No matter if it’s a hot July evening, a crisp September afternoon, or a chilly January morning, Kingston boasts date spots for every season.

We’ve put together a list of ideas (that aren’t restaurants) for summer, fall, and winter to help you plan the perfect first date or anniversary celebration.

Summer date ideas

Fort Henry Lookout

1 Fort Henry Drive

This picturesque lookout is the perfect way to impress your next date or longtime significant other.

Hop in your car or rent a bike from i-Cycle Electric Bike Co. and take the scenic, uphill journey to the military fort. At the top, you’re met with a panoramic view of Kingston, featuring City Hall, the Royal Military College of Canada, and the tranquil waters of the St. Lawrence River.

If you head to Fort Henry during sunset, you’ll get an uninterrupted view of the pinky-orange summer sky. Play some romantic music, grab takeout from your favourite Kingston restaurant, and enjoy the gorgeous sunset with your date.

Movies in the Square

Springer Market Square

Make some buttered popcorn, snag two lawn chairs, and enjoy free movies in the square under the stars, cuddled next to your date.

Every Thursday night from mid-June to August, laugh-out-loud comedies and family-friendly classics are projected on a giant inflatable screen in Springer Market Square. You can bring your own snacks or purchase a bag of popcorn at the Square for $2. If your date has a sweet tooth, grab some cotton candy for $4.

Visit Downtown Kingston’s website to see what movies are screening this summer.

 

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Beach picnic

Multiple locations

Kingston boasts several sandy beaches that are perfect for a daytime picnic with your partner.

First, head over to Pan Chancho Bakery and Café to grab some cold drinks, a fresh loaf of bread, cheese, and all the finger food required for the perfect picnic date. After packing your picnic basket and a blanket, drive 25 minutes east of Kingston to Grass Creek Park (2991 Highway 2), a beautiful sandy beach with a designated picnic area.

Want a shorter drive? Try Crerar Park & Reddendale Beach to the west, equipped with its own gradual sandbar leading into the serene waters of Lake Ontario. Sip on your drink and watch the waves lap against the hidden beach’s shore.

Check out our list of 5 must-visit Kingston beaches for more picnic spots.

Salsa in the Square

Springer Market Square

Grab your partner, strap on your dancing shoes, and head to Springer Market Square for some spicy salsa classes.

On Tuesdays in July and August, free salsa dancing classes are offered from 6:30 to 7:30 pm in Springer Market Square. Whether you’re a first-timer or a seasoned salsa dancing couple, instructors will show you how to connect with your partner and move to the Latin music.

Put your moves to the test when Springer Market Square becomes an open dance floor from 7:30 to 8:30 pm. Enjoy the vibrant atmosphere as darkness shrouds the Limestone City.

Afterwards, stop by one of the many restaurants surrounding Springer Market Square for dinner and drinks. Continue your Latin–themed date night and pop into Tango Nuevo for delicious tapas.

Berry picking at Fruition Berry Farm

3208 Hughes Road

Frolic with your date through fields of berries this summer.

In July, you and your partner can pick raspberries and blueberries at Fruition Berry Farms located just 20 minutes from downtown Kingston. Raspberries cost $4.50/L while blueberries cost $6.50/L.

After picking the fresh summer berries, use them to whip up a delicious brunch with your partner. Nothing’s better than fresh berries, sweet maple syrup, fluffy buttermilk pancakes, and good company on a bright weekend morning.

Fruition Berry Farm closes in August to prepare for the autumn harvest. Come back in September for pumpkins and a corn maze.

Fall date ideas

Fort Fright

1 Fort Henry Drive

When the sun sets in October, Fort Henry transforms into a nightmarish realm brimming with monsters and ghouls. Shrouded in darkness, you and your date will make your way through the haunted halls of the museum. Listen closely, and you’ll hear ghosts luring you forward. You’ll be clinging to your date after experiencing this haunted site.

Visit Fort Henry’s website to purchase your tickets for Fort Fright. Keep the Halloween vibes going and try one of Kingston’s Haunted Walks available year-round.

Apple picking at Waddell Apples Orchard & Farm Store

1345 Washburn Road

While enjoying the crisp fall air, you and your date can pick sweet apples at Waddell Apples Orchard & Farm Store.

From September to October, you can take part in this quintessential fall activity just 20 minutes north of downtown Kingston. A medium bag of apples costs $20, while a large costs $40.

Bring some McIntosh or Lobo apples home and make a warm fall dessert with your partner.

Fall hiking

Multiple locations

Whether you’re an outdoorsy couple wanting to traverse rugged terrain or looking for an easy, scenic hiking trail perfect for a first date, we’ve got you covered.

When the leaves turn yellow and orange, stroll along Lemoine Point’s (1440 Coverdale Drive) 11 km hiking trail, crossing picturesque woodlands, fields, and marshlands. The terrain is relatively flat, perfect for novice hikers wanting to experience the great outdoors with their partner.

K&P Trails offers another easy hiking route where you can tumble into easy conversation with your date. The 22 km-long trail spans urban and rural areas, so you and your significant other will never get bored on your gorgeous fall walks.

For outdoorsy couples wanting to take their hiking skills to the next level, check out Frontenac Provincial Park (6700 Salmon Lake Road), a year-round hiking trail located 45 minutes outside Kingston. The woodsy terrain features a plethora of gargantuan trees and unique wildlife.

Visit Frontenac Provincial Park’s website for more information about parking and accessibility.

Escape Room at Improbable Escapes

303 Bagot Street, Suite 16B

Put your thinking caps on, head over to Improbable Escapes, and complete an exhilarating escape room with your significant other.

Set the spooky September mood and try Improbable Escape’s Coroner’s Report; you and your partner will have 60 minutes to escape an abandoned hospital with a dubious history. The atmospheric escape room was modelled after classic horror movie sets and haunted houses, amplifying the puzzle’s eeriness.

If you’re looking for something lighter, try the Legend of the Mayan Temple–you’ll need to crawl, slide, and traverse the Mayan jungle to find the king’s lost cup.

Each meticulously designed puzzle at Improbable Escape’s varies in difficulty, so there’s a room for every couple. Visit Improbable Escape’s website to learn more about their puzzles and plan your date.

Creative Kingston Walking Tours

Multiple locations

Hold hands with your significant other and discover the limestone city’s music, literature, and film histories while enjoying the yellow and orange-tinted landscape.

The Creative Kington Walking Tours are free, self-guided excursions taking you around the city’s picturesque and historically rich landmarks. They offer one to two-and-a-half-hour tours focusing on film, literature, and music in Kingston.

The downtown film tour will take you through Springer Market Square where Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro filmed parts of Crimson Peak. The world-famous director turned the historic square into a 19th-century market bustling with horse-drawn carriages and women in Edwardian dresses.

Try the west film tour if your date wants to learn how the Kingston Penitentiary became the setting for the television show Mayor of Kingstown starring Jeremy Renner.

If you and your partner delight in historical fiction or contemporary poetry, try one of the literary tours. The downtown tour will take you past Novel Idea, and the former home of The Kingston Whig-Standard. If you choose the west tour, you’ll visit the Tett Centre, an artistic space overlooking Lake Ontario.

To know the origins of the iconic Canadian band The Tragically Hip and visit the site of their final concert in 2016, consider taking one of Kingston’s music tours.

Visit the Creative Kingston Walking Tours webpage to learn more about your next date night activity.

Kingston Fall Fair

Kingston Memorial Centre

Popcorn, a Ferris wheel, and gigantic stuffed animals– a perfect date to the fair, right in the heart of Kingston.

The Kingston Fall Fair takes place every September at Kingston Memorial Centre, boasting rides, games, and vendors.

Jump on the swinging pirate ship ride before playing a round of ring toss, winning your date a gift in the process. After trying all the dizzying rides and entertaining games, share a sugary, melt-in-your-mouth bucket of cotton candy. For couples with adventurous taste buds, try a delectable, deep-fried Oreo.

Check out Kingston Fall Fair’s website for festival dates and tickets.

Winter date ideas

Ice Skating

Springer Market Square

Despite the cold winter chill, you and your date can still experience Kingston outdoors.

Grab your skates or rent a pair at Trailhead Kingston (262 Princess Street) and head to Springer Market Square for an open ice rink. Open 8 am to 10 pm daily, this free rink is the perfect winter date spot.

Before heading home, cross the square to 20 Market Street to grab a sugary treat from BeaverTails Kingston.

Movie at The Screening Room

120 Princess Street

This intimate, down-to-earth movie theatre, a stark contrast from the gigantic multiplexes, is the perfect place to cozy up to your partner.

Head over to The Screening Room for the best popcorn in the city, topped with real butter, and catch a movie. They play a wide range of movies, from cult classics to small indie films. Check out The Screening Room’s website to see what movies are playing this month.

With your concession snacks in tow, settle into the small theatre, and pull the classic yawn-and-stretch on your date.

Glow Spa’s thermotherapy and escape packages

234 Princess Street

Escape the winter chill and step inside this thermotherapy spa in the heart of downtown Kingston.

Glow Spa’s romantic, relaxing thermotherapy experience features a steaming, glowing hot tub, cold plunge, spacious sauna, and steam room wafting with the smell of essential oils. While Glow Spa enforces a no-talking policy, their thermotherapy spa is the perfect place for you and your partner to unwind together for one, two, or three hours.

If you and your date want the ultimate spa day experience, try Glow Spa’s escape packages. Their full-day wellness package includes a three–hour spa retreat, 60-minute facial and RMT message, a complimentary drink, and lunch sourced from a local restaurant.

Don’t have the time for a full-day retreat? Glow Spa offers a half-day escape package featuring a three-hour spa retreat, massage or facial, complimentary drink, and personalized charcuterie box.

Take the much-needed break you and your partner deserve at Glow Spa today.

Explore Kingston’s coffee shops

Multiple locations

Dotting Kingston is a plethora of gorgeous cafes where you can enjoy peppermint mochas and homemade baked goods while getting to know your date.

Crave Coffee House & Bakery (166 Princess Street) is a Kingston favourite with its rotating menu and unique latte flavors. Their rows upon rows of soft cookies and fresh tarts are irresistible. Share one with your date or gobble it up yourself. We don’t judge.

Just west of Crave Coffee House & Bakery is Balzac’s Coffee Roasters (251 Princess Street) decorated with yellow accents and a large marble coffee bar. Sit in front of Balzac’s large windows with your partner, watch the snow fall, and catch up over a cup of coffee.

If you want a change of scenery, head to The Juniper Cafe (370 King Street West), overlooking Kingston’s icy waterfront. The intimate cafe dotted with plants and rustic wooden tables is the perfect place to lean in close and learn about your date’s interests.

Snowshoe or cross-country ski at Little Cataraqui Creek

1641 Perth Road

Escape the dirty, dreary winter slush and hit the powered, white trails at Little Cataraqui Creek this winter.

Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area offers hourly snowshoe and cross-country ski rentals. Strap on your snowshoes or skis and glide over the snow while admiring the snow-covered tree tops and winter wildlife.

Only 15 minutes from downtown Kingston, make Little Cataraqui Creek your date spot.

Floating tours of Kingston’s waterfront and the 1000 Islands are welcoming passengers. Embark on one of the 1000 Islands Cruises’ three vessels and explore the famous archipelago. 

1000 Islands Cruises offers a variety of tours along the St. Lawrence River all summer long. The Discovery Cruise on the Island Belle is a one-hour tour along Kingston’s waterfront. A tour guide will walk you through the history of Kingston’s notable landmarks like Fort Henry and Kingston Penitentiary. 

When the sun sets, hop aboard the dinner cruise on the Island Star, offering passengers a delicious set-dinner menu with a side of stunning riverside views. On Saturday evening, board the Island Queen and eat a plated dinner on the second deck as the sun dips below the horizon.   

The Heart of the Islands Cruise aboard the Island Queen departs at 10:30 am for its brunch cruise and 12:30 pm for its three-hour sightseeing tour around the 1000 Islands. You can enjoy lunch on the ship as it winds its way through the “Admiralty Group” islands for an additional cost. 

Walking up to Crawford Wharf, you will see a ship reminiscent of a historic New Orleans steamship. Surrounded by regular sailboats docked in front of Kingston’s Shoal Martello tower, this charming vessel stands out.  

A line of passengers, shaded by their sunhats and glasses, stand on the dock, taking photos in front of the ship’s red propeller and ornate white railings. A smiling crew member dressed in a suit and top hat guides you toward the vessel’s plank.  

Boarding the ship, you’re immediately hit with the nostalgic smell of buttery popcorn. The scent emanates from the snack counter serving candies, chips, and beers from local breweries. Grab some popcorn and head upstairs. 

The first floor of the ship serves as a panoramic viewing gallery and an intimate concert venue featuring live music from local Kingston artists like Spencer Evans and his son Oscar. The father-son duo serenade passengers with their jazz-funk repertoire. 

Making your way up to the second floor, you’re met with a fine dining establishment featuring an oak bar and tables draped with white tablecloth and navy-blue napkins. For an additional charge, you can enjoy lunch on board the ship. Standouts from the set lunch menu include the gooey chocolate brownie and soft sponge cake dessert, garnished with a tart berry compote.  

Sunlight floods the steps leading up to the third-floor open observation deck, teasing the experience to come. Once you’re on top of the ship, you’re met with a breathtaking view of both Wolfe Island and Fort Henry. 

When the horn sounds and the ship gently moves away from the dock, Kingston’s historic landmarks turn into an uninterrupted view of the St. Lawrence River. You’ve finally started your journey towards the world-famous archipelago, the 1000 Islands.  

The “Admiralty Group” of islands features several lavish cottages, including one mansion owned by a millionaire who made it big selling tree-shaped air fresheners. With 100 windows overlooking nature’s beauty, the mansion is a highlight of the tour.  

Other notable landmarks include Napoleon’s Hat, a charming cottage that looks exactly as the name suggests, and a 12-bedroom fishing lodge donated to Kingston General Hospital (KGH) in 1911 and subsequently sold to the highest bidder. Try to guess how much the lodge was actioned off for in the early 20th century (hint, it’s lower than you think). 

A knowledgeable tour guide will be sure to point out all the notable attractions, detailing the region’s history and wildlife, including the Great Lakes’ very own freshwater barracuda–the muskie fish. The muskie is a six-foot-long, 80-pound fish with needle-sharp teeth and a temper.  

While you won’t see a muskie up close, you may be able to spot a double-crested cormorant and learn about the birds’ significant impact on the local island ecosystem.  

Want to experience the natural and manmade wonders of the 1000 Islands yourself? Head over to the 1000 Islands Cruises website and choose your tour. 

This summer, you can gain a whole new perspective of Kingston’s underwater landmarks and history — on a guided kayak tour.

With over 20 years of experience in water-based adventure tours in British Columbia, Thunder Bay, and the Caribbean, Blue World Marine Adventures delivers an unparalleled experience of Kingston’s waterfront on their Garden Island Ship Graveyard Tour.

Starting at Portsmouth Olympic Harbour with a tour guide and 11 other passengers, you’ll step aboard Blue World’s pontoon boat for a 15-minute ride to Garden Island. As the wind and the spray of river water hits your face, tour guides will discuss Kingston Penitentiary, Isabel Bader Centre, and the history of Kingston’s tenure as the former capital of Canada.

Another boat, equipped with clear-bottom kayaks, will meet you at Garden Island. After your guide walks you through the safety brief, you’ll hop into your kayak and paddle out to the shipwrecks, visible through the clear blue waters surrounding Garden Island.

Having to traverse the Great Lakes’ rough waters, it’s no surprise that over 20 ships went down in the St. Lawrence River near Kingston.

Artifacts in Kingston’s underwater museum include the HMS Hercules, which met a fiery demise after an unfortunate incident in its boiler room; the HMS Prince Regent, which sank after encountering a particularly ferocious storm; and a little steamship known as the Comet, whose tumultuous and deadly history will be detailed by your tour guide.

Surprisingly, ships around Garden Island were purposely sunk by the toiling employees who used the vessels as piers and breakwaters.

History of Garden Island

From the confines of the small island, Delino Dexter Calvin created a timber-rafting empire.

Calvin was an American businessman whose eye was caught by Garden Island due to its prime location on the St. Lawrence River. Seeing this as the perfect opportunity to further his career building timber rafts, Calvin moved to Kingston in 1836.

The small, gun-shaped strip of land near Wolfe Island soon became the place for timber-rafting, with Calvin at the helm of operations. He became known as the “Governor” for his role in advancing the business endeavour and the island was subsequently outfitted with a smith’s shop, a sail loft, and a planing mill.

Garden Island was more than just the hub of Kingston’s lucrative timber-rafting business–it was an intimate community. At its peak, Garden Island was home to 750 people.

Calvin moved his entire family to the Island and equipped it with a post office, general store, library, school, and even its own currency. The school in the area was particularly impressive, boasting highly qualified teachers and accommodating up to 150 students.

Calvin soon gained prominence beyond Garden Island, fraternizing with prominent politicians and joining the provincial government in 1868. He died in 1884 at the age of 86.

While Garden Islands is not the booming business centre it once was, it’s still an important part of Kingston’s history as a 19th-century economic and political mecca.

They are timeless sentinels. Formidable giants, perched in a protective embrace of Kingston on the shores of Lake Ontario, monuments to an era of empire. Kingston’s Martello towers have captured the imagination of all who set foot in the Limestone City.

“We call these towers our big brothers – like Fort Henry, the Kingston Penitentiary, the Martello towers are a symbol of Kingston,” says Dr. Simge Erdogan-O’Connor, manager and curator at the Murney Tower Museum. “If you look at the Kingston city flag, there is a Martello tower on it. They are iconic of the beauty of our city. They define the history, character, and spirit of Kingston.”

Built in 1846 as part of a series of fortifications, explains Simge, Kingston’s Martello towers were constructed in response to the Oregon Crisis, a territorial dispute between the United States and what was then called British North America.

While the Oregon Territory stretched across the Pacific Northwest, far from the Limestone City, the British government shored up defences in Kingston, a strategically important metropolis at the point where the waters of the Cataraqui River, St. Lawrence River, and Lake Ontario meet. They constructed four Martello Towers: Shoal Tower, Fort Frederick, Cathcart Redoubt, and Murney Tower.

Murney Tower, in particular, has secrets to share, the echo of a nascent Canada, then a country in the making with uncertain borders. Yet unlike many other fortifications around the world, Murney Tower was never the theatre of battle. Rather, it served as military barracks that housed soldiers and their families, today reflected in the preserved living spaces and artifacts of the Murney Tower Museum.

“The Murney Tower Museum is unique, the only Martello tower that is open to the public,” says Simge. “When you enter into this space, you’re teleported into the social life of military families of the 19th century. We have an original stove that people used to cook their meals, we have baths and storage rooms.”

As powerful rifled artillery was introduced into warfare and defence, Martello towers became obsolete at the end of the 19th century. Abandoned in 1885, Murney Tower remained vacant for decades and fell into disrepair until tragedy struck in 1921, when a storm blew a piece of the Tower’s roof off, killing a young boy. It was the clarion call to a grieving community to restore and revive Murney Tower.

Under the leadership of the Kingston Historical Society, the Murney Tower Museum opened its doors in 1925 and was designated a National Historic Site five years later, in 1930. Today, Murney Tower is also part of the Kingston Fortifications National Historic Site of Canada and the Rideau Canal World Heritage Site.

But perhaps most importantly, explains Simge, is the Murney Tower Museum’s importance as a community hub where Kingstonians and visitors have come together to learn, celebrate, and gather for nearly 100 years.

“We’re really excited about what we offer our community,” continues Simge. “For instance, we’re getting ready to launch the second edition of Murney Fest, a special summer event we created to celebrate Kingston’s museums and history. Imagine a full-day event that takes place inside and outside Murney Tower – like yoga and painting in the park, face painting for children, and dance shows. And at night, we will open the doors for dance and drinks.”

“We’re also really proud of our children’s summer programming. We already have six summer camp visits booked for the summer. One of them will be a curator-in-training camp, where we invite children to come into space, and as the curator, I showcase the collections and give them space to handle and examine the collections and create their own exhibit in the space. We also have a Kids Take Over the Museum Day, in which the space becomes theirs and we offer them a full day of arts and crafts.”

“We also hold a lot of seasonal events,” continues Simge. “This fall, we will hold a Halloween event where we decorate the tower, transforming it into a haunted house and put on a Halloween-themed treasure hunt. We will also host a holiday event in December where we invite our guests to decorate a Christmas tree, with holiday songs and holiday-themed arts and crafts. And finally, in the following spring again, we’ll hold an Easter treasure hunt.”

“For the spring and summer, visitors can expect really amazing guided tours with engaging tour guides. We’re really excited to be able to offer these in French and English, and we have prioritized French-speaking, bilingual, or second-language museum staff members to provide these services – that’s a priority for us.”

“We’re also committed to making the Murney Tower Museum as accessible as possible. Last year, in partnership with accessibility advocates in Kingston, we developed an accessible audio tour, and it is the first of its kind in our city. It’s free, and it includes detailed visual cues and navigational instructions – and it’s also available in French. There is no other Kingston site which offers such audio tours.”

“We believe that access to heritage is a human right,” says Simge. “We want our visitors to immerse themselves in the stories. Museums are here to provide a meaningful, memorable cultural service and should be available to everyone.”

On the eve of its centennial, marking 100 years since the museum’s establishment, the Murney Tower Museum is planning a series of events to celebrate its long-standing role in preserving and sharing Kingston’s history.

“Celebrations begin in January 2025,” emphasizes Simge. “Imagine twelve months of special community projects offered by the Murney Tower Museum!”

“One of our favourite projects includes an illustrated children’s storybook that will feature a mascot, the personification of the Murney Tower, called Mr. Murney, who will travel through time to different historical periods in Kingston,” she continues.

“We will also partner with the Kingston Public Library and invite children to work with an Ontario-based illustrator to create the visuals. It will be available in French and English, and we will distribute it to local schools, arts and cultural institutions. We will also partner with Blue Canoe Productions, a local performance arts organization, to create a drama workshop or a puppet show based on the book storybook, which will take place in Murney Tower and in the public park in the summer of 2025 so we can fully immerse children into the story.”

“We also want to open a call to amateur and professional photographers to capture Murney Tower,” continues Simge. “Winning photographs will be featured as part of a temporary exhibition on our platform in the summer and elsewhere across Kingston.”

“Finally, we will host a gala dinner to celebrate the centennial, and we’re thinking about the possibility of developing three or four films that will depict actual life in Murney Tower, showing how soldiers and their families lived. We would love that to be part of our permanent exhibit so that visitors can really imagine what life was like at Murney Tower in the 19th century. We are still looking for sponsors to support these activities!”

As the Murney Tower Museum prepares to celebrate its century-old legacy, Simge reflects on its cultural significance. “Murney Tower captures the imagination of visitors and Kingstonians alike,” she says. “Both as a historical site with its own history and significance, but also as Kingston’s oldest museum. This duality – as both a relic of history and a living, evolving space for community engagement – is what makes Murney Tower a true powerhouse in Kingston’s cultural landscape.”

Click here to view this story in French.

Looking to unwind after a long, stressful work week? Or fun ways to stay active beyond going to the gym? Check out our ultimate guide to summer wellness in Kingston!

To learn more about Kingston’s scenic beaches and hiking trails, free dance and yoga classes, exhilarating kayak adventure, and relaxing thermotherapy spa, read on!

Hiking trails

Step away from the busyness of the downtown core and step into a green oasis by strolling along one of Kingston’s many hiking trails. Standouts include Lemoine Point, K&P Trail, and Little Cataraqui Creek.

Lemoine Point’s (1140 Coverdale Drive) 11 km hiking trail offers gorgeous lakeside views and an abundance of gorgeous greenery. Along the way, you’re sure to encounter scenic lookouts and beaches perfect for cooling off on a hot summer day.

Craving a longer walk or run? Try the K&P 22 km-long trail, featuring wetlands, beautiful trees, and vast, open landscapes. Crossing through urban and rural areas, you’ll never get bored on your hike along the K&P trail. The trail is accessible at multiple points around Kingston.

Little Cataraqui Creek, located just 15 minutes away from downtown Kingston on 1641 Perth Road boasts a diverse array of natural beauty including marches, fields, and forest habitat. The flat, easy terrain trails make it the perfect location for a Sunday afternoon stroll. The trail costs $5 for adults, $3.50 for children, and around $15 for parking.

Lemoine Point and K&P trail are free to walk, run, or bike on. For more hiking trails, check out our list of top hiking spots in & around Kingston!

Salsa in the Square

Break a sweat and show off your spicy dance moves at Salsa in the Square, occurring every Tuesday in Springer Market Square from 6:30 to 8:30 pm from July 9 to August 27.

A salsa dancing instructor will teach you how to connect with Latin music, jive to the rhythm, and navigate the dance floor like a pro. And the classes are completely free!

From 6:30 to 7:15 pm, instructors will teach you how to salsa dance with a partner, mastering the footwork and movement of the hips. Want to fly solo? From 7:15 to 7:30 pm, make your way down to the Square and learn how to salsa line dance.

Show off your newly acquired skills from 7:30 to 8:30 pm when Market Square becomes an open dance floor. Come down and bust a move with your friends and family!

Glow Spa

Take a brain break and unwind at Glow Spa, located at 234 Princess Street. Their Thermotherapy Spa is the ultimate health and wellness experience. Thermotherapy has major health benefits, increasing your quality of sleep, stimulating your immune system, and relaxing muscle tension.

Imagine this–wrapped in a luxurious robe, you step inside a silent, dim room with a large steaming hot tub glowing purple. After 15 minutes of soaking in the hot tub, lounging in the steam room, or relaxing in the sauna, you move over to a 60-second, invigorating cold plunge. Make this luxurious experience your reality.

Glow Spa also offers massages, facials, and skincare consultations. For more on their services, check out their website and book your spa retreat today.

Beaches

Kingston’s beaches make for the perfect staycation. Breakwater Park and Gord Edgar Downie Pier feature an upland sandy beach perfect for tanning, spike ball, or sandcastles. If you want to move away from the crowds at Breakwater Park venture over to Crerar Park and Reddendale Beach.

This hidden oasis located at 39 Park Crescent is the perfect place to have an intimate picnic with family or peacefully unwind while watching the gentle waves lap against the rocky beach.

Other hidden gems include Richardson Beach, offering a gorgeous view of Lake Ontario. Richardson Beach, located at Macdonald Park (King Street East, near Barrie Street), underwent renovations last year to include a new lookout, seating areas, walkways, terraced water access, and a bathhouse.

Also, on the waterfront is Ahoy Rentals, located at 21 Ontario Street where you can rent a kayak, bike, canoe, or standup paddleboard for the day. Check out Ahoy Rentals’ website for more on their rentals and services.

Feeling adventurous? Hop on the ferry located at the foot of The Tragically Hip Way and cross the river to Big Sandy Bay Beach on Wolfe Island, one of the most stunning lookouts along Lake Ontario. With its tranquil and secluded location, this beach will make you feel like the main character in a whimsical movie.

For more lakeside retreats check out our list of the five must visit Kingston beaches.

Blue World Marine Adventures

Traverse Kingston’s blue, tranquil waters and discover its graveyard of ships at Blue World Marine Adventures.

Using clear-bottomed kayaks, tour guides will take you on a journey to see the sunken wooden sails and steamships from the early 1800s. The Clear Blue Kayak Garden Island Ship Graveyard Tour departs from 53 Yonge Street.

You don’t need any kayaking experience to participate in either of the adventures!

To get tickets, visit Blue World Marine Adventure’s website.

Yoga at Memorial Centre Farmers’ Market

Start your Sunday morning on the right foot by heading down to the Memorial Centre Farmers’ Market for a free yoga class.

Sunday yoga classes are provided by Samatva Yoga and Better Balance Massage, starting at 10 am. Yoga is followed by Tai Chi–a form of exercise focused on flowing movements and breath work–offered by the local chapter of Fung Loy Kok Taoist Tai Chi at 11 am.

After downward dogging and tree posing your stress away, pick up some fresh produce from the farmers’ market for your healthy breakfast. If you’re in a rush, grab a ready-made steamed bun from Long Road Ecological Farm’s booth or a gluten-free baked good from Zia Rita’s Gluten-Free stand. Check out our Memorial Center Farmers’ Market vendor roundup (2024) for more information on the 40+ vendors you’ll be able to meet at the market.

Memorial Centre Farmers’ Market is open 9 am to 2 pm every Sunday at the Kingston Memorial Centre (303 York St.)

Collective Joy Farm

For those looking to grow their own produce for their small business or family dinners, check out Collective Joy Farm’s microgreen 101 workshop and consultations with their green experts.

Collective Joy Farm, located at 477 MacDonnell Street, is a local business that doesn’t use herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers to grow its produce, priding itself on its low input and zero waste approach. In addition to sharing their expertise during their workshops, Collective Joy Farm offers customers a variety of ready-made, healthy food options including fresh produce, smoothies, cold-pressed juices, bowls, crackers, flatbreads, fresh dips, salad dressings, and desserts. You can order their products online on their website.

They also have a stand at Memorial Centre Farmers’ Market on Sundays.

Collective Joy Farms provides their microgreens to several restaurants in Kingston. You’ve probably tasted their produce before, so take some home with you today.

To go out or to stay in. It’s an age-old question.

What do you do if you want to hang out with friends, but still go out on the town? A visit to one of Kingston’s great board game spots might be exactly what you need.

Whether you’re looking for a new game to play with friends or want to play the classics with some new people, you can find board game activities throughout Kingston.

Minotaur

78 Princess Street
Sundays 3 – 7 pm; Thursdays 5 – 9 pm

When it comes to giving off the classic “Kingston vibe,” few can beat Minotaur: red brick and limestone interior, aged hardwood floors, and large arched windows to let in the light.

Since opening in 2005, Minotaur has carved out a unique niche in Kingston as a specialty games, gifts, and crafts store, offering one of the city’s best collections of fun finds you’re unlikely to encounter anywhere else. From fun mugs and cute journals to craft supplies and novelty socks, Minotaur has a huge selection.

Take a few steps into the store and you’ll also find one of Kingston’s top locally owned shops for fresh board games. Over the last several years, the team at Minotaur has also taken things a step further. In a cozy space at the back of the store, guests can take the opportunity to sit down and play games before making the choice to buy.

Every Thursday and Saturday, Minotaur offers its diverse collection of games to guests to try out. From shorter collaborative experiences to complex strategy games, Minotaur offers a welcoming environment for players of all ages and skill levels. Whether you want to get into store favorites like Splendor and Flamecraft or just to play a game of Clue with some friends, Minotaur makes for a great evening out in the heart of downtown.

Minotaur also hosts monthly intro sessions to Dungeons and Dragons, as well as board game tournaments. Make sure to check their website for full event listings.

Kingston Gaming Nexus

270 Bagot Street
Every Thursday 6 – 9 pm

Tucked away on Bagot Street halfway between Princess and Brock is not only downtown Kingston’s premiere comic shop, but also a fantastic space to gather and game. From your first steps into Kingston Gaming Nexus, you’ll be greeted with displays of comics, graphic novels, and trade paperbacks to your left, models, trading card games, and collectables to your right, and a wide array of board games steps into the shop. Shelf after shelf is lined with colourful boxes of games, ranging from variations on classics to new complex strategy games, all under the watchful eye of the store’s mounted dragon head.

Choosing a new game can be a daunting task. With so many to choose from, it’s hard to pick the game that’s right for you, and even harder to tell what you’ll really enjoy. Luckily Nexus makes it easy by opening their collection of 200+ board games for everyone to enjoy for free. Head to the back of the store on Tuesday evenings from 6 to 9 pm to take part in their weekly board game night. The staff at Nexus will be happy to help you find a great game, explain the rules, and get you laying down tiles, drawing cards, and rolling dice in no time.

If you’re interested in branching out into other types of games, Nexus also hosts events for Warhammer 40,000, Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, One Piece, and Dungeons and Dragons.

Nexus is also proudly a Rainbow Registered business and hosts a monthly Queer Board Game Night on the last Tuesday of every month. Check out their website for a full list of upcoming events and themed nights.

Improbable Escapes Wonderland Board Game Cafe

303 Bagot Street
Daily, 2 – 9 pm Monday to Friday, 10:30 am – midnight Saturday, noon – 9 pm Sunday

Kingston’s west end has its own hotspot for games. Nestled in the Gardiners Town Centre at Gardiners and Bath Road, Improbable Escapes Wonderland Board Game Cafe has a lot going on behind their window-lined exterior. Wonderland combines an escape room with a cozy café.

With its Alice in Wonderland theme and colourful decor, Wonderland invites you into another world. On entering, you’re greeted by a café bar, lined with coloured bottles and rich with the smell of espresso. Further inside, the store reveals shelves and tables lined with displays of board games. Searching through all the games can be overwhelming if you don’t have one or two in mind already. Just take a few steps further towards the back, pull one of the hundreds of games off the shelf, and try it out.

Though their selection of games is extensive, the team at Wonderland makes it easy to pick the perfect game for the occasion by adding colour-coded stickers to each box, displaying key information like player count and level of difficulty. Plus, if you find one that you’re interested in but don’t have the time to play, Wonderland offers rentals for a minimum of three days.

In addition to their café, game tables, and escape room, Wonderland also specializes in trading cards and tabletop role-playing games. They are Kingston’s only Wizards Play Network (WPN) Premium store in the region, making them one of the very few places around to host official WPN events with exclusive prizes from Wizards of the Coast. For a full list of their events and tournaments, take a look at their website.

The Board Bartender

Various locations
Weekly at various times

In addition to the businesses that host their own board game events, a handful of other opportunities have been popping up around town, thanks to The Board Bartender, a local board game delivery service.

Since launching in 2020, this family-run business has been bringing their eclectic collection of games to local businesses that want to host events and offer something fun and special.

The Board Bartender runs game nights all across the city. At One Eyed Jack Restaurant and Bar (417 Weller Ave.), you can catch trivia games evening on Mondays and party games on Wednesdays. Dino’s Barbershop will be hosting The Board Bartender during each Princess Street Promenade event this summer. You can also join a board game night at Daft Brewing and at Studio 330. Check out The Board Bartender’s website for all events, as well as information on how to host a game night of your own.