What a treat!

Santa and the Elves drop in and the boys and girls make tree ornaments. White hot chocolate, candy canes, and a chance to visit with Santa!

Great Holiday music and lots of fun for everyone!

A day to celebrate the completion of its restoration, and to launch the 1956 Gerrard Cedar Strip Runabout restored by the grade 7 classes of Mr. Running and Mr. Dopking of the Gananoque Intermediate and Secondary School

Every year the TIBM hosts a Boat Show and Parade. With the addition of docks the Museum showcases antique and classic watercraft. The day includes children’s crafts, food offerings, a boat parade and much more!

The 2017 Nickel Cup Regatta was an amazing success, and the Museum was delighted to be part of it all.

2018 dates to be announced!

Reviving an exhilarating tradition in Gananoque, the Museum is proud to welcome the Nickel Cup Regatta.

Crowds will be lining the waterfront to watch the action right in front of the Museum's docks. Visit the Nickel Cup Regatta website for further information.

St. Lawrence River culture was alive and well in Gananoque, Ontario, celebrating the maritime history and preservation of vintage wood water craft and traditional boat building. The Gananoque municipal docks and the Museum's riverfront was brought to life by staff, members, friends, community families and visitors on a sultry, August summer day! Sunday, August 23rd, 2015 dawned with a mixture of mist and cloud, and as I helped towel dew from the pristine hulls of the Museum boats, wondered whether we would see a spot of rain as the day progressed, or with a bit of luck, have the sun appear and highlight the splendour of these magnificent maritime antiques! Luck was on our side, and by our 9 am start time, the clouds had cleared, leaving a picture perfect blend of blue sky and sunshine. Visitors began to flock to the in water boat show at the municipal docks, strolling along the inlet to admire the unique display, chat with owners, and snap photos of their favourite craft, acknowledging the celebrity status that these boats truly possess! Some paused to greet the guest of honour Mr. Charlie Cliffe and his wife Mollie and share their admiration for the examples of his boat designs on display.

A flotilla of antique boats on Sunday paid tribute to boat builder Charlie Cliffe, who has been keeping Thousand Islands sailors afloat for 67 years. Cliffe, 84, modestly waved in acknowledgement as the owners of the 13 old boats saluted Cliffe as they motored past in the nautical parade organized by the Thousand Islands Boat Museum, which features a display of Cliffe Craft boats.

"It's an honour," Cliffe said after the flotilla passed, as a steady stream of friends, former customers and antique-boat aficionados stopped by to shake his hand.

Cliffe figures he has built 2,500 boats over the years, and their sturdiness and graceful design have earned him a prominent chapter in the boat building history of the area. On the lawn of the Museum grounds, Cliffe was accompanied by several former employees, some of whom had the deep, rich tans common to men who spend their life on the St. Lawrence.

Article by Wayne Lowrie, Whig Standard/Gananoque Reporter

The launch of a St. Lawrence skiff has fittingly marked the launch of the first phase of the new Thousand Islands Boat Museum in Gananoque.

About 250 people gathered at the waterfront to celebrate the event as Museum officials and Gananoque high school students launched the iconic skiff. Other area residents in skiffs - some even donning formal dress, including ties and top hats to mark the occasion - paddled around under sunny skies alongside motor boats and a Gananoque Boat Line tour boat filled with tourists.

"I was so lucky to grow up on this waterfront," Conservative Leeds-Grenville MP Gord Brown told the crowd at the celebration attended by local dignitaries as well as local high school student boat builders who built the skiff. "It's the kind of thing that encourages the private industry to invest in Gananoque."

The new facility will focus on the area's rich River heritage and marine history. "This Museum is about telling the story of the River through the lens of a boat," said Susanne Richter, the Museum's director of strategic planning.

Article and photos by Kim Lunman - Cottage Life