Image: ((top) Rendering of new Canadian Canoe Museum, Unity Design Studio

(left) The Hudson Bay Company timber frame, (c.1876), Photo credit: Salina Kassam

Saturday, June 22, 2024, 10:30 AM - 4:00 PM

We are thrilled to offer Members a customized day at the new Canadian Canoe Museum, slated to open this May. Located in a spectacular, state-of-the-art building on the shores of Little Lake, in the heart of Peterborough ON, the museum holds the largest collection of paddle-propelled watercraft in the world. It also houses the Living Traditions Centre, featuring demonstrations by skilled craftspeople in beading, fabric arts, snowshoe and paddle-making, woodworking, and, of course, canoe-building.

As space for our group visit to the Canadian Canoe Museum is limited, registration for this event is restricted to CSDA Members with active memberships only. Participation is first come, first served. Members are encouraged to book early to avoid disappointment.

If you're not sure whether your membership is active or if you'd like to renew or become a Member today to take advantage of this unique opportunity contact us.

What's included:

• Admission to the museum with in-and-out-privileges

• Guided tour of the 20,000-square-foot Exhibition Hall, where canoes, kayaks and related artifacts, including the frame of an actual Hudson’s Bay Company trading post, will be presented thematically in cultural and historical context.
  

• Special access to the spectacular Collection Hall, where the rest of the museum’s 650-vessel collection is stored, personally guided by curator Jeremy Ward, who has been with the museum for over 20 years and was instrumental in the planning and design of the new facility.
  

• Personal time to view the architectural details of the building, observe demonstrations of crafts by leading Indigenous and non-Indigenous makers, peruse the excellent gift shop, and take a stroll along the lake on the Trans-Canada Trail, which cuts across the back of the property.

• Light refreshments in the late afternoon at the nearby home of a CSDA member. Members are free to make their own arrangements if they wish to stay on in Peterborough to explore the fine restaurants and thriving music scene for which the city is known.

Canoe rentals/BYOC (Bring your own canoe!)

Individual canoes and kayaks are available to rent at your own expense from the museum’s Canoe House. You may also bring your own canoe or kayak. For more information or to make a reservation, contact the museum directly.

Lunch options

Members are invited to bring their own picnic lunch or purchase lunch from the museum’s renowned in-house café, The Silver Bean. Orders can be placed in advance for ease of pick-up. All are invited to sit together and socialize in open seating available in the Atrium, on the patio, or around the Fireside Circle on the grounds.  

Getting there

Members will be responsible for their own transportation to and from Peterborough, which is a two-hour drive by car from downtown Toronto via the 410 and Hwy 115 and a 3½-hour drive from Ottawa via Hwy 7. Free parking is available in a municipal lot across the street from the museum. Detailed directions will be forwarded after registration. Commercial bus service, Flixbus, offers transportation from Union Station in Toronto to downtown Peterborough.

Other information

The dress code is casual. It is recommended that Members wear comfortable shoes as there will be considerable walking.Members using wheelchairs or walkers are welcome. The main entrance has no stairs, the building has an elevator and accessible washrooms, and access to the grounds and docks is by a level boardwalk.

Registration

•   All CSDA/CCAD membership levels (except Senior): $105 (incl. HST)
•   Senior CSDA/CCAD Member level:  $100 (incl. HST)

Once your registration is confirmed, further information will be provided.