CN U-1-d Mountain numbered 6043 is on display
Conservatory and gardens There is evidence that
Henry Sandham Griffith designed a landscape layout for the park in April 1894. One of the earliest park features and a major indoor attraction, The Conservatory is a
botanical garden housing more than 8,000 flowers, plants and trees that are non-native to Manitoba, but which grow profusely under the ideal conditions created in the Palm House and Display Garden. The original Palm House was erected in 1914, and in 1968 a fully modern structure was built over and around the Palm House, enclosing it. It was announced in early 2018 that the Assiniboine Park Conservatory would close permanently in April 2018 due to ongoing renovation costs and it reaching the end of its "useful life". The building has since been demolished, and usage of the existing space has not been determined. In 2018 a group of citizens spoke out about the future Diversity Gardens, that visitors will have to pay an admission fee like at the Zoo, and that this will cause lower income citizens to be unable to afford to visit the new displays. Known throughout
North America for its luxuriant display of thousands of annual and perennial flowers, the English Garden (established between 1926 and 1927) contains nearly 3 acres of flowers,
shrubs and trees arranged in the
traditional English style. From the outset, the English Garden was designed to serve as a popular park attraction where local residents and tourists could obtain information about specialized floriculture in Manitoba. New plant varieties have been introduced annually. A large rose garden (with more than 400 bushes (there are only a few remnants of roses in this area.) of
Floribunda, Grandiflora and
Rugosa varieties), broken into four sections, surrounds a central, fish-filled lily pond. (No roses exist in this area, the central pond has a large fountain in it, no fish or lilies exist.) The English Garden is open free of charge to the public every day of the year. The Formal Garden, located at the southeast park entrance, was designed in 1907 by
Frederick Todd as part of the original park. It features flower beds in sharply defined geometric shapes that stand out from the grassy areas. Each of the beds, as well as the overall design, is symmetrical. The Leo Mol Sculpture Garden displays more than three hundred works by Dr.
Leo Mol, including bronze and ceramic sculptures, paintings and drawings. Opened in 1992, the sculpture garden has been expanded twice since.
Pavilion and theatre The park’s signature feature, the
Assiniboine Park Pavilion, was an early centre of Winnipeg’s social life. Originally designed by
John D. Atchison and completed in 1908, the pavilion included a dance hall, banquet hall, and lunch and catering facilities. A 27-metre (90-foot) tower housed the pump and water tower for the park’s water system. The original pavilion was destroyed by fire in May 1929. The present, larger pavilion was designed by architects Northwood and Chivers and opened in May 1930. It remains one of Winnipeg’s most recognizable landmarks.
Foot bridge The first footbridge across the
Assiniboine River was built in 1908, shortly after Assiniboine Park opened. A small portion of the park, measuring 2 hectares (5 acres), lies north of the Assiniboine River. Together with the footbridge, this area provides pedestrian access to the main park grounds from Portage Avenue..
Children's Nature and Adventure Playground Opened in May 2011 as part of the Park's redevelopment, a '''Children's Nature and Adventure Playground''' was built as a children's play area. It is located adjacent to the Pavilion and cost $6 million. The play area features a kid-size doorway, although adult throughway is also provided. The relocated
Winnie-the-Pooh statue is inside the Nature Playground area.
Other Adjacent to Roblin Boulevard, the last steam locomotive to run scheduled service in Canada, CNR 6043, Class U-1-d, 4-8-2, is on permanent display courtesy of the
Winnipeg Railway Museum. A
narrow gauge railway named
Assiniboine Park Railroad operates in one section of the park, which features a working steam locomotive made by
Crown Metal Products. Toward the north of the park, and just to one side of the pedestrian footbridge from Portage Avenue is the serpentine duck pond. Originally a fenced area, in the 2010s the duck pond was upgraded with new plants and benches. Although called a duck pond, it is more common to find
Canada geese swimming there. The park also includes picnic areas. ==Sports==