When you’re spinning the wheel on your next weekend adventure, put some thought into Kingston Ontario! We had a little bit of help with our visit because Queens University happens to be the alma matter of the better half of WifiAdventures!
Here are the Top Ten Things to do in Kingston Ontario!
Springer Market Square
In the summer there are festivals and markets happening here during the day, and at night there are bands playing or movies being shown. In the winter, the square gets turned into a skating rink. The Farmers Market is hosted here on Saturdays, and Sundays will have you walking through the antiques market.
Take the Kingston Penitentiary Tour
Guides will walk you through the old Kingston Pen and give general notes about its history. Murderinos take note: they will not give details about any specific criminal or the crimes that brought them there.
Walk through the Queen’s University and Royal Military College campuses
In the summer the grounds are virtually empty and you can enjoy all the cool architecture you could ever dream of. When school is in session, be prepared for thousands of students to rush by on their way to class.
Shop Downtown
Kingston’s historic downtown is full of stone buildings, sharp turns, and twisting alleys full of public art. Many of the stores are local favourites that have been there for decades (Cookes, for example) and others are familiar chain stores you might have at home (like David’s Tea).
See something at the Leons Centre
Kingston’s centre for big entertainment, the Leons Centre is where you can catch a local Ontario Hockey League game, concert or something fun & exciting!
The Haunted Walk of Kingston
The longest running ghost tour in Kingston, the Haunted Walk offers ghost tours of both the city centre and Fort Henry. The walk around the city is classic and you see some parts of Kingston you might have missed, but the Fort Henry tour takes you inside rooms of the historic fort and leaves you wondering if ghosts really do exist.
Visit some cool bars
The Merchant Tap House is inside of a building that is about 200 years old, and the Toucan has a pretty good weekend breakfast for less than $6. The Kingston Brewing Company only serves what they brew themselves (their Dragon’s Breath Pale Ale is honestly really good), and the Alibi has never yet let me down with their cocktail menu.
Catch a film at the Screening Room
Kingston’s most well-known independent movie theatre shows all the movies you won’t get to see at your big box cineplex. They have monthly screenings of older movies (think 60s-70s older movies) and in the lead up to the Oscars they typically run the Nominees for the Best Picture so you can really catch up on the films you’ve missed.
Visit the Agnes Etherington Art Centre
This quaint art gallery in the middle of Queen’s main campus houses some of the only Rembrandts in Canada (the only other one is housed in the National Art Gallery in Ottawa). They also host local artists and have a decently sized Indigenous Art selection as well.
Go to City Hall
Not just the place to pay parking tickets, Kingston’s City Hall has a wonderful guided tour that takes you all over the stoic building and if you ask nicely, they may even tell you the story of how they once found a head in a bucket in one of the rooms in City Hall.
Tips: If you plan on doing at least three paid things on this list, check out the KPASS which can save you some money in the long run.