The Best Free Things To Do in Kingston Ontario

What are our favourite free things to do in Kingston, Ontario? Let's start with exploring the history and mysteries at Kingston City Hall. 

Our Kingston, Ontario, Canada travel experience was sponsored by Tourism Kingston and we thank them for their support.
Some links within this blog post are affiliate links, which means we are paid a small commission should you make a purchase .

Getting ready to start our FREE tour of historic Kingston City Hall.

If you hang around Kingston City Hall long enough, you might just hear a delightful rumor. Legend has it that "back in the day" (like most rumors, the exact timeline is unimportant), there were tunnels underneath City Hall. There were tunnels that led to the nearby Prince George Hotel, a notorious drinking haunt and tunnels that led down to the waterfront - depending on who you ask. It was just the kind of set up you'd need to discretely nip out for a drink between city council sessions... or be part of a bootlegging enterprise during the era of American prohibition. These rumors are short on official proof and long on delightful speculation - just as I like it! And most happily, stories like this kept coming during our free tour of Kingston City Hall, our favourite of all the free things to do in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

Kingston is Canada's "Limestone City" and it's filled with remarkable history.

This photo captures the essence of Kingston: The beautiful City Hall building in the background, the original city train station in the front - which is now the Visitors Center, the main street shut down for a special event, and a British style telephone booth for this most historic city.

Kingston is a city of approximately 125,000 people on the eastern end of Lake Ontario. It's also a city of records and "firsts". Did you know that Kingston was the first capital city of Canada (from 1841 to 1844)? Or that it's home to the first degree-granting institution in Canada (Queen's University, our alma mater), that it claims the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in Canada, and has been recognized for having Canada's oldest public hospital still in operation with its original buildings (that would be Kingston General Hospital)? Kingston is also the home of hockey - but that's a bit of a contentious matter!

What's not in dispute is that this is the first travel destination I fell in love with!

I lived in Kingston for four years while I attended Queen's University - and so did Ryan, although our paths didn't cross at that time. And though it's normal to retain a fondness for your university home town, my love for Kingston runs especially deep and I'm always eager for a return visit. But I never really had the opportunity to look at it through objective eyes and see it as a traveler and not just a student. A tour of Kingston City Hall seemed the ideal place to start. And I was thrilled that the travel motto I started as a student ("When it's free, I go and see") still works so well in Kingston today. 

Touring Kingston City Hall is FREE - and it's fantastic! 

Learning all about Kingston City Hall's Memorial Room with town crier Chris Whyman.

You can participate in a guided tour of Kingston city hall from May to October (and, I suspect, if you get in touch during the off season, they'll try to accommodate you if possible). The tours are led by volunteers and are FREE! You know how I feel about free things! And as far as I'm concerned, it's one of the best free things to do in all of Kingston. But I might be a bit biased here, for our tour guide wasn't just one of their lovely volunteers but an absolute Kingston icon.

Chris Whyman is a fellow Queen's University alum, a passionate Kingston historian - and the world's greatest town crier, with the champion titles and multiple other honors to prove it. In his regal red uniform, he cuts a dashing figure on the streets of Kingston and can often be found at the Visitors' Center, situated across from City Hall in the original Kingston train station. We were fortunate that he was available to give us a tour of Kingston City Hall and also to show us around some of the surrounding area. Crier Whyman made for a wonderful tour guide, filling us in on little known historical facts, pointing out things we had previously seen but never really appreciated and also updating us on different characters we remembered from our student days. 

Stained glass and scoundrels - exploring Kingston City Hall's best rooms.

Admiring the stained glass of Memorial Hall.

See that doorway in the back? Can you tell if it's real or not?

The average City Hall tour lasts 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the group and the number of questions, making it the perfect short and sweet activity to do when you're in downtown Kingston. If you prefer to go at your own pace, you can also pick up multilingual, self guided tour information at the main reception.

One of the most stunning rooms on the tour is the Memorial Hall, which features beautiful stained glass windows commemorating Canadian efforts in World War I. Keen eyes will also note that there's a fake door in the room. It was purposefully included in the design by the architect, George Brown, who was passionate about symmetry and wanted to balance the presence of a real, functioning door. 

Memorial Hall is also special because of its connection with Canada's first Prime Minister, Sir John A MacDonald. MacDonald grew up in Kingston, practiced law there, was an alderman with Kingston City Council, and laid in state in Memorial Hall after his death in 1891.

From this angle, the room looks spacious but you would NOT want to be locked up in one of these cells!

Like most heritage buildings, Kingston City Hall has served many a purpose over the years, including that of police headquarters and small jail (or "gaol"), really a short term detention. It was fascinating to walk over the original floor boards, peak inside the tiny cells, and see a list of common arrestable offences. Public drunkenness was not taken lightly! 

About that rumor I mentioned at the beginning? The one to do with the existence of tunnels underneath Kingston City Hall? Crier Whyman pointed out where he suspected one of them might have been - if they were indeed ever there at all. I was ready to start busting through the limestone walls but my plans were sadly thwarted. Alas that's one mystery that will have to wait until another day!

Rediscovering an old friend: The Kingston Public Market and Springer Market Square.

The fountains made for a peaceful place to sit and people-watch.

The outside of Kingston City Hall is just as fascinating as the inside. The Kingston Public Market, known locally as *the* farmers' market of the city, takes place three times a week on Springer Market Square, adjacent to Kingston City Hall. It has the distinction of being Ontario's oldest, continuously operating farmers' market, serving the public on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays (from April to November), as well as providing an antique market on Sunday.

We loaded up on maple syrup to bring home.

The sunflowers are just calling out for a home!

While the market has been serving the public since 1801, it's also been serving me since 1998. That's when I first moved to Kingston to attend university! I loved visiting the market then and I love it just as much today. So what exactly makes the Kingston Public Market the PERFECT farmers' market?

​The gorgeous location certainly doesn't hurt. It turns the humble task of buying fruit and veggies into a treat. And the size is just right. There are enough vendors to offer plenty of variety but it's not so big that it's overwhelming. I also really like that there is a nice balance of being an old fashioned, seasonal market with classic produce offerings along with more diverse vendors to mix things up. Depending on the week, you'll see flower sellers, bakers, and arts and crafts vendors. 

Springer Market Square is also at the heart of the best Kingston events, including free winter skating (more of those free things to do in Kingston that I love) and summer Thursday night movies (yep, FREE!)

Someone else loves the fountain as much as I do!

Next time we're in Kingston, I want to explore by bike!

Exploring the city beyond City Hall: More great free things to do in Kingston. 

Just steps from Kingston City Hall is the shore of Lake Ontario.

If you're searching for more free things to do in Kingston, you should know that the city is home to over two dozen museums, National Historic Sites, art galleries, and UNESCO sites - and approximately 80% of them are free or based on donations. You can see the full list here, complete with admission details, hours of operation, and more. 

I love the variety of this list, from the very niche and somewhat obscure (did you know that there's a Canadian Museum of Fraternal Lodges and a Kingston Scout Museum?) to institutions that are gaining a celebrity status (like Queen's University's Agnes Etherington Art Centre and it's growing collection of paintings by Rembrandt).

If festivals and seasonal offerings are your thing (and they should be - Kingston has a lot of them!), my favourite resource for Kingston events is the very helpful community page of What's On Kingston. My friend Sandy also has a wonderful list of what makes Kingston a great travel destination what includes a round up of the city's special annual events. 

Choosing from a great selection of ​Kingston hotels downtown.

Ryan looks out at Kingston City Hall and the waterfront from our room at the Four Points.

Prepping pour-over coffee.

Fresh cup, ready to go!

There's a great selection of Kingston hotels downtown and on the waterfront. We stayed at the Four Points Sheraton Kingston. It was in the perfect location for exploring downtown Kingston. We were a short block away from Springer Market Square and Kingston City Hall and we had a wonderful view of the waterfront. It couldn't be easier to walk outside to explore and quickly pop back to the room to rest. The large, comfortable, king sized bed meant that we slept well too!

Equally close and convenient was the Kingston Coffee House, bordering Springer Market Square at 322 King St East. Their vanilla latte and toffee mocha biscotti gets our stamp of approval and it's one of the best places for quality coffee in Kingston.

A trip to Kingston should be on your travel list.

If you're visiting Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, or upstate New York, you have to combine your adventures with a trip to Kingston. It's such an underrated destination and I think that after just one visit, you'll fall in love with it just like I did.
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If you're exploring Ontario, you'll want to check out these posts as well:
Kingston Waterfront Photo Essay  
Wolfe Island's Most Beautiful Travel Spots
Pioneering Pride in Otterville