As Canada’s first capital city (1841–1844) and the home of 22 National Historic Sites, Kingston is the perfect place to explore Canadian history. We’ve created a list of museums and guided tours that will deepen your appreciation for Canada’s rich history and culture. If you don’t want to limit yourself to just one Canadian experience, check out the K-Pass which provides you access to a Kingston 1000 Islands Cruise and the Hop-On Hop-Off Trolley Tour, admission to Kingston’s museums and attractions, discounts on local dining, and more.
If you’re planning an overnight stay in the city, browse our overnight packages. And if you plan to take your time and thoroughly explore the Canadian experience in Kingston, look for packages marked “$100+ offer applies” for special two- to four-night overnight offers.
Museums
Bellevue House
Visit the 1840s home of one-time Kingston lawyer and future Canadian Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald. Your tour of this white-and-green Italian villa and beautiful gardens will take you back in time. The special exhibits that explore Macdonald’s complex legacy can provide new perspectives on Canada’s history. Choose from guided tours or explore the National Historic Site on your own. Bellevue House is open from May to October.
Canada’s Penitentiary Museum
This former warden’s residence located across the street from the Kingston Penitentiary is now Canada’s Penitentiary Musuem, showcasing historical objects and highlighting stories from the nation’s federal prisons.
The residence building was constructed in the late 19th century and became known as “Cedarhedge,” referring to the cedar hedges that once lined the driveway leading to the warden’s home.
Step inside the Canada’s Penitentiary Museum from May to October to explore memorabilia including historical guards’ uniforms and contraband items confiscated from prisoners.
Fort Henry
Built between 1832 and 1837 on the site of an existing fortification from the War of 1812 era, Fort Henry protected the naval dockyard at Point Frederick, the town of Kingston, and the entrance to the Rideau Canal. The British Army garrisoned Fort Henry until 1870. Batteries of the Royal Canadian Artillery staffed the fort from 1871 to 1891.
The massive fort served many functions. It was used as an internment camp during the First World War, opened as a museum in 1938, and as a prisoner of war camp during the Second World War.
Learn more about the fort’s history and explore its hidden passageways during the spring, summer, and fall. Along the way, you’ll encounter actors dressed up as schoolteachers and soldiers’ wives who traverse the fort’s limestone hallways alongside troops clad in red-and-white. You can also watch musical performances and military demonstrations—performed by university students dressed as British soldiers from 1867—all season long.
Frontenac County Schools Museum
Learn about the history of local one-room schoolhouses at the Frontenac County School Museum. This museum features a replica of a school room from 100 years ago, where you can put your reading, writing, and arithmetic skills to the test. If you don’t feel like activating your academic skills, you can do a craft, practise writing with pen and ink, or browse through the museum’s book collection.
The Frontenac County School Museum consistently rotates its display of artefacts and archival material. Check out the website for upcoming events and hours.
Kingston Penitentiary
You can walk the halls of this former maximum-security prison in Kingston throughout May to the end of October. Kingston Penitentiary opened in 1835 and was an active prison until 2013. Tour guides will reveal the Pen’s history including tales from its very early days (when it housed men, women, and even some children) as well as daring escapes of later years. Some of the tours are conducted by guides familiar with what went on within the Pen’s walls—former guards.
Since shutting down, the Pen has been used as a location for popular TV shows such as Mayor of Kingstown and Murdoch Mysteries. Read “From limestone penitentiary walls to cinema screens” to learn about the movies and TV shows filmed in the halls you’ll traverse on your tour.
PumpHouse Museum
In 1851, this historic site started powering steam-driven pumps to bring 450,000 gallons of water daily to Kingston’s residents. Today, the PumpHouse stands as one of only six preserved water pumping stations in North America. It is also an active museum, offering kids’ activities and a variety of exhibitions.
The PumpHouse Museum not only offers sweeping views of Kingston’s waterfront but also allows you to learn about the central role that steam power played in Kingston during the 19th and 20th centuries.
In April 2025, the museum opened its “Dinosaurs Among Us” exhibition. Explore real dinosaur fossils, prehistoric ostrich skulls, and full raptor casts. Local fossils from the Miller Museum of Geology reveal Kingston’s deep historical roots. “Dinosaurs Among Us” runs until April 2026.
Visit the PumpHouse website to learn more about their exhibits, events, and programs.
Military Communications and Electronics Museum
Home to encryption tools and gas masks used by Canadian troops during the First and Second World Wars, this impressive museum is perfect for those interested in learning about the development of military technology.
The Military Communication and Electronics Musuem also boasts a collection of military jeeps and tanks as well as an original wireless radio set from the First World War and a German Enigma machine, used in the Second World War for coding military communications.
Purchase your tickets to explore their most recent exhibition, which delves into the history of Cold War technology, featuring tools from the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). Read more about this museum in “Where history comes to life.”
S.S. Keewatin & the Great Lakes Museum
Experience what it was like to travel aboard an Edwardian-era passenger liner by taking a tour of the S.S. Keewatin at the Great Lakes Museum. The Great Lakes Museum offers tours of the liner’s elegant dining room and cramped crew quarters as well as the engine room, boasting a quad expansion reciprocating engine.
After touring the S.S. Keewatin (open May to October), visit the Great Lakes Museum’s nautical exhibitions, which feature stories of tragic shipwrecks and tales about influential captains.
Visit the Great Lakes Museum website to purchase your tickets. Read “S.S. Keewatin: visit the last remaining Edwardian-era passenger liner at Kingston’s Great Lakes Museums” to learn more about the one-of-a-kind vessel that calls Kingston home.
Guided tours
The Haunted Walk
Listen to spooky tales about Kingston’s landmarks while exploring the city’s limestone architecture on a Haunted Walk.
The Haunted Walk offers various walking excursions around Kingston including a tour of the S.S. Keewatin, where ghostly figures have been spotted in the bellhop station and lavish ballroom. They also have walking tours featuring Fort Henry’s limestone tunnels—filled with cobwebs and dripping with condensation—and Queen’s University’s lecture halls boasting double staircases and tall clock towers. If ghost stories aren’t your thing, check out their Hidden Kingston tour which delves into the city’s eclectic history.
Visit the Haunted Walk’s website to learn more about their various tours and purchase your tickets.
Kingston Food Tours
Taste Italian and Mexican fare from local restaurants and learn about the city’s history and culture on a Kingston Food Tour. On the walking tour, knowledgeable tour guides will explain the history behind beloved establishments located in downtown Kingston as well as the flavours infused into various dishes and drinks. You’ll leave each tour with a better understanding of Kingston culinary legacy and, of course, something sweet.
Visit Kingston Food Tours website to purchase your tickets.
Kingston 1000 Islands Cruises
Step aboard a sightseeing, brunch, lunch, or dinner cruise in Kingston and explore the world- famous 1000 Islands from the water. Kingston 1000 Islands Cruises offers cruises on its three vessels: the Island Queen, a triple-decker steamwheeler, the Island Belle, a replica St. Lawrence steamer, and the glass-enclosed Island Star.
This summer, Kingston 1000 Islands Cruises partners with the Great Lakes Musuem to offer a new cruise exploring the shipwrecks dotting Kingston’s waterfront. Purchase a drink from the concession stand, grab a window seat on the Island Belle, and learn how century-old steamships ended up on the bottom of the St. Lawrence River.
Read “Step aboard a 1000 Islands cruise in Kingston today” to learn more and visit their website to purchase your tickets.
Kingston Trolley Tours
Step aboard this open red trolley throughout May to October for a one-hour guided tour through Kingston or purchase hop-on hop-off tickets, allowing you to easily get around the city and explore landmarks like Fort Henry and the Kingston Penitentiary.
Kingston Trolley Tours also offers a Ghost & Mystery tour where a guide will explain the chilling history behind Rockwood Asylum and take you to a park teeming with skeletons.
Visit their website to explore the tours and purchase your tickets today.
Bonus activity: Stop by Kingston’s historic market square, located behind Kingston City Hall. This was the site of the proclamation of the Confederation of Canada, on July 1, 1867. It is also home to the Kingston Public Market, Ontario’s oldest public market, in operation since 1801. The Kingston Public Market is home to local market vendors selling produce, flowers, baked goods, maple syrup, and handmade crafts on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The market square also hosts a variety of community activities in the summer, including concerts, free movies, and cooking demonstrations. Learn about upcoming events in Springer Market Square and throughout downtown Kingston.
