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

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

Private Tour of the New Canadian Canoe Museum, Peterborough, Ontario

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.

AGENDA
10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.     MEET AT INDOOR FIREPLACE
10:30 a.m. sharp              WELCOMING REMARKS AND TOUR
12:15 p.m. (approx.)         LUNCH BREAK
1:00 p.m.                             CANOE EXCURSION OR PERSONAL TIME
3:00 p.m. (approx.)           RECEPTION

What's included:

• Admission to the museum with in-and-out privileges for the day.

• Tour of the 65,000-square-foot building, 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.  Highlights of the tour will include:
  • Architectural details of the new building.
  • Access to the spectacular 20,000-square-foot Collection Hall.
  • Overview of key artifacts in the 20,000-square-foot Exhibition Hall.

• Canoe excursion:  weather permitting, registrants will be given the opportunity to go out on the lake for a paddling experience in one of the museum’s stable, multi-passenger Voyageur canoes, led by an experienced guide. Individual canoes and kayaks are available to rent by the hour at your own expense. You may also bring your own canoe or kayak.
  

• Reception at the nearby home of a CSDA member, with poolside drinks and snacks to tide you over for the drive home. 

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. Preview the menu. 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.

Register now

Read a review of the museum in the Spring/Summer 2024 issue of Ornamentum Magazine.

Read a recent Globe and Mail article on the new Canadian Canoe Museum.