Local Guides World
Andrew Yin
20 reviews on 1 places
This is an outstanding museum, in terms of its architecture, exhibits, and people, and yet I find it overlooked beyond Winnipeg. It makes Winnipeg a must-visit city!
It’s hard not to be awed by the museum’s architecture, both from afar and close-up. I didn’t see photos of the museum’s interior before my visit and I was so amazed by the criss-crossing, gently ascending and illuminated stair design and how that is woven into the museum visiting experience as you are taken from one exhibit to the next. And when I got to the atrium, my jaws just dropped. Overall, the museum is a great place for architecture photography! As an architecture enthusiast, I feel that if the same building is placed in cities such as New York, Barcelona or Singapore, it would have received a lot more well-deserved fanfare. However, I am glad it is situated in Winnipeg as it is a marvelous centrepiece of the city.
The museum’s stunning architecture brings attention to its excellent and rich exhibits. There are several galleries, each with a different theme. I really liked the permanent exhibit that reflects on the experiences and discrimination felt by different groups of people in Canada. I felt that it should be an ever-growing exhibition as our values and the meaning of human rights continue to develop. The Holocaust exhibit is also impressive and sombre, and extremely timely. There are also a lot of interactive and multimedia elements to make the visit more engaging. For example, I really liked the area on the upper levels where visitors are invited to write and post notes on what human rights mean to them. Note that the exhibits are very dense and I felt that I only scratched the surface by viewing and reading, so I might try joining a guided tour during my next visit to learn more.
A visit to the museum would be incomplete without checking out the observation area in the spiral, which is accessible by stairs and elevator. It has great views of the Forks, St Boniface and other parts of Winnipeg, so make sure you budget time for that. I also love how the museum has plenty of seating spaces, especially the reflection area and the cafe. If I were living in Winnipeg, I would purchase a membership in a heartbeat and visit these areas in the museum for quiet reading or studying. Last but not least, the museum staff I’ve encountered and spoken with were all really friendly, just like most other people I’ve met in Manitoba. The human aspect makes the visit stand out just that bit more.
It’s hard not to be awed by the museum’s architecture, both from afar and close-up. I didn’t see photos of the museum’s interior before my visit and I was so amazed by the criss-crossing, gently ascending and illuminated stair design and how that is woven into the museum visiting experience as you are taken from one exhibit to the next. And when I got to the atrium, my jaws just dropped. Overall, the museum is a great place for architecture photography! As an architecture enthusiast, I feel that if the same building is placed in cities such as New York, Barcelona or Singapore, it would have received a lot more well-deserved fanfare. However, I am glad it is situated in Winnipeg as it is a marvelous centrepiece of the city.
The museum’s stunning architecture brings attention to its excellent and rich exhibits. There are several galleries, each with a different theme. I really liked the permanent exhibit that reflects on the experiences and discrimination felt by different groups of people in Canada. I felt that it should be an ever-growing exhibition as our values and the meaning of human rights continue to develop. The Holocaust exhibit is also impressive and sombre, and extremely timely. There are also a lot of interactive and multimedia elements to make the visit more engaging. For example, I really liked the area on the upper levels where visitors are invited to write and post notes on what human rights mean to them. Note that the exhibits are very dense and I felt that I only scratched the surface by viewing and reading, so I might try joining a guided tour during my next visit to learn more.
A visit to the museum would be incomplete without checking out the observation area in the spiral, which is accessible by stairs and elevator. It has great views of the Forks, St Boniface and other parts of Winnipeg, so make sure you budget time for that. I also love how the museum has plenty of seating spaces, especially the reflection area and the cafe. If I were living in Winnipeg, I would purchase a membership in a heartbeat and visit these areas in the museum for quiet reading or studying. Last but not least, the museum staff I’ve encountered and spoken with were all really friendly, just like most other people I’ve met in Manitoba. The human aspect makes the visit stand out just that bit more.
Visited the museum during the Labour Day long weekend as part of a day trip from Toronto. It was well worth the drive!
Upon entering, a gentleman staff/volunteer very nicely gave us a rundown of the museum’s exhibits and layouts. The museum has interior and exterior parts – I really enjoyed the exterior exhibits. The exterior grounds were a lot bigger than it seems, with military and civilian planes alike lined up, so I’d suggest visiting on a clear, warm day. My favourite was the platypus-looking Pratt & Whitney flying test bed, converted from a Boeing 720.
The interior of the museum has two levels. The main aircraft collection is on the ground level, while the second level, which wraps around the ground level, has various smaller exhibits, including one that is currently under construction. However, the exhibits seem to be designed in different time periods and have different levels of consistency. The second level also has great vantage points for the aircraft on the ground level. In all, the museum is a must-visit in the area and worth spending at least two hours.
Upon entering, a gentleman staff/volunteer very nicely gave us a rundown of the museum’s exhibits and layouts. The museum has interior and exterior parts – I really enjoyed the exterior exhibits. The exterior grounds were a lot bigger than it seems, with military and civilian planes alike lined up, so I’d suggest visiting on a clear, warm day. My favourite was the platypus-looking Pratt & Whitney flying test bed, converted from a Boeing 720.
The interior of the museum has two levels. The main aircraft collection is on the ground level, while the second level, which wraps around the ground level, has various smaller exhibits, including one that is currently under construction. However, the exhibits seem to be designed in different time periods and have different levels of consistency. The second level also has great vantage points for the aircraft on the ground level. In all, the museum is a must-visit in the area and worth spending at least two hours.
I’ve passed by here many times and finally stopped for a short visit in September. It didn’t disappoint! There are so many apple products, including things that I would never have imagined. I got a good old apple pie, and I quite enjoyed it. The big apple face is cute. A nice place to stop by during your drive!
I took the factory tour on July 3rd, and it was worth every penny!
Make sure you get here with some time to spare beforehand (I would recommend 20min before the shuttle departure), as there can be some distance from the parking area to the shuttle bus station, depending on where you park. I miscalculated and missed my initial bus; although the staff was kind enough to exchange my ticket for the next one, it is not guaranteed.
The tour is very well organized. It goes like this: Bus to factory – standard theatre (history of Ford and the factory) – immersive theatre (super cool) – observation deck (you can stay for longer after the initial explanation to read the panels and ask questions) – actual factory visit (self-guided walk-around with staff members/volunteers posted at key points) – ground floor exhibit, gift shop and Living Lab tour.
The overall experience was very novel and exciting, especially as someone with an interest in transportation but not from a STEM background. It was a pity that the factory workers were on a scheduled weeklong break during my visit, so I couldn’t see the factory production in action, but good for the workers! Nevertheless, it was cool to walk around the factory and see all the still machinery. I wish there were more signs along the walking route to explain what we were seeing. I found that some staff knew more than the others, so perhaps more training would be nice.
I would recommend asking for the Living Lab tour at the end. The tour was not proactively offered; I only knew about it from the website. Upon asking for it, the staff team did find a young, cheerful guide, who gave my group a private tour to show us the gardens, the factory’s environmental and sustainability initiatives, and even the failed solar panels. It was really cool to see the successes and failures and the implications of the factory and the initiatives on the environment.
In all, we spent about 3 hours from boarding the bus to getting off the bus back at the Henry Ford, and perhaps 3.5 hours in total when taking into account the time for parking, gift shop, waiting for the bus, etc. It’s a huge and fascinating place so budget enough time to fully take in the experience.
Note that photography is not allowed in the actual factory, so don’t expect to take cool shots of the production!
Make sure you get here with some time to spare beforehand (I would recommend 20min before the shuttle departure), as there can be some distance from the parking area to the shuttle bus station, depending on where you park. I miscalculated and missed my initial bus; although the staff was kind enough to exchange my ticket for the next one, it is not guaranteed.
The tour is very well organized. It goes like this: Bus to factory – standard theatre (history of Ford and the factory) – immersive theatre (super cool) – observation deck (you can stay for longer after the initial explanation to read the panels and ask questions) – actual factory visit (self-guided walk-around with staff members/volunteers posted at key points) – ground floor exhibit, gift shop and Living Lab tour.
The overall experience was very novel and exciting, especially as someone with an interest in transportation but not from a STEM background. It was a pity that the factory workers were on a scheduled weeklong break during my visit, so I couldn’t see the factory production in action, but good for the workers! Nevertheless, it was cool to walk around the factory and see all the still machinery. I wish there were more signs along the walking route to explain what we were seeing. I found that some staff knew more than the others, so perhaps more training would be nice.
I would recommend asking for the Living Lab tour at the end. The tour was not proactively offered; I only knew about it from the website. Upon asking for it, the staff team did find a young, cheerful guide, who gave my group a private tour to show us the gardens, the factory’s environmental and sustainability initiatives, and even the failed solar panels. It was really cool to see the successes and failures and the implications of the factory and the initiatives on the environment.
In all, we spent about 3 hours from boarding the bus to getting off the bus back at the Henry Ford, and perhaps 3.5 hours in total when taking into account the time for parking, gift shop, waiting for the bus, etc. It’s a huge and fascinating place so budget enough time to fully take in the experience.
Note that photography is not allowed in the actual factory, so don’t expect to take cool shots of the production!
I didn’t visit the museum but took the Saarinen House tour, which began right outside of the museum. It was led by Elena, a highly knowledgeable and well-versed guide, which I’ve mentioned in my review of the house. The architecture of the museum & library is truly stunning, whether you’re standing right below the roof or looking at it from the other end of the pond. It was raining when we visited but the gardens and buildings looked so beautiful in the rain! I would love to come back to visit the museum and Cranbrook House!