Kingston
Kingston is a hub where makers, culinary enthusiasts, and musicians bring a vibrant, modern culture to this historic Canadian city. Come for Fort Henry and stay for the world-class festivals, outdoor concerts, unique shops, and charming restaurants. Enjoy a diverse mix of fine and casual dining, bars and pubs, microbreweries, and cafes. The vibrant downtown features a collection of authentic boutiques, galleries, and performance venues including Canada’s oldest continuously-run farmers market in North America.
Tourism Kingston - Cruise Services
As part of its 2019-2022 strategic plan, Kingston City Council identified facilitating a deep-water dock as one of its priorities. Tourism Kingston’s Integrated Destination Strategy, a multi-year road map to enhance the city’s appeal as a visitor destination, also recognizes Kingston’s potential in the Great Lakes, recommending the city be positioned as a key cruise tourism hub.
Fort Henry National Historic Site
Step back in time and experience 19th-Century military life at Fort Henry. As part of Ontario’s UNESCO World Heritage Site, Fort Henry is a hotbed of historic activity. Take a guided tour, fire a rifle, sit in on a class in a Victorian schoolroom, watch a parade of traditional marching music, and stick around in the evening for a dramatic re-enactment during the Sunset Ceremony.
Kingston Penitentiary Tours
Tours of Kingston Penitentiary offer a rare and unique opportunity to go behind the walls of Canada's oldest and most notorious maximum secuirty prison.
Kingston 1000 Islands Boat Cruises
Discover history and heritage along Kingston's spectacular waterfront on a 1-hour Discovery Cruise. Or, experience the 1000 Islands on a 3-hour Heart of the Islands Cruise
Kingston Trolley Tours
Kingston Trolley Tours offers City Tours of historic Kingston, Ontario, aboard a fleet of comfortable thirty-two passenger trolleys. The Trolley is the ideal way to enjoy Kingston’s history and attractions providing an informative, engaging overview of the city's more than three hundred years of history. Tours begin from the Kingston Visitor Information Centre at 209 Ontario St.
Pumphouse Museum Tours
Step into Kingston's first waterworks in operation from 1851 to 1952. Today, this magnificent building continues to serve the public as a community museum. The PumpHouse is located in one of Canada’s oldest original water works – where steam-powered pumps provided the first running water to Kingston residents from 1851. Only six similar preserved water pumping stations remain in North America.
Agnes Etherington Art Centre
Its collections—numbering over 17,000 works—include cutting-edge contemporary art and fine examples of Canadian historical art, Indigenous art and historicized ancestors, and material culture including the Collection of Canadian Dress and the Lang Collection of African Art. The Bader Collection, comprising over 500 works with a focus on seventeenth-century Dutch and Flemish painting, includes one portrait and three exquisite character studies by Rembrandt. Admission is free and everyone is welcome.
Military Communications & Electronics Museum
The Military Communications and Electronics Museum is a must-see attraction in Kingston, with over twenty thousand square feet of gallery space devoted to not only telling the story of members of the Military Communications and Electronics Branch both past and present, but also the Royal Canadian Electronic and Mechanical Engineers (RCEME has their own section of gallery space). The displays within the Museum depict the history of Canadian military communication and the development and application of communications technology by the highly skilled troops has been both ground breaking and lifesaving. This museum takes great pride in what the members of the Military Communications and Electronics Branch of the past, present and future, have and will continue to accomplish.
Explore Downtown Kingston
Dine on one of Kingston’s many outdoor restaurant patios. Take a guided food tour or explore the spooky side of Kingston with a haunted walk. If you want to dine together, Kingston has many restaurants that accommodate large groups. Explore downtown Kingston’s many unique shops and find the perfect memento from your visit. If you happen to be in town on a Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday, make sure to check out Kingston's Public Market, the oldest in Ontario, located in Springer Market Square.
Marine Museum of the Great Lakes
From shipwrecks and lighthouses to ecosystems and water quality, the Marine Museum invites you to explore Kingston's unique history and the world's largest inter-connected body of freshwater through their programs and exhibits. Visit their storefront gallery, explore the many collections or schedule an outreach program; they have something for everyone!
Bellevue House National Historic Site
Bellevue House is a place where Canadians can explore the complex legacy of Canada’s first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, and share in conversations about Canadian history. Built in the early 1840s, and designated as a National Historic Site for its Italianate architecture, the historic house was home to the wealthy and powerful of Canada’s first capital. Visitors are invited to contemplate Canada’s colonial origins and the impacts of government policies in the creation of a country. Set in a quiet Kingston neighbourhood, the tranquil heritage grounds offer an experience in themselves, surrounded by an orchard, heritage gardens, and a cool breeze off Lake Ontario. Regardless of your motivation for visiting, Bellevue House is a great place to discuss and reflect on the life and lasting impacts of Macdonald and Confederation.