Things to do in Kingston

23 activities, venues and outings in Kingston, from theatres and live music to parks and tours.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first.

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Ahoy Rentals
Downtown Kingston, sailing lessons ($95/2 hr) and bicycle rentals ($25/day).
$40/day canoe/kayak $105/day sailboat
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City Park
Although the surface isn't as regularly conditioned as Market Square, this the place to go if you want to play hockey, since hockey isn't allowed on the Market Square rink.
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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
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Frontenac Provincial Park
30 minutes north by car, opportunities for walking and picnicking, fishing, canoeing, wildlife viewing, boating, swimming and cycling. Winter activities.
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Fruition Berry Farm
Pick your own strawberries, raspberries, peas and beans. Fall corn maze and pumpkin patch. Picnic, nature walk, children's playground in a beautiful country setting.
June-Oct (weather and crop conditions permitting)
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Grand Theatre
Built in 1901-02, and home of the Kingston Symphony since 1964,. The main theatre seats 776 people for live theatre and musical performances.
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Kingston 1000 Islands Cruises
Three boats (Island Queen, Island Belle, Island Star) leave Kingston downstream on the St. Lawrence River to circle the Thousand Islands. A round-trip is 1½, 2 or 3 hours; selected runs offer sunset cruises, dinner or dancing.
May-Oct: 11AM-6:30PM$25-73/person
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Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area
Hiking, canoeing or kayaking in summer; snowshoeing, cross country skiing, or skating on the pond in winter. Rentals and lessons.
$5.50/person
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The Screening Room
Independent downtown movie house with two screens showing a variety of art-house, foreign, alternative, and classic cinema.
$9/person
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Victoria Park
Facilities similar to "City Park", including a rink with boards for hockey, and an open rink for skating amidst the trees.
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Waddell Apples
Orchard near Rideau Canal (Lower Brewers Mills), pick-your-own apples from August to October, pumpkins. On-site bakery with apple pie, cider, jam/jelly.
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Waterfront
Kingston has a lively waterfront that, depending on the day, may afford opportunities to partake. Richardson Beach extends the full length of the Queen's University campus, Kingston General Hospital and City Park, and sports two large, permanent sculptures: "Time" and "Pollution".
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Wolfe Island
A free hourly [ferry http://www.wolfeisland.com/ferry.php] from Kingston to Wolfe Island provides a scenic view of the Kingston waterfront. Cycling on Wolfe Island is much less hectic than in Kingston proper. George Pyke's Strawberry farm is a good destination (~25 km round trip from ferry) in late June, and can easily make for a day long trip. Contra dancing happens regularly throughout the year either at Wolfe Island Town Hall, or some Kingston location.
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Buskers' Rendezvous
Buskers from around the world take over the streets of Kingston for one weekend in early July. Downtown.
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Haunted Walk of Kingston
90-minute guided walking tours of Kingston (from Prince George Hotel), Fort Henry (from fort main gate) and Gananoque (from visitor centre, 10 King East, Gan) complete with ghost stories. The same company operates tours in Ottawa and Toronto.
$13.75-15.75/person
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Kingston Canadian Film Festival
Ten-day festival in early March. Most events take place at the Screening Room, as the only commercial cinema hall still open in the downtown core.
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Limestone City Blues Festival
On a weekend in August, parks, streets and local venues host local and national blues talent.
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Market Square
The outdoor skating rink in Market Square is refrigerated, and the surface is conditioned by a Zamboni every couple of hours, so the surface is more regular than other outdoor rinks in the area. Hockey sticks are not allowed on this rink.
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Reelout Arts Project
Annual LGBT film festival, late January. Kingston also hosts an LGBT Pride parade in mid-June; "out/in kingston" has local gay event listings.
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Skeleton Park Arts Festival
Late June (summer solstice). A free, community-focused arts and music festival.
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Improbable Escapes Inc.
inside LaSalle Mews 303 Bagot Street, Suite 16B
Daily 9AM-10PM
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Kingston Dive Charters
4034 Bath Road, Collins Bay
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Limestone Dive Centre
61 Yonge Street, Portsmouth

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