Explore the New Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough
Set along the shores of Little Lake in Peterborough, stands the new Canadian Canoe Museum. After years of anticipation, the museum is now open!
The museum celebrates Canada’s deep connection to the canoe and how our country’s waterways connect us all. Inside you’ll find 100% of the museum’s collection that totals over 600 canoes and paddle driven watercrafts.
After spending nearly a full day exploring the Canadian Canoe Museum I think it’s a must-visit! It’s so much more than a museum about canoes. The museum is a beautiful blend of history and art museum. You’ll learn about the evolution of canoe cultural beginning with Indigenous People through modern day use.
Beyond the expansive collection, the museum offers visitors a variety of unique experiences. Take to the water for a paddle aboard a Voyageur canoe or get hands on and learn how to craft a paddle. Plus, the museum goes beyond its walls to allow for indoor and outdoor exploration. Along with the exhibit hall and café inside, the museum is home to a waterfront campus that encourages visitors to arrive by paddle to their welcoming waterside location.
In this Canadian Canoe Museum guide, I’m sharing all of the reasons why you should visit, what to expect, as well as all of the incredible things to do at the museum. Even as someone who is not a paddler, I highly recommend visiting the new Canadian Canoe Museum. Its fully immersive space allows you to connect to canoe history in Canada and learn how they shaped the country in an authentic and engaging way. Plus, the endearing stories behind each canoe will touch your heart and bring the them to life.
Where is the new canoe museum?
The new Canadian Canoe Museum location is along the shores of Little Lake in the city of Peterborough. The address is 2077 Ashburnham Drive.
What does the Canadian Canoe Museum showcase?
The Canadian Canoe Museum showcases over 600 canoes and kayaks from Canada and around the world. Among the various watercrafts you’ll also find paddles and accessories. Most importantly, the museum showcases the stories of each canoe, from the people who built them to those who paddled them.
Things to do at the Canadian Canoe Museum
Experience the Exhibition Hall
As one of the best places to visit in Peterborough, the Canadian Canoe Museum offers a wealth of history and culture all under one roof. An ideal first stop when you arrive to the museum is the main Exhibition Hall.
The Canadian Canoe Museum exhibits over 100 canoes and kayak in their new 20,000 square foot Exhibition Hall on the second floor. As you approach the doors you’ll find fresh boughs of cedar on the handles. This is one of the many intentional details that you’ll find throughout and help honour the Indigenous People whose land the museum now stands on.
As soon as you enter the Exhibition Hall your senses will come alive with the sounds of birds and water. It’s a multi-sensory space with a number of interactive elements. These include earphones at various points of interest where you’ll hear stories, sometimes directly from the people who owned the canoe.
One of the coolest interactive elements that gave me chills was the Whispering Paddle. As soon as I put my ear up to the paddle, that appears to be standing in water, I could hear whales. This piece reflects the way Inuit People listen for animals under the water when they’re hunting.
A few standout canoes to look for:
- “Eagle” Haida Dugout by Victor Adams
- Bill Mason’s Prospector canoe
- Gordon Lightfoot’s canary yellow canoe
Fun Fact: The museum now has a new Anishnaabemowin name, Jiimaan Kinomaagewin. This loosely translates to “Canoe Place of Learning for All.” Plus, the signage throughout the museum is in Anishnaabemowin, English, and French.
Browse the Collection Hall
Next head downstairs to browse the large Collection Hall. This 20,000 square foot space allows the museum to house 100% of the collection on site.
The Collection Hall is a two-story room with canoes, kayaks and other watercraft expertly stacked. Inside you’ll find everything from birch bark canoes, some dating back hundreds of years, to canoes owned by famous Canadians like Farley Mowat.
In addition to Canadian crafts, the collection also includes pieces from around the world. Two pieces in the Collection Hall from elsewhere that stood out to me included one from Papua New Guinea and one from Senegal.
However, the one that tugged at my heart the most was Farley Mowat’s canoe, who is one of my favourite authors. He gave his beloved robin egg blue Peterborough wooden sailing canoe to the Canadian Canoe Museum in 2006. It’s 16 feet long and was built in 1922 in Peterborough.
Take a Guided Tour of the Canadian Canoe Museum
One thing that I highly recommend doing is taking a guided tour of the Canadian Canoe Museum. You’ll learn so much more than what the signs and information boards have on them.
Canadian Canoe Museum guided tours run daily in the mornings and take about an hour and a half. Group sizes are capped at 10 to allow for an intimate experience where you can ask questions.
The guided tours, known as Deep Dive Exhibition Tours, are given by knowledgeable docents. Tour guests will hear about interesting behind the scenes information as well as the stories behind the collection’s canoes.
One thing to note is that the Deep Dive Exhibition Tours are an additional fee on top of the entrance ticket to the museum.
However, the museum also runs free tours! The Speedy Paddler Exhibition Tours are a pint-sized glimpse into the collection and its stories. These tours also run daily and take about 20 minutes. But they are complimentary with your museum admissions ticket.
Experience a Canoe Tour
The best thing to do at the Canadian Canoe Museum is experience a canoe tour. Get out on the water in an iconic Voyageur Canoe.
Voyageur Canoe tours take visitors out onto Little Lake and the nearby waterways. These guided tours are ideal for all, whether you’re an avid paddler or have no experience. Guides share the history of these canoes as well as how paddling them is unique.
There are two Voyageur Canoes at the Canadian Canoe Museum, a 25 foot and a 36 foot. One thing to be aware of when booking the tour is that there are this a minimum number of people that must be met to do the tours.
In addition to being able to arrive by canoe, thanks to their waterfront campus location, the museum offers kayak and canoe rentals. Consider renting a canoe and getting a new perspective of the museum, from the water.
Do a Workshop
Another one of the many unique things to do at the Canadian Canoe Museum is take part in a workshop. The museum boasts a variety of workshops that allow you to enjoy hands on experience.
Avid paddlers will love the Carve a Canoe Paddle workshop. During this workshop you’ll learn how to craft a paddle with traditional hand tools. Workshop leaders guide you through each step of the process.
There are workshops that range from canoe repair to cooking over a fire as well as other outdoor related ones. Plus, new ones will be added. Be sure to check their list of workshops regularly.
Enjoy the Onsite Cafe
Inside the Canadian Canoe Museum is a fabulous café, Silver Bean Café. This is the second location of the café. The first is on the other side of Little Lake, close to downtown.
The Silver Bean Café is known as one of the best coffee shops in Peterborough. So, it’s no surprise the museum partnered with them to provide guests a place to refresh.
Silver Bean Café offers a great locally roasted coffee along with other handcrafted espresso drinks. You’ll also want to try their tasty desserts that are made in-house or one of their sensational sandwiches.
Enjoy a bite to eat and a coffee in the museum’s atrium, where the café is located. There’s a number of tables as well as a cozy couch and comfy chairs to sit in, which are perfectly set in front of a large stone fireplace. Or take your treats and enjoy a picnic out by the water.
In addition to being available to museum goers, the café is open to the community to come and enjoy without museum admission.
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When looking for things to do in Peterborough, visiting the Canadian Canoe Museum should be at the top of that list. The museum is an ideal first stop to explore nature, culture, history and community all in one place. Whether you’re a seasoned paddler or simply curious about digging into the intriguing stories of canoe culture in Canada and beyond, the museum promises an unforgettable experience.
Disclaimer: I was a guest of Peterborough & the Kawarthas and the Canadian Canoe Museum but all opinions expressed are my own.
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