Good Friday and Easter Monday – View holiday hours for City of Winnipeg facilities and services from March 29 to April 1.
Welcome to Living Prairie Museum
The Living Prairie Museum is a 13-hectare tall grass prairie preserve and nature park. Set aside in 1968, the preserve is home to more than 150 different grass and wildflower species and an array of prairie wildlife.
Prior to European settlement, tall grass prairie covered more than 1 million square kilometers in central North America, stretching from Texas to southern Manitoba. Today, this habitat is all but gone - only 1 percent of the original tall grass prairie remains. The Living Prairie Museum is one of the few remaining fragments of this once vast ecosystem.
The Living Prairie Museum's goal is to promote awareness and conservation of natural areas, specifically tall grass prairie, through environmental education.
Prairie Planting Workshops at the Living Prairie Museum
Instructor John Morgan will help you increase biodiversity in your back yard. Find out how prairie species can be included in your landscape designs, and why using native plant material is important for conservation. These four beginner workshops guide participants through site preparation, selecting plant species, seed germination, planting and maintenance for flower beds or larger prairie restorations.
Workshops will be held in-person at the Living Prairie Museum at 2795 Ness Ave. Members of the Friends of the Living Prairie Museum may register at a reduced rate.
Four workshops are available, each focusing on a different prairie planting subject.
Price per workshop: $15.00 + GST for non-members, $10.00 + GST for members.
Register by telephone at 204-832-0167 or contact prairie@winnipeg.ca with questions.
Introduction to Using Native Manitoba Wildflowers & Grasses in Your Landscape
Thursday, April 11, 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
In-person at the Living Prairie Museum, 2795 Ness Ave.
Learn about the rationale and benefits of landscaping with Manitoba's native plant heritage. Beautiful, hardy and perennial, native Manitoba species can add colour, visual interest, songbirds, butterflies and a sense of our history to your property.
Propagating, Planting & Seeding Native Manitoba Wildflowers
Saturday, April 13, 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
In-person at the Living Prairie Museum, 2795 Ness Ave.
This workshop will focus on native seed germination, growing and planting Manitoba's wonderful natural diversity to ensure the success of your native planting projects.
Managing your Native Manitoba Landscape + Resources for Native Plant Information
Thursday, April 25, 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
In-person at the Living Prairie Museum, 2795 Ness Ave.
This workshop is for those who already have a native planting. It will explain how to deal with non-native weeds, enhance plant diversity by adding species as well as how to attract butterflies and other pollinators. This session will assist you in maintaining the health and beauty of your existing native landscape. This workshop is also suitable for people lucky enough to have an original native prairie remnant and wish to know how best to manage their land.
Manitoba Wildflowers, Grasses & Shrubs from A to Z
Saturday May 4, 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
In-person at the Living Prairie Museum, 2795 Ness Ave.
Enjoy the colourful and fascinating folklore of a kaleidoscope of over one hundred native species. Their natural history and uses in a prairie garden will be covered in detail.
Pop-up Prairie Plant Sales!
Ready to add some biodiversity to your back yard? Prairie Flora Greenhouse will be at the Living Prairie Museum in May with live native prairie grasses and wildflowers for sale. Select from a variety of native wildflowers and grasses to create your piece of prairie heritage!
Prairie Flora also accepts pre-orders for pick-up.
Visit prairieflora.com for more information and to browse available stock.
- Friday, May 17 - 3:00 p.m. to 6 p.m.
- Saturday May 18 - 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Sunday May 19- 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Sunday May 26 - 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Sunday June 23 - 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Environmental Education Programs
Living Prairie Museum is pleased to offer in-person environmental education programs. Please review our program brochure and contact us by phone or email to discuss your booking.
Self-Guided Trails
Our self-guided trails are available from dawn until dusk. The trail system is an opportunity to see and learn about some of the most endangered habitat in the world. Please stay on the designated paths during your visit. A reminder that this is an on-leash park – please clean up after your pets.
Winter Self-Guided Trail booklet to print
Living Prairie Museum Medicine Garden
As part of our commitment to reconciliation, a medicine garden has been planted in collaboration with the Living Prairie Museum, Indigenous Relations Division, and a local Indigenous Elder. The garden features sage and sweetgrass, two of the four Sacred Medicines which naturally occur in the tall grass prairie.
The medicine garden is located in the nature park west of the preserve at the north end of Prairie View Road at Ness Avenue. It can be harvested by the public during the summer, but care and attention are needed to maintain the garden. Only harvest what is needed, taking only the leaves and leaving roots and seeds to allow the plants to regenerate between harvests.
It is good practice to consult with an Elder to learn more on the harvest and use of sacred medicines.
More information on the Directional Teachings and the Four Sacred Medicines, as shared by Elder Carolyn Moar.
More information
- Activity Booklet for Kids - Learn about prairie wildlife and how you can become a citizen scientist
- For more information regarding history, videos, and herbarium visit: livingprairie.org
- To become a Friend of the Living Prairie Museum visit: Friends of the Living Prairie Museum
- For a walk through the prairie past, including historical photography visit virtualmuseum.ca
Hours
May and June – Sundays, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
July and August – Daily, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
September – Sundays, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Outside of public hours, please call to make an appointment.
Location and contact information
The Interpretive Centre is located at:
2795 Ness Avenue Winnipeg, Manitoba R3J 3S4 Phone: 204-832-0167 Fax: 311