Located 2.5 hours away from Toronto, Kingston is a smaller city located next to Lake Ontario. Home to Queen’s University, the Royal Military College, and St. Lawrence College, it is a university city bustling with students. Having spent 4 years living and studying in Kingston, we thought it would be best to make a Kingston city travel guide for students and tourists alike.
- Visit Fort Henry: A historic site and museum regularly, Fort Henry is also home to a number of annual events such as Fort Fright (similar to Halloween Haunt with monsters and themed walkthroughs) and Lumina Borealis (an interactive light attraction)
- Take a walk through downtown Kingston:
- At City Hall, there’s a public market that runs three times a week between April and November.
- There’s free public skating during the winter months. Want to skate but don’t have skates? You can rent them at Trailhead, the local outdoor store.
- Go on The Haunted Walk
- Walk alongside the Lake Ontario waterfront
- Enjoy Lake Ontario via water sports
- Go on a 1000 Islands cruise
- See the Isabel Bader Centre
- Go to Wolfe Island: Take the ferry to the island and cycle around. Visit the beach or go through the corn maze.
- Kingston Penitentiary tour
- Visit the Queen’s University campus
- See a concert at the K-Rock Centre or Ale House
- Get cultured at the Agnes Etherington Centre
- Go hiking at Rock Dunder: Located 30 mins from Kingston, Rock Dunder offers a spectacular panoramic view of the Rideau Canal.
To Eat
Must Haves
- Gourmet pizza: Woodenheads
- Burgers: Harper’s Burger Bar – best waffle fries
- Japanese: Sima – very fresh sushi
- Brunch: Pan Chancho
- Desserts: Sipps, Mio Gelato
Other
- Viet: Dong Nai – BF2 is their XXL pho
- Korean: PodoNamu
- Cambodian: Royal Angkor, Pat’s
- Diner/Breakfast: Tommy’s
- Pizza: Score – build your own pizza
- Greek: Grecos
- Bar Food: Grad Lounge, Queen’s Pub, Red House
- German: Amadeus
- Fine(r) Dining: Days on Front ($$), Le Chien Noir ($$), Bayview Farms Restaurant ($$$), Case Domenico ($$$)
Cafe Hop
- Coffeeco – gorgeous coffee shop
- Sipps
- Balzac’s Coffee
- Crave
- Coffee & Company
Bubble Tea
- Cha Villa
- ITEA
Night Life
- Clubs: Stages, Ale
- Bars: Barcadia, Stone City Ale, Brooklyn, Jack Astor’s – patio!
See something that should be on the list? Visited one of these places and want to write about it? Have some more questions? Leave us a comment below!
–
Stone & Fern is a travel and lifestyle blog started by friends who have a passion for exploring cities, capturing moments, and trying new food. This is part of our Check In city guides series. To see more of North America, click here.