Make crafts with the kids, take part in an escape room, or take in a unique exhibit at one of Kingston’s many museums.
WinterLight
Celebrate the change in seasons with the MacLachlan Woodworking Museum at its ninth annual WinterLight event on December 3. Create winter-themed crafts with your kids. Admission is one unwrapped toy per family in lieu of admission; otherwise, regular admission rates apply.
This year, WinterLight will have timed entry. Learn more and register for your time slot: 10 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm.
All aboard for the holidays!
The PumpHouse is being transformed into a winter wonderland, where model trains travel through delightful seasonal settings and fun activities await discovery. This family-favourite event, All Aboard for the Holidays, returns Dec. 10 and 11. Enjoy the museum’s hands-on holiday activities and learn about trains from expert volunteers. There will be timed entry on both days at 10 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm. Please register online for your preferred time. Regular museum admission rates apply or bring one unwrapped toy per family, in lieu of admission.
A sensory-friendly All Aboard event will take place Sunday, Dec. 11 from 10 – 11:30 am. The museum’s winter wonderland and train displays will be converted into a quieter space with dimmed lights, a reduced number of people, and the music turned off. This event is designed for visitors who may benefit from a more relaxed environment.
The Marine Museum of the Great Lakes is open this winter Monday through Friday, 10 am to 4 pm. Explore the museum on your own or pre-book a 45-minute guided tour of the Kingston Dry Dock National Historic Site for your family or group (Wednesday through Friday).
You can also delve into the nautical life with Shipwrights, a collaboration with Improbable Escapes. You and your crew will need to work together to navigate your way out of the museum by solving puzzles, deciphering hidden codes, and breaking out your telescopes.
You have until December 4 to check out the current exhibitions at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre; these include The Masks We Wear, an installation by multimedia artist Winsom Winsom; Land Protectors, featuring works of art from the Agnes’s Indigenous art collection; and The Fabric of Representation, featuring works from the centre’s historic art collection, including recently acquired17th-century Dutch and Flemish paintings by Carstian Luyckx, Pieter Claesz, Constantijn Verhout, and Jan van Noordt.
The Agnes also offers its final Creation Station event of 2022 on December 4. Creation Station is a free studio program designed to give families and children ages 2 and up an exploratory artmaking experience. Art educators ignite curiosity through painting, drawing, clay, and mixed media activities.
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The Military Communications & Electronics Museum is open Monday through Friday. The main gallery has a number of displays dedicated to the chronology of the Military Communications and Electronics Branch starting in the late 19th century and ending in the modern day.
The museum also offers two escape room adventures in collaboration with Improbable Escapes: Camp X places you in a secret training school for covert agents. In Spymaster, players sleuth through the museum in search for double agents. Learn more.
Winter hours for the Museum of Health Care are Wednesday through Friday from 10 am to 4 pm. Current exhibitions include Trench Menders: Health Care in the First World War, For Service to Humanity: Nursing Care at Kingston General Hospital, and Quack: the exhibit that cures all. *
*This exhibit will only cure your thirst for knowledge.
The Children’s Gallery at the Museum of Health Care is a place for kids to learn about their bodies, health, and health care in a fun and interactive environment. The current exhibition is The Skin You’re In.
Learn more about the many museums, galleries, and historic sites in Kingston and area.
