Peterborough and the Kawarthas offer several attractions. The region host to an array of muesuems, cultural exhibitons, and indoor and outdoor galleries and theatres. The Peterborough Musuem and Archives is home to a diverse collection of artifacts. The archives collection has over 300,000 film and glass plate negatives dating back to 1896.
Peterborough lies in the St. Lawrence Lowlands ecoregion, just south of the Canadian Shield north of Lake Ontario. Peterborough is sited on a series of rapids in the Otonabee River, approximately halfway between the river’s source (Katchewanooka Lake) and its mouth (Rice Lake). Peterborough completely surrounds the only lake on the Otonabee, Little Lake, and the Trent Canal runs along the eastern edge of the city, connecting Little Lake to a section of the Otonabee above the rapids.
Peterborough is home to Ontario Hockey League Peterborough Petes.