If it weren’t the maple leaf on the Canadian flag, then it could just as easily be the canoe.

This storied means of transport is a symbol of the millennia-old history of the indigenous population and an enduring one given that this canoeist’s paradise of a country is home to more than 2 million lakes – or roughly one for every 19 people.

So it’s appropriate that Canada is now also home to the world’s largest collection of canoes.

The impressively designed Canadian Canoe Museum opened in May in the city of Peterborough, in the province of Ontario, with more 600 traditional canoes, kayaks and paddled watercraft on display.

Fittingly, it’s located right on the shores of Little Lake, by the Trent-Severn Waterway, a water route over 380 kilometres long that connects the great lakes of Ontario and Huron.

In a museum designed to evoke a giant wooden canoe, visitors can learn more about indigenous languages and culture in the exhibition rooms.

There are also interactive areas, such as a studio for handicrafts and a workshop for building canoes. National Geographic has already placed the new museum on its “Best of the World 2024” list in the “Best Cultural Spots” category.

Of course, you won’t be headed to Peterborough just to look at canoes. About 2-3 hours north from Toronto, this city is the gateway to the picturesque Kawarthas region known known for its lakes, forests and small towns.

Part of Ontario’s so-called “cottage country,” Peterborough is also an ideal spot to find serene lakeside retreats and cozy cabins, many, of course, with their own a personal canoe shed.