The Canadian Canoe Museum is one of the GTA's best kept secrets, but after receiving some major changes it may not be a secret for much longer.

Located in Peterborough, the museum has been a wonderful tribute to one of Canada's most iconic activities. Now, it will be moving to a larger location where The Canadian Canoe Museum will be re-imagined as part of an evolving project.

This isn't just a simple move to a larger location however. The proximity to water will add a whole new depth to the museum.

"I think the most exciting component of the new museum is its location," Carolyn Hyslop, executive director of the Canadian Canoe Museum tells blogTO. 

"It's on the lake so people can visit the Canoe Museum, have a lovely cup of coffee and then get into a canoe or kayak and experience kayaking."

The museum will be offering everything from allowing rowing programs to tours, demonstrations and self guided events along their newfound waterfront location.

That said, the outdoors isn't the only reason to be excited. Inside will be a 17,000 square foot exhibition hall featuring a new suite of exhibits, a canoe building studio, an education centre and an accessible library filled with archived material.

While the current location is currently closed as a result of the pandemic, the plan is to reopen soon and invite visitors to enjoy the old location one last time before moving all exhibits to the new space in the Spring of 2023.

While a canoe and kayak museum may indeed sound like the most Canadian thing possible, the museum prides itself in its extended reach.

"There's a tradition a culture and a community that gathers around water and watercraft, that is something that in some ways is universal," says Hyslop.

"There's a celebration of Indigenous origins, and not just the work of early inventions but even to today. The way the canoe and kayak are being used in today's world in many different forms."