The Canadian Canoe Museum

The Canadian Canoe Museum, 910 Monaghan Rd., traces the importance of canoes and kayaks in the exploration and development of Canada. A large map shows the province's long coastline and extensive network of lakes and rivers. Examples from the museum's collection of more than 600 watercraft include several versions of traditional birch bark canoes, a Pacific whaling dugout, wooden canoes, Inuit kayaks and canvas-covered vessels.

Visitors can observe canoes being preserved or constructed by master craftsmen in a replica of an 18th-century workshop and go inside a re-creation of an 1876 Hudson's Bay Co. trading post. Reflections: The Land, The People and The Canoe features former Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau's canoe and buckskin jacket. Paddling as a recreational pastime also is examined.

Note: At time of publication the museum is temporarily closed preparing to move to the Peterborough Lift Lock National Historic Site on the Trent-Severn Waterway in late spring 2024; the new address will be 2077 Ashburnham Dr.; phone ahead to confirm schedule and admission.

Time: Allow 1 hour, 30 minutes minimum.