Kingston

Kingston was the first capital of the united Province of Canada from 1841 to 1844, and it is built from the local limestone, which is why it is called the limestone city; City Hall of 1844 was designed with the capital in mind and is oversized for the town it ended up serving. Fort Henry, rebuilt in the 1830s to defend the Rideau Canal's Lake Ontario end, stands on the hill with a guard performing drill and artillery in summer. Four Martello towers survive on the waterfront. It is UNESCO listed as part of the Rideau Canal, and the Thousand Islands begin just downstream.

History

People lived in the Kingston region as early as the Archaic period, some 9,000 to 3,000 years ago, more permanent encampments began about 900 AD, and by 1700 the Mississaugas, an Anishinaabe people, had settled the area. Samuel de Champlain visited in 1615, and in 1673 Louis de Buade de Frontenac, governor of New France, founded Fort Cataraqui, later Fort Frontenac, with René-Robert Cavelier de La Salle as its commandant from 1674; after the British took the site it was called King's Town by 1787, in honour of George III, and the name was shortened to Kingston in 1788 (Wikipedia, Kingston, Ontario).

What's there

• Fort Henry - a British fort with summer guard drill and artillery.
• The Martello towers - four surviving round defensive towers on the water.
• The limestone streets - a city built from local stone, including the 1844 city hall.
• The Rideau Canal terminus - the UNESCO-listed canal's Lake Ontario end.

When to go

May to October for Fort Henry and the waterfront; the fort closes for winter apart from a haunted programme and a Christmas event. Summer brings the Sunset Ceremony at the fort.

Before you go

Fort Henry's ceremonies run on a set summer schedule and stop in autumn. Downtown parking is difficult. The city fills when Queen's University is in session and empties in summer.

Nearby

The Thousand Islands lie east; Sandbanks is west.

Key facts