By Jay Kana | Published September 29th, 2026
Photos by Jay Kana unless noted.
Presented in paid partnership with Peterborough Tourism

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I’m quite fond of Peterborough. I’ve been a few times and each visit delivers new experiences and memories, including kayaking, the world-famous Canadian Canoe Museum, delving into local businesses, their thriving arts side and their underrated food scene.

For this road trip, I focussed on the historic and artistic side of the city, as it’s rich in both., the equivalent of 1.21 gigawatts!

Follow my path or be inspired to create your own to discover this splendid side of Peterborough.

A big thanks to Ford Canada for providing my road trip chariot, a fire breathing 2026 Ford Mustang, decked out with a six-speed manual and a 5.0-litre V8 and oh-so comfortable seats.
I tried to get a DeLorean but I was outatime…

Home Base: The Hampton Inn Peterborough

The newest hotel in the city, the Hampton Inn Peterborough features 100 rooms and an indoor saltwater pool and most importantly room 406 has superbly comfortable bed. I’m sure all the beds are good but I can only speak to where I slept.
The complimentary breakfast is better than most and it’s a short drive to everything mentioned below, making it an ideal home base.

Peterborough Museum and Archives

For nearly anything historical in Peterborough, this is where you’re going.
With a permanent exhibit showcasing the chronological history of the city, that should be your starting point for a baseline of information.

From there, check out the cool “Films From the Freezer” exhibit until November 1st, 2026, where they literally unfroze films after 20 years of being on ice to showcase them. Following that, there’s an exhibit on horned dinosaurs. Check their website for future exhibitions.

More than that is the archives component, and I was fortunate enough to get a behind the scenes look with their archivist, Jon Oldham. There are so many pieces of history here, from family history, to buildings, to records of events and more. There’s even a collection of glass plate negatives, produced in Peterborough. The collection is so vast, they’ve got over a dozen massive rolling shelves full of information.

Peterborough Lift Lock Visitor Centre

Reopened in mid-2026 after being closed for six years, this is an excellent resource to learn more about the world-famous lift lock.
As you walk in, there’s a massive map of the Trent-Severn Waterway showing lock locations and other key identifiers.
There’s also miniature versions of there lift locks, which is fascinating to look at and gives appreciation to the engineering behind these.

I was fortunate to spend some time with Dennis Carter-Edwards, who was a Research Historian with Parks Canada for nearly 40 years. He shared an in-depth history of the lift lock, it’s path to creation and how it became a world-class attraction.
The story is fascinating and the lift lock was born out of necessity to improve accessibility for supplies and trading from surrounding areas and communities.

Step out the rear doors and you’ll be greeted by a spectacular view of the lift lock itself.
Yes, it’s majestic from afar but when you get up close to it, there’s an entirely new appreciation that comes.
If you’re lucky, you’ll get to see them in action during your visit.

Trent Valley Archives Haunted Tour

Get a dose of history and a side of haunting with the Eerie Ashburnham Ghost Walk! Put on by the Trent Valley Archives, these walking tours give you the backstory to some of Peterborough’s haunted haunts.
The walk covers approximately 1.5 kilometres and spans between 60 and 90 minutes.
Grab a hot drink from your favourite locally owned Peterborough cafe, put on your favourite hoodie and learn about the spooky side of Peterborough.
Click here to get tickets to the Eerie Ashburnham Ghost Walk.

Trading Four Wheels for Two

If this is your first time reading Modern Traveller, welcome! I do a lot of road trips, including this adventure.
However, for a few hours, I traded four wheels for two via e-bike, thanks to the terrific team at Wild Rock Outfitters. I’m not very athletic and having the battery boost from an e-bike increases accessibility…and acceleration!
I was going to interview Jeffrey Macklin during my bike ride and brought my full-size tripod with me instead of my compact travel one…yikes. Thankfully, the brains of owner Jeff Faulds quickly got a bungee cord and secured my tripod to the rear rack. And yes, he said those classic words: “that’s not going anywhere!” (If you know, you know.)
So off I went on a leisurely ride, on the Trans Canada Trail, along the Rotary Greenway Trail, tracing parts of the Otonabee River and revelling as the breeze floated around me.

Parts of downtown have dedicated bike lanes, which is way smarter than Toronto’s inept decision to remove theirs.

Thankfully, if you want to use your own bike or rent one (traditional of e-bike from Wild Rock Outfitters,) there are plenty of trails, spaces and places to enjoy two-wheeled motion.

An Artist Interview with Jeffrey Macklin

I’ve been fortunate to have met several Peterborough artists in my career and during this visit, I spent time with Jeffrey Macklin. He creates across various media mediums and like me, there’s an appreciation of analog outlets. During our chat, he showed me how to use a nearly 100 year old printing press. Ah, the simpler times.
Here’s the short interview to learn about Jeffrey.

The arts scene in Peterborough is remarkable, with plenty of artists calling the city home, including John Climenhage and Kim Beavis Sanderson.
There’s festivals, tours, museums, art galleries, public art and an overall creative vibe flowing through the city.
One of my favourites are the two murals beneath the Hunter Street bridge. Perhaps they’ll be your favourite.

Divine Dining in Peterborough

Food can be artistic and much more than plucking something off the menu and having it served and consumed. Here are a handful of places to eat in Peterborough.

Hard Winter Bakery is named after a type of wheat, (hard winter) opposed to what it reads like. All of their bread is sourdough based and there’s care and dedication that goes into everything they create. A quick chat with owner Graham Thoem showed me that he’s passionate about enabling his team to rise, that community is baked into the business and that Peterborough is his slice of happiness.

Agave by Imperial brings fabulous Mexican fare and this autumn, they’ve included some of the best chicken wings I’ve had in Peterborough on their seasonal menu.
The menu isn’t overwhelming and the tacos, for those that like them, are a must.

Riley’s Pub blends cozy without being crowded, has decent chicken wings and when you visit in warmer months, check out their rooftop bar. Plus, there are 16 pool tables upstairs and live music every weekend.

100 Acre Brewing is a great stop for wood fired pizza made to order via Lowlands Fire Food. There are picnic benches to enjoy your meal when the weather is warm and an enclosed patio that’s opened up during said warmer months.

Law & Orders Burgers & Fries has seven locations, uses locally sourced beef and I kept my elbows up high as I enjoyed a Jason Blaine burger. What is it, exactly?
It was inspired by Canadian Country Music star Jason Blaine and 50% of the proceeds go directly to the Jason Blaine Charity.

Copper Spoons is a quaint breakfast and lunch spot that makes a really good breakfast sandwich with splendid service. The dining room has an old school aura with a modern feel.

Back to the Future in Peterborough, Ontario