Kingston (Ontario)

Completed in 1851 as a defensive route bypassing the St Lawrence, the original stone locks and wooden gates are still manually operated by Parks Canada for small pleasure craft. Kingston Mills locks, the first four of a long series extending to Parliament Hill in Ottawa, are reachable by small watercraft or by car on Kingston Mills Road, which runs between Battersea Rd (401 exit 619/Montreal St) and Hwy 15 (401 exit 623). Visit time: 45 min max.

Commercial main street with historic buildings and small, local independent boutiques. Food and shopping within easy walking distance of Queen's University and downtown hotels.

Big, very tall Roman Catholic church in which the bells ring loudly. Visit time: 30 min max.

Big, very elaborate old Protestant church of architectural and historical interest. Visit time: 30 min max.

One of four Martello towers constructed in 1846 to defend Kingston's waterfront. Bloomfield cannon, carronades and domestic artefacts adorn what is now a Kingston Historical Society museum. Visit time: 45 min.

Active Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces (one battalion). The historic limestone armoury contains a small one-room military museum with weapons, equipment, insignia, uniforms, swords and medals from the 14th Battalion of Rifles (formed 16 Jan 1863) and from both world wars.

One of Kingston's most famous institutions. One time home of notables such as Clifford Olsen and Paul Bernardo, people would kill (and have killed) to get in for well over a century. The Penitentiary Museum in the old warden's house (555 King W, +1 613-530-3122, May-Oct: daily 10AM-4PM; Nov-Apr: M-F 9AM-4PM, by donation) is open to visitors, as is the Olympic Harbour marina (adjacent to the jail) which served as home of the sailing events for the 1976 Summer Olympic Games. A guided tour of the jail is available seasonally (mid-June to end-Oct, $35/person); this is separate from the museum tour. Visit time: 2 years to life. If 'just visiting', allow a little over an hour to tour the museum and 90 minutes to tour the prison.

Another of Kingston's most famous institutions. Many limestone buildings with ivy and students. Queen's has two art galleries: the student-run Union Gallery in Stauffer Library, and the Agnes Etherington Art Centre.

For kids who are interested in how buildings are made, the Integrated Learning Centre, or Beamish-Munro Hall may be worth a visit. This building is the new centre of Applied Science (Engineering) at Queens. This 'live building' was designed to allow people to see how the building works and interact with it.

This is a fairly small museum, but is still interesting. Call ahead for tours.

A tiny museum with exhibits (and quite a lot of artefacts) related to the history of medicine. It co-sponsors a walking tour on the history of Kingston General Hospital for $5, but the museum is free (donations accepted). Usually not busy, since it's small and hard to find. Visit time: Two hours or less, including the tour.

History of shipping and shipbuilding on the Great Lakes, including the history of the Calvin Shipyard formerly on Garden Island. This museum reopened at the 1892 federal Kingston Dry Dock, a national historic site, in late 2021.

Steam-powered water pump house built with the latest in 1891 technology, restored 1973 by Frontenac Society of Model Engineers. Like other city-owned tourism and recreation venues (such as the Woodworking Museum, pools, arenas and the Grand Theatre box office) this museum is prone to being closed on statutory holidays.

The most extensive, nationally significant collection of woodworking tools in Canada. This 1855 log house was relocated from Lanark County by a lumberyard owner who has since gone broke. 16 km (10 mi) east of downtown, free admission 5-8PM Thursday nights.

Founded 1943, the oldest sports hall of fame in Canada. The NHL withdrew support in 1958 in favour of a Toronto hockey museum. The collection of hockey memorabilia, which goes back to a square puck used in the first organized game in Kingston in 1886, is housed upstairs at a city-owned four-pad arena in a west-end suburb.

History of education, back to the era of one-room schoolhouses.

Designed by architect George Browne and completed in December 1844 to house the city government and marketplace. You can't fight City Hall, but guided tours of this national historic site are offered on weekdays from mid-May through Labour Day and on weekends during July and August.

Three boats (Island Queen, Island Belle, Island Star) leave Kingston downstream on the St. Lawrence River to circle the Thousand Islands. A round-trip is 1½, 2 or 3 hours; selected runs offer sunset cruises, dinner or dancing.

Local tour bus operated May–October by Kingston's Chamber of Commerce, designed to resemble a locomotive car which departs from the former Kingston & Pembroke Railway inner station. Stops at Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Bellevue House, Fort Henry & Penitentiary Museum.

90-minute guided walking tours of Kingston (from Prince George Hotel), Fort Henry (from fort main gate) and Gananoque (from visitor centre, 10 King East, Gan) complete with ghost stories. The same company operates tours in Ottawa and Toronto.

Kingston has a lively waterfront that, depending on the day, may afford opportunities to partake. Richardson Beach extends the full length of the Queen's University campus, Kingston General Hospital and City Park, and sports two large, permanent sculptures: "Time" and "Pollution".

Built in 1901-02, and home of the Kingston Symphony since 1964,. The main theatre seats 776 people for live theatre and musical performances.

Independent downtown movie house with two screens showing a variety of art-house, foreign, alternative, and classic cinema.

The outdoor skating rink in Market Square is refrigerated, and the surface is conditioned by a Zamboni every couple of hours, so the surface is more regular than other outdoor rinks in the area. Hockey sticks are not allowed on this rink.

Although the surface isn't as regularly conditioned as Market Square, this the place to go if you want to play hockey, since hockey isn't allowed on the Market Square rink.

Facilities similar to "City Park", including a rink with boards for hockey, and an open rink for skating amidst the trees.

Hiking, canoeing or kayaking in summer; snowshoeing, cross country skiing, or skating on the pond in winter. Rentals and lessons.

A free hourly [ferry http://www.wolfeisland.com/ferry.php] from Kingston to Wolfe Island provides a scenic view of the Kingston waterfront. Cycling on Wolfe Island is much less hectic than in Kingston proper. George Pyke's Strawberry farm is a good destination (~25 km round trip from ferry) in late June, and can easily make for a day long trip. Contra dancing happens regularly throughout the year either at Wolfe Island Town Hall, or some Kingston location.

Pick your own strawberries, raspberries, peas and beans. Fall corn maze and pumpkin patch. Picnic, nature walk, children's playground in a beautiful country setting.

30 minutes north by car, opportunities for walking and picnicking, fishing, canoeing, wildlife viewing, boating, swimming and cycling. Winter activities.

Orchard near Rideau Canal (Lower Brewers Mills), pick-your-own apples from August to October, pumpkins. On-site bakery with apple pie, cider, jam/jelly.

Buskers from around the world take over the streets of Kingston for one weekend in early July. Downtown.

On a weekend in August, parks, streets and local venues host local and national blues talent.

Annual LGBT film festival, late January. Kingston also hosts an LGBT Pride parade in mid-June; "out/in kingston" has local gay event listings.

Late June (summer solstice). A free, community-focused arts and music festival.

Ten-day festival in early March. Most events take place at the Screening Room, as the only commercial cinema hall still open in the downtown core.