We are officially in celebration mode for Manitoba’s 150th anniversary and the Manitoba 150 Host Committee has been hard at work creating a new Explore 150 app which highlights 150 different and amazing landmarks, attractions, trails and sites in our fair province, from Robertson Esker in the North to Pembina Valley Provincial Park in the south and everything in between.
The app is totally free and couldn’t be more user-friendly. All you do is download the app, create an account (also free; you just need a name and email address to sign up!) and then you can start tracking your progress as you explore some sites both near and far by checking in on the app each time you visit somewhere new.
Within the app, you can get tons of information about each site with one tap; just touch the name of the site and it will expand to reveal some interesting historical facts about the spot.
Once you start playing around with the app, you’ll see each stop has a little number in a green circle, which equates to the number of entries you receive for checking in at that specific site.
“Entries for what!?” you may be wondering... well let us tell you! For those who participate, there are two grand prizes (an outdoor kitchen DIY package valued at $10,000 and a trip for four to Churchill!) as well as smaller monthly prizes valued at around $1000 each.
There are also in-app badges to be earned by completing challenges.
Here at The Forks, we have a few check-in spots of our own that will help you get a great start ticking things off your Explore 150 must-see list.
Of course, Oodena Celebration Circle — which pays homage to the 6,000 years of Indigenous peoples in the area — and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights are certainly check-in worthy sites, as well as the stunning and majestic Niimaamaa sculpture, a 30-foot-high metal depiction of a pregnant woman which represents motherhood, Mother Earth and the concept of new beginnings (you can read more about her here).
And though the Manitoba 150 River Trail is currently closed for skating, there’s lots of other land trails that fall under the Manitoba 150 banner where you can log your trail check-in.
Union Station (or Via Rail Station, as it says on the app), Lower Fort Garry and Esplanade Riel, which are all just a stone's throw away, are also on the Explore 150 list.
So grab your phone, some friends and your sense of adventure and get out there to see some of the best our province has to offer, starting with The Forks!