Bustling music venues, vibrant galleries, and thought-provoking museums abound in Kawarthas Northumberland
Kawarthas Northumberland is perfectly positioned as a destination for artistic and cultural experiences you just can’t find elsewhere in Ontario. We are just close enough to and just far enough away from Ontario’s major cities, striking a balance between accessibility and uniqueness.
It’s all here for you. Come experience authentic art and culture.
Sit back, relax and enjoy a musical or live theatrical performance in a one-of-a-kind venue. Experience a one of a kind show at the 4th Line Theatre, which has been holding outdoor performances for nearly 30 years. Enjoy a stunning lineup of musical performers celebrating 20 years in Westben‘s custom-built barn. Take in a show at the Capitol Theatre in Port Hope, one of Canada’s only remaining Atmospheric Theatre venues. Discover one of Peterborough’s live music and theatre venues, or enjoy live concerts as the summer sun sets in the park in Bobcaygeon or Peterborough, next to the beautiful Trent-Severn Waterway.
The creative arts are thriving in Kawarthas Northumberland thanks to vibrant communities of musicians, actors, bands, singer/song-writers, and artisans.
***The Canadian Canoe Museum is temporarily closed between September 5, 2022 and summer 2023, in order to prepare for the move to a new facility at 2077 Ashburnham Drive. Find out more at canoemuseum.ca***
Book a workshop with an artisan in paddle-carving, pyrography, beading, leather-working, snow-shoe making and more at The Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough. Enjoy a guided forest experience or a workshop in traditional greenwood carving at the Gamiing Nature Centre near Bobcaygeon. Experience the dozens of unique local legends & artisan studios along the Kawartha Lakes Arts and Heritage Trail. Catch Port Hope’s Float Your Fanny Down the Ganny in April, an unorthodox boating event that brings all kinds of improvised watercraft down the Ganaraska River. Or enjoy the heart-warming hilarity of baby goats with a unique Shmurgle Experience at Haute Goat in Port Hope.
You can plan an Instagram-worthy road trip across Kawarthas Northumberland, snapping photos with stunning murals or giant sculptures such as the Hastings fish Pisces Pete, the giant twoonie in Campbellford, the Hunter Street Bridge Archway mural in Peterborough, or the brightly painted Little Pie Shack in Fenelon Falls.
Trent-Severn Trail Towns offers a self-guided paddle art tour where you can see artistically designed canoe paddles on display in Trent-Severn Trail Town Friendly Businesses, Tourist and Chamber of Commerce offices.
Whatever inspires you, go home with something you made yourself & a renewed sense of creativity and connection.
***The Canadian Canoe Museum is temporarily closed between September 5, 2022 and summer 2023, in order to prepare for the move to a new facility at 2077 Ashburnham Drive. Find out more at canoemuseum.ca***
Witness the largest known concentration of Indigenous rock carvings in Canada at Petroglyphs Provincial Park in North Kawartha. Visit The Canadian Canoe Museum, a unique national heritage centre in Peterborough that explores the canoe’s enduring significance to the peoples of Canada through the world’s largest collection of canoes, kayaks, and paddled watercraft. Immerse yourself in the work of Indigenous craftspeople from the Curve Lake First Nation and from across Canada at Whetung’s Ojibwa Centre.
Nestled along the banks of the historic Indian River, Lang Pioneer Village Museum features over twenty-five restored and furnished buildings constructed between 1825 and 1899. A photographer’s paradise, the Village is complete with lanes and pathways, farm animals, rail and stump fences, vegetable and herb gardens, as well as other authentic details of a 19th-century hamlet. Kawartha Settlers’ Village offers a similar experience in Bobcaygeon with over 20 historic homes and buildings. Or perhaps you’ll choose to visit the Art Gallery of Northumberland‘s stimulating collection of historical and contemporary works of art.
Fall is a particularly sweet season. Every year, the towns throughout Kawarthas Northumberland celebrate the autumn harvest with some of the best and longest-running fall fairs in Ontario.
If you’d like a few highlights, consider these:
Spring Lilac Tours in Northumberland County
Top Five Road Trips in Northumberland County
Northumberland County Fresh Fall Road Trips
Family Fun in Northumberland County
Kawartha Lakes Arts & Heritage Trail
Peterborough & the Kawarthas Fall Driving Tours
Four Free (or nearly free) Family Getaways in Peterborough & the Kawarthas
Just east of Toronto, this scenic part of the province offers beautiful backroads and endless arts and heritage, roadside attractions and gastronomic delights. In the spring, colourful lilacs decorate the region. In the fall, Kawarthas Northumberland is one of the best places to see foliage in Ontario.
If you’re a leaf lover, this is the place to be. Driving along the highways and backroads, you’ll be treated to brilliant orange, yellow and red colours rippling across farmlands, hilltops and the iconic Canadian Shield.
If you’re visiting in spring, check out our Maple Route and Spring Blossoms itineraries for seasonal ideas.
The Kawarthas Northumberland blog is the place to go for longer stories and additional recommendations. Browse the articles below to find out more about arts and culture in the region.
Jump to Video There’s a moment every year when you walk out the door and realize, “spring is really here!” Temperatures climb upward, buds appear on the trees, and birdsong suddenly seems louder. Nothing drives the feeling home quite like spring flowers, though—and the avid gardeners at the Warkworth Lilac Festival have found a way
Jeff Bray is the co-founder and festival director of the award winning Cultivate Festival in Northumberland County. He’s also an instructor at Centennial College, where he teaches about food tourism, a former restauranteur, and a previous contributing writer to Watershed Magazine. We asked Jeff to give us his thoughts on a few of the unique Taste of
Focal is a portmanteau of focus and local, and it’s more than just a name—it’s the philosophy that makes Hastings’ latest brewery so exciting. Brandon Bickle and Matt Filion may have just opened the doors of Focal Brewing Co. in 2022, but the plans have been in motion for about 12 years.