Opened in 2006, The Muskoka Boat and Heritage Centre offers an interactive experience to visitors that is unrivaled anywhere in the region. The centre expands over 20,000 square feet, providing a glimpse into the unique aspects of Muskoka life that have attracted millions of visitors and have spawned countless memories. The state-of-the art exhibits capture the glory of the Muskokan experience, exploring the rich history of steamships, wooden boats and luxury hotels that helped define Muskoka. The $6 million complex showcases the true spirit of the beloved lakes, which have captivated countless people for generations. If you want the "Real Muskoka Experience" there is no alternative.

Permanant Exhibits

Muskoka's Wooden Boats

Muskoka's Wooden Boats

  • Discover the thrill of boat racing
  • Learn about Muskoka's wooden boat industry
  • Play a simulation game to build your own wooden boat
  • View the process of boat restoration
  • Meet Herb Ditchburn, a well-known boat builder of many years ago
  • See a 1930s boat builder’s workshop and period advertisements for many local builders of the time

 

 

 



 Full size segwun bow

A Fleet of Steamships

  • Walk through a living postcard and into a steamship
  • Enter the freight deck and meet the crew
  • Start a working steam engine
  • Look into an elegant steamship stateroom and dining room
  • Become the captain in the wheelhouse
  • Blow the steamship whistles
  • Meet Mr. A.P. Cockburn – father of Muskoka tourism

 

 

 

 

Summers at the Lake

 

 

Summers at the Lake

  • Experience the elegance of the Muskoka Hotels of yesteryear
  • Listen and dance to the Big Band Era
  • Reminisce about early Muskoka cottage life
  • Visit a famous old hotel dining room
  • Cozy up by the fireplace and watch the hotel's events
  • Send an electronic post card to your friends
  • Meet Mary Elizabeth Aiken, a well known hotelier

Take a virtual Steamship Tour!Use the navigation below for more information about Real Muskoka!

Did you know?

  • The R.M.S. Segwun continues to be recognized by Canada Post as a "Royal Mail Ship" and that mail can be hand-franked or cancelled from the ship as they did more than 100 years ago.
  • In 1974, the Segwun was recommissioned by Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau.
  • In 1996, the Wanda III Steam Yacht was recommissioned by Prime Minister Jean Chretien.
  • The Segwun's coal comes all the way from Kentucky.
  • Muskoka Boat & Heritage Centre opened in 2006 and celebrates Muskoka's steamship era, grand resorts and hotels and the region's rich boat-building history.
  • Wenonah II is Canada's newest passenger vessel combining turn-of-the-century charm with modern conveniences such as air-conditioning and an on board elevator.
  • The Muskoka Boat & Heritage Centre is home to North America's largest in-water display of antique and classic boats.
  • The ship's private label wine is one of the few given permission by the LCBO to be sold in stores throughout Ontario.
  • In 2001 and 2002, the Segwun won the award of "Best Large Attraction" by Attractions Canada.
  • In 1988, the Segwun won the prestigious "Phoenix Award" presented by the Society of American Travel Writers.  Recipients are chosen for their outstanding efforts in preservation and conservation.
  • In years past, a steamship purser used to take tickets as passengers boarded.  Today, our Purser is responsible for all guest services on board including your dining experience.
  • The Segwun used to carry passengers, freight and mail to a variety of ports on the Muskoka lakes before the days of the automobile.
  • Each year, the Segwun and Wenonah II host upwards of 30 memorable wedding ceremonies and receptions.
  • In recent years the shift to air transport for mail has left only three ships with the right to the prefix; RMS Segwun, which serves as a passenger vessel in Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada, RMS St Helena, which serves the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic,[9] and RMS Queen Mary 2. QM2 was conferred "RMS" by Royal Mail when she entered service in 2004 on the Southampton to New York route as a gesture to Cunard's history – The RMS Segwun is the oldest Royal Mail Ship in the world.