Welcome to Living Prairie Museum
Living Prairie Museum is a unique urban nature preserve that protects endangered tall grass prairie. The site has walking trails and an interpretive centre. Events and education programs are held year-round.
About Tall Grass Prairie
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 has 13 hectares of tall-grass prairie. Set aside in 1968, the preserve is home to more than 150 different grass and wildflower species and an array of prairie wildlife.
Upcoming Events
Spring Break Week at Living Prairie!
Spring is sprouting at Living Prairie Museum!
Our Interpretive Centre will be open for Spring Break week from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Monday March 31 through Friday April 4.
Drop-in to visit the hands-on displays and plant your own prairie flower to take home! Admission is free.
Can't wait to get outside? You can also take a walk on the Living Prairie Museum trails and visit the Nature Playground, which are open all day, every day of the year.
Prairie Planting Workshops
Our popular Prairie Planting Workshops are back! Join us to learn more about how to start, grow, and care for native prairie plants, and learn all about why you should try creating your own little prairie.
Expert instructors will help guide you through site selection and preparation, seeding and growing out plants, and how to manage a prairie planting. These beginner workshops will cover any size of planting, from flower beds to larger prairie restorations. Four workshops are available, each focusing on a different prairie planting subject.
Workshops will be held in-person at the Living Prairie Museum at 2795 Ness Ave. Some are also hybrid, with an option to join online. Members of the Friends of the Living Prairie Museum may register at a reduced rate.
Price: $10.00 + GST for non-members, $5.00 + GST for members. Registration required.
TO REGISTER: Contact us at prairie@winnipeg.ca or call 204-832-0167.
Introduction to Using Native Manitoba Wildflowers, Grasses & Shrubs – with Laura Reeves (Prairie Shore Botanicals)
Thursday, April 17th, 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Hybrid: In-person at the Living Prairie Museum, 2795 Ness Ave. or join online
Learn about the rationale and benefits of landscaping with Manitoba's native plants. Beautiful, hardy and perennial, native Manitoba species add colour, visual interest, attract songbirds and pollinators, and build a connection to our natural heritage.
Introduction to Growing Manitoba Native Plants from Seed
Saturday, April 26th, 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. Take home a native seed kit with easy to grow wildflowers.
Planning your Prairie: Preparation, Design, and Plant Selection
Saturday, May 3rd, 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
In-person at the Living Prairie Museum, 2795 Ness Ave.
This workshop will outline the considerations for how to plan your prairie planting, including site choice and preparation, and design considerations. It will also cover a variety of prairie plants to better understand their different needs and uses in a prairie planting.
Managing your Native Manitoba Landscape – Lois Grieger and Marika Olynyk (Living Prairie Museum)
Thursday, May 8th 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Hybrid: In-person at the Living Prairie Museum, 2795 Ness Ave. or join online.
This workshop is for those who already have a native planting. How to deal with non-native weeds, enhance diversity by adding species, attracting butterflies and other pollinators. This session will assist you in maintaining the health and beauty of your existing native planting. Also suitable for people lucky enough to have an original native prairie remnant and wishing to know how best to manage your land.
Visiting Living Prairie Museum
Self-Guided Trails
Our self-guided trails are open from dawn until dusk. The trail system is an opportunity to see and learn about some of the most endangered habitat in the world.
Trails are woodchipped and are of various widths.
Please stay on the designated paths during your visit. This is an on-leash park – please clean up after your pets.
The Self-guided Trail Booklet is also available at the Museum.
Interpretive Centre Hours
May and June – Saturdays, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
July and August – Tuesday-Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
September – Sundays, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
October to April – Open by Appointment. Contact us at 204-832-0167 or prairie@winnipeg.ca
Prairie Bookstore and Seed Sales
Living Prairie Museum's Bookstore has many great books about nature and the prairies. We also sell seeds for many tall-grass prairie plants. Seeds are $3/package. Visit us during Interpretive Centre hours or make an appointment. View our current Book and Seed Inventory.
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.
Environmental Education Programs and Group Bookings
Living Prairie Museum offers a variety of in-person environmental education programs. Programs are available for schools and groups ages 5 to adult. Each program includes an interactive presentation and an outdoor adventure. Curriculum links are available for most of our programs. We also offer snowshoeing and Nature Comes to You programming in winter.
2024-25 Environmental Education brochure
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
Location and contact information
The Interpretive Centre is located at:
2795 Ness Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3J 3S4
Phone: 204-832-0167
Email: prairie@winnipeg.ca
Fax: 311
Living Prairie Museum can be reached by car, by active transportation on the Yellow Ribbon Greenway, and on the #24, #25, #83 bus routes.
Contact us for accessibility information for building, trails, and programs.