Choosing A Hotel in Kingston
Quick Summary of Most Popular Areas
Downtown Kingston: where you'll find many historic Inns and B&Bs along with over 200 restaurants
Where to Stay in Kingston
Come visit Kingston where you can relax and enjoy a luxurious stay just minutes from Canada's most dangerous and notorious criminals! But don't worry, they are kept safely in a maximum security prison (interestingly, Kingston Penitentiary is actually listed as a National Historic Site of Canada as it was built in the early to mid 1800s and is one of the world's oldest prisons still in use).
Downtown Kingston is a great place for sightseeing and where you can join a walking tour, jump on an old-school trolley or hit the water for a sailing cruise. If you'd prefer to march to the beat of your own drum you can do a self-guided walking tour with the assistance of a downloadable audio file for your iPod. In fact, if you don't have an iPod, The Visitor Information Centre (209 Ontario Street) will lend you one (I'd bring my own headphones though, you don't know where those ear-buds have been...).
Things to see and do in Kingston
Kingston is a great place to visit if you want to learn some Canadian history. It was actually Canada's first capital city and has a rich military history. It is home to 17 different museums as well as Fort Henry (a 19th century military fortress) and the historic Portsmouth Village. Located between Toronto and Montreal, it is also a major port to the world-famous 1000 Island Cruises - an archipelago (officially defined as a bunch-o-islands) that straddles the Canada-U.S. border. It's actually where the name of the salad dressing came from as the mixing of the the St Lawrence River and Lake Ontario turn into a delicious tasting sauce for vegetables.
If you are an avid diver or are really good at holding your breath, Kingston is one of the world's best fresh-water wreck diving areas. There are over 100 wrecks to check out and if you're really bad at sailing you can make a contribution.
Surrounding Area
If you want to do some light travelling while in Kingston, a 30 minute drive east brings you to Gananoque, ON which is another spot to access a 1000 Island Cruise. Apart from being hard to pronounce there are a handful of parks and golf courses available for your outdoor leisure.
