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a canoe on a lake

Summer in The Kawarthas

Life is Better at the Lake

A week at the lake should be more than wide-screen TVs and game consoles.

Let your kids splash in the sun, track turtles in the shallows, and make up pirate stories. Fun – the way it was before it was manufactured by marketers and sold in stores everywhere.

  • Only in Peterborough & the Kawarthas: Bucket List-Worthy Experiences Await!
    Hundred of Canoeists and Kayakers at the Peterborough Lift Lock's annual Lock & Paddle event

    Only in Peterborough & the Kawarthas: Bucket List-Worthy Experiences Await!

    Thinking about travelling to Peterborough & the Kawarthas but not sure how to start planning your trip? Here is a look-book of the bucket-list worthy, locally recommended must-do experiences, snapshot opportunities and memory-making moments that await you in Peterborough & the Kawarthas.

Summertime Family Favourites

  • Peterborough & the Kawarthas Signature Paddling Routes
    a canoe in lake surrounded by forest

    Peterborough & the Kawarthas Signature Paddling Routes

    Dip your paddle deep into time. Travel along the routes of the voyageurs in a canoe crafted by hand, the vessel that was created by Indigenous peoples. The vessel that helped create the nation we call Canada. That we’ve honoured with its own museum.

Build Sandcastles and Splash The Day Away at these Beaches

Top Festivals & Events

Step Into the Light – Peterborough Symphony Orchestra Concert
man and woman posed
Event

Step Into the Light – Peterborough Symphony Orchestra Concert

May 24 at 7:30 pm—$20

One of the greatest symphonic masterpieces, Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, takes you on his personal journey, culminating in a child’s vision of heaven. We also welcome back cellist Stephen Tétreault, along…

534 George Street North
Peterborough, K9H 3S2 Canada
Kawartha Craft Beer Festival
Event

Kawartha Craft Beer Festival

June 6 at 4:00 pm—$20

Let’s Cheers to Craft! The 2025 Kawartha Craft Beer Festival, presented by Bobcaygeon Brewing Company, will take place Friday, June 6 from 4pm-11pm and Saturday, June 7 from 1pm-11pm at…

2 George Street
Peterborough, ON K9J 3H1 Canada
28th Annual Father’s Day Smoke & Steam Show at Lang Pioneer Village Museum
Event

28th Annual Father’s Day Smoke & Steam Show at Lang Pioneer Village Museum

June 15 at 10:00 am—$2 – $60

Enjoy the Kawarthas’ original tractor show featuring power equipment displays, tractor games, vintage farm trucks, tractor & wagon rides, and more. The day concludes with a huge tractor parade through…

104 Lang Road
Keene, K0L1C0
Middle Path Trail Race
Event

Middle Path Trail Race

August 9

The Middle Path Ultra and Trail race is part of the Outrace Series and Athletics Ontario Trillium Running series. The goal of the Middle Path Organization committee is to provide…

7107 Highway 28
North Kawartha, ON K0L 1A0
  • Top 10 Summer Experiences
    family jumping into lake

    Top 10 Summer Experiences

    1. Patio Season The favourite expression for describing our summer patio obsession is “al fresco” simply meaning “in the fresh” – Peterborough & the Kawarthas offers just that – dining…

  • Sip, Savour & Shop Local – 72 hours in Peterborough & the Kawarthas
    Two people cheers pints of beer

    Sip, Savour & Shop Local – 72 hours in Peterborough & the Kawarthas

    Blend that with the area’s long, storied history of brewing connected to Canada’s Treasured Waterway with today’s growing number craft beverage makers and you have the perfect pairing for a mouthwatering experience. Take a piece of Peterborough & the Kawarthas home with you.