There’s lots more to see and do at The Forks including free outdoor concerts, a monster skateboard park (photo at the top of this page, walking tours, patios and restaurants and shopping.

Crazy for vintage? There are great vintage shops in The Exchange District. There are also four Value Village stores in Winnipeg. The best one is near the University of Manitoba at 1725 Pembina Highway in Fort Garry. Also, don’t miss the Costume Museum in The Exchange District. They have thousands of dresses, hats, coats and shoes from the past 120 years.

Want to see a great movie? There are multi-plex theatres downtown and at Polo Park and St. Vital Shopping Centres (movie listings are in the Thursday and Friday editions of the Winnipeg Free Press). The IMAX theatre is in Portage Place Shopping Centre (downtown on Portage Ave.)

Love boutiques? Head to Corydon Village, The Exchange District and Osborne Village for interesting and quirky shops and boutiques.

Prefer the mall? The largest mall is Polo Park Shopping Centre on Portage Avenue. It has Roots, Gap, Aritzia, The Body Shop, Mexx, Guess? And Club Monaco.

More cool shopping -- Mountain Equipment on Portage Ave. downtown for outdoor gear, Sugar Mountain on Corydon and at The Forks for candy, Mordens at The Forks Market for fudge, Gilded Lily’s (877 Waverley) and Winnipeg Art Gallery Gift Shop (Memorial near Portage Ave.) for jewellery, and Candie & Dolls (52 Albert) in The Exchange District for flirty dresses.

Are you a history buff? There are two forts and more than 40 museums including ones devoted to Manitoba history and pioneer life, Canada’s armed forces and NATO and Aboriginal and Metis history and culture and much, much more. See Museums.

Into science and technology? There are museums concentrating on electricity, fossils, geology and rocks, paleontology, ecology and the environment, and more. See Museums.

Interested in ghosts and the paranormal? Muddy Waters runs Historical Haunted Winnipeg and Haunted Winnipeg Investigates tours from June to October. Info: (204) 989-9630.

Intrigued by Magic? There is a magic museum in the small town of Giroux near Steinbach, about a 50-minute drive from Winnipeg. Philip’s Magical Paradise is open daily June till the end of September (weekends at 1 p.m.). Info: (204) 326-1219.

Fascinated by Archeology and the distant past? Take a walking tour of The Forks to discover who lived here thousands of years ago, and what their lives were like. Tours in summer Thursdays to Sundays in English or French leave from Explore Manitoba Centre at The Forks.

Love baseball? Or football? Or hockey? Take in a game! The ballpark (home of Winnipeg Goldeyes) is just north of The Forks. Winnipeg Blue Bombers play at Canad Inns Stadium, near Polo Park Shopping Centre (north of Portage Ave.) MTS Centre is home ice for Manitoba Moose. You can also see exciting action on the court, the field or on the ice at University of Manitoba and Winnipeg minor hockey games.

Hot day? Fun for older kids and teens at the beach

Grand Beach is about an hour north-east of Winnipeg. Blue water, gorgeous white sand stretching for three km. and this is the place to hook up.

On hot summer days as many as 20,000 people head for Manitoba’s best beach on the shore of Lake Winnipeg. Hit the West Beach (East Beach is closer to the campground, but it’s for little kids and your parents).

Fun for older kids and teens at an indoor pool…

If you stay at a hotel that doesn’t have a pool and want a great pool, with an awesome waterslide, plus an arcade and workout facilities, fitness and fun for older kids and teens, go to:

YMCA/YWCA of Winnipeg There are four Y branches in the city, but the best pools and waterslides are at the South Branch, 5 Fermor Avenue (east of Downtown) and West Portage Branch, 3550 Portage Avenue, west of Downtown.

There is also a Downtown Branch (attached to Portage Place shopping mall, Portage Ave. at Vaughn, which has two pools, but no slide (however, if you go there for a work-out, it does have one of the best steam rooms in Canada).

You can be a Y member for a day for $4 (for students under age 18), $8 (adults), or $12 for the whole family. Open daily year-round.

Or a waterpark…

Fun Mountain has 10 waterslides plus heated pools, 804 Murdock Road (east of Winnipeg off either Highway 1 or the Perimeter Highway). Info: (204) 255-3910.

Many family hotels have great pools/waterparks. Read more about them here.

More fun for older kids and teens:

For waterparks, go-cart racing, mini-golf, bumper boats, pedal boats, young people’s theatre, rock-climbing and more that is on the kids page and also fun for older kids and teens, have a look here.

Do you still LOVE the thrill of a roller coaster or a giant Ferris wheel?

The best mid-way rides are at The Red River Exhibition (10 days in June).

If you can't be in Winnipeg then, head for Tinkertown (and try to be mature about the name).

T-town has this giant ferris wheel and also a roller coaster.

On Highway 1 East (what Fermor Street turns into), east of the city and just beyond the Perimeter.

Scary Halloween fun in October

Go from fun for older kids and teens to find more fun activities for kids...

Winter fun for older kids and teens -- go skating!

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SBI!