Museums and galleries in Kingston

Museums and galleries in Kingston

1. See

   CFB Kingston

   Modern military structures. Full of soldiers, including the Joint Signals Regiment (JSR), 21 Electronic Warfare Regiment, and their Military Communications and Electronics Museum (95 Craftsman Blvd. at Highway #2).

2. Do

   Confederation Tour Trolley

   Local tour bus operated May–October by Kingston's Chamber of Commerce, designed to resemble a locomotive car which departs from the former Kingston & Pembroke Railway inner station. Stops at Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Bellevue House, Fort Henry & Penitentiary Museum.

   10AM-6PM (high season)·$17/person

3. See

   Frontenac County Schools Museum

   History of education, back to the era of one-room schoolhouses.

   Summer: Tue-Sat 10AM-3PM, reduced hours off-season

4. See

   Kingston Penitentiary

   One of Kingston's most famous institutions. One time home of notables such as Clifford Olsen and Paul Bernardo, people would kill (and have killed) to get in for well over a century. The Penitentiary Museum in the old warden's house (555 King W,, May-Oct: daily 10AM-4PM; Nov-Apr: M-F 9AM-4PM, by donation) is open to visitors, as is the Olympic Harbour marina (adjacent to the jail) which served as home of the sailing events for the 1976 Summer Olympic Games. A guided tour of the jail is available seasonally (mid-June to end-Oct, $35/person); this is separate from the museum tour. Visit time: 2 years to life. If 'just visiting', allow a little over an hour to tour the museum and 90 minutes to tour the prison.

5. See

   MacLachlan Woodworking Museum

   The most extensive, nationally significant collection of woodworking tools in Canada. This 1855 log house was relocated from Lanark County by a lumberyard owner who has since gone broke. 16 km (10 mi) east of downtown, free admission 5-8PM Thursday nights.

   late May-early Sep: Tue-Sun 10AM-5PM; closed Victoria Day and Labour Day·$5.13+HST/person or $12.30+HST/family

6. See

   Marine Museum of the Great Lakes

   History of shipping and shipbuilding on the Great Lakes, including the history of the Calvin Shipyard formerly on Garden Island. This museum reopened at the 1892 federal Kingston Dry Dock, a national historic site, in late 2021.

7. See

   Miller Museum of Geology

   This is a fairly small museum, but is still interesting. Call ahead for tours.

   Mon-Fri 9AM-4PM

8. See

   Murney Tower National Historic Site of Canada

   One of four Martello towers constructed in 1846 to defend Kingston's waterfront. Bloomfield cannon, carronades and domestic artefacts adorn what is now a Kingston Historical Society museum. Visit time: 45 min.

   May-Sept: 10AM-5PM·$5/person

9. See

   Museum of Health Care at Kingston

   A tiny museum with exhibits (and quite a lot of artefacts) related to the history of medicine. It co-sponsors a walking tour on the history of Kingston General Hospital for $5, but the museum is free (donations accepted). Usually not busy, since it's small and hard to find. Visit time: Two hours or less, including the tour.

   Tue-Sat 10AM-4PM

10. See

    Original Hockey Hall of Fame

    Founded 1943, the oldest sports hall of fame in Canada. The NHL withdrew support in 1958 in favour of a Toronto hockey museum. The collection of hockey memorabilia, which goes back to a square puck used in the first organized game in Kingston in 1886, is housed upstairs at a city-owned four-pad arena in a west-end suburb.

    Thu-Sun noon-6PM·By donation

11. See

    Princess of Wales Own Regiment

    Active Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces (one battalion). The historic limestone armoury contains a small one-room military museum with weapons, equipment, insignia, uniforms, swords and medals from the 14th Battalion of Rifles (formed 16 Jan 1863) and from both world wars.

    Sep-May: Tue Thu 7PM-10PM; late May-early Sep: Mon-Fri 10AM-4PM, closed holidays·Free/by donation.

12. See

    Pump House Steam Museum

    Steam-powered water pump house built with the latest in 1891 technology, restored 1973 by Frontenac Society of Model Engineers. Like other city-owned tourism and recreation venues (such as the Woodworking Museum, pools, arenas and the Grand Theatre box office) this museum is prone to being closed on statutory holidays.

    May-Aug: 10AM-5PM; Sep-Nov: noon-4PM·$5/person

13. See

    Queen's University

    Another of Kingston's most famous institutions. Many limestone buildings with ivy and students. Queen's has two art galleries: the student-run Union Gallery in Stauffer Library, and the Agnes Etherington Art Centre.

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Kingston (CC BY-SA 4.0).