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We loved the Winnipeg Zoo. The polar bear exhibit is fantastic! During the day the downtown core is not too bad but I would steer clear after dark. I have only ever been in the winter but we loved The Forks. There is a fantastic little market and unique eateries there. Another fun one was the Museum... I can't recall the name offhand but there is an interactive science museum downstairs that was amazing. MY son loved it and could have stayed for days!

Yes, Winnipeg is home for us! We actually just moved back here after living away in other parts of Manitoba for the last 9 years. It's a great city and I love it! I always wondered if people from ND came here to visit, because many of us go to Grand Forks or Fargo all the time for shopping and what not. You can find all kinds of things to do here!
Definitely the Zoo and Assiniboine Park. You could easily spend a day there between the zoo and the actual park. There is also a steam train you can take a ride on, walk across the river for ice-cream at Sergeant Sundae. We love the Park Cafe for breakfast and lunch. It's right on the duck pond. You could also easily spend a day a the Forks and surrounding areas. The children's museum is there. I find it a bit better for kid who are a little older. They renovated it more recently and to be honest, I like the old one better. We find it pricey and not worth the money, but that's totally our opinion! There is so much to do at the Forks though. The Canadian Museum for Human Rights is there too-that is a heavier place to go(not sure you'd want to take a toddler). Lots to think about. The architecture is really cool. There is a really fantastic playground at the Forks, the river walk, a big bridge to walk across, all kinds of fun stuff! You will find a big travel Manitoba place that can give you information about spots to visit in Manitoba. Across the river is the St. Boniface Cathedral ruins, which are always fun to walk around. You'll be in the French Quarter as well, with shops and restaurants.
The downtown is NOT that bad. It's like any other major city for the most part. There are areas of the city to avoid and I wouldn't spend a lot of time wandering around at night, but it isn't the big scary place that you read about. Check out The Exchange District- it's really neat. We love to walk around and look at the buildings and check out the different shops and restaurants. In the summer you can go on free tours of the area and learn about the historical buildings. The Manitoba Legislative Building is also a great place to visit. They host tours as well. It's a great place to just walk around inside and out. You can even get to it from the river walk at the Forks.
The Manitoba Museum is great too. Lots to explore! They have a science exploration place and a planetarium as well.
There are tons of great restaurants in the city. Our favourite is Stella's. There are several locations. Pembina, Provencher, and Sherbrook locations are the ones we go to the most. If you want to go for a bit of a drive, I highly recommend checking out the Mennonite Heritage Village in Steinbach. It's about 25 minutes south east of the city(we just moved from there). It is an outdoor pioneer village with different buildings and farm animals to visit. We love it! Lower Fort Garry is another outdoor historical site with buildings and people in costume. I could go on and on. Our city sometimes gets a bad rap but it is a great place to live and I am happy to call it home!I'd be happy to give any restaurant ideas. We have a 3 year old and 8 month old. As for where to stay-lots of people stay around the airport. There are several good hotels there. You can't really go wrong if you stick to the chains. There is a really nice holiday inn express that I stayed in once. There is a new hotel right downtown called the ALT I think. We really want to check it out. I think we will spend a night there just for fun. The Fort Garry Hotel is a famous hotel downtown-built in the early 1900s, looks like a castle, lots of people have weddings there. I hope you enjoy whatever you decide to do!