In August, my family and I took a train trip to visit Kingston and stayed at Queen’s University campus for a few days. Kingston is a historic city. It was named the first capital of the United Province of Canada on February 10, 1841. It’s located midway between Toronto and Montreal.
We have visited Kingston a couple of times and have been on the Thousand Islands cruise which departs from downtown Kingston. During this stay, we explored a bit of history, nature, and arts. Below are the highlights.
National historic sites
We visited three national historic sites: Kingston’s City Hall built in 1844, the Shoal Tower built in 1847, and the Murney Tower built in 1846. Shoal and Murney Towers are part of the Kingston Fortifications. In 2007, the Rideau Canal and Kingston Fortifications were recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Nature
Kingston’s waterfront pathway spans over 8 km along the Lake Ontario shoreline. We enjoyed strolling along the waterfront and saw many kayaks and sailboats on the lake and many windmills in the distance. The Breakwater Park is one block from where we stayed on Queen’s University campus so it was very convenient to get my morning walks done.
Visual Arts
We visited the Agnes Queen’s Art Gallery on Queen’s University campus. Admission was free. There were various types of artworks on display, some are more contemporary than the others. I liked one of Sarah Robertson’s paintings and Claude Tousignant’s bold geometric style.
Queen’s University also has many beautiful limestone buildings worth browsing. Kingston’s nicknames are The Limestone City, or K-Town, or YGK. Aside from the above sightseeing, we met with our friends in Kingston to catch up. It was a nice and fun trip that was part of our wonderful summer 2019.
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Natalie the Explorer 
Hi, Natalie – I love Kingston! You’ve captured the city beautifully! I look forward to seeing you shortly!
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Thank you, Donna, for your kind comment and the fun conversations we’ve had so far.
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How fun that you and Donna are going to meet up!! Kingston looks like a lovely city. I like the short, stubby towers. Rapunzel could have easily escaped from one of those! Not much towering about them!
The October painting is pleasing with its rounded shapes to all of the objects. The fierce storm clouds, the rounded tree boughs, rolling hills. Very pretty.
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Thank you, Leslie, for your comment. I like the shape of the towers, too. They are Martello towers.
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Never heard of it, but looks so lovely!
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Thank you, Lydia, for your comment. Kingston is a picturesque city.
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I love the unique and distinctive look of the towers of Kingston, Natalie! They look so robust.
SSG xxx
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The towers were used for defense. I like their unique design too. Thanks SSG for stopping by.
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I’ve never heard of Kingston nor have I been there but it looks fabulous. Who doesn’t love a free art gallery?!
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Free art gallery is great! Thanks, Sammie, for your comment.
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Each Monday morning I wonder where you’re going to take us to this week and again I haven’t been disappointed. I love your blend of art, history, pics. Have a great week.
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I’m happy to share my discoveries. Thank you, Jo, for reading and commenting. Have a fantastic week!
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and you too…
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How lovely this looks. Thank you too for the map as I, with limited knowledge of your country, recognised some landmarks like Niagara Falls.
Thank you for linking up for #lifethisweek. Next week, 30/9/19 the optional prompt is Spring Stories. Hope you can join in too. Denyse.
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Thank you Denyse for hosting. I’m glad my map was helpful. Look forward to the next link-up. Have a wonderful week!
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Each summer I say I’m going to finally go to Kingston and spend a little time there and yet I never do! Thanks for the tour. It looks like a lovely place.
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Too many places to visit and not enough time is a real dilemma 🙂
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True!!
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Hi Natalie – great photos and an interesting little snapshot of Kingston – I also loved seeing you catching up with Sue and Donna over on Donna’s blog post today. Nothing beats meeting up with fellow bloggers and I’m sure the three of you had a blast.
Thanks for linking up with us at MLSTL and I’ve shared on my SM 🙂
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Thank you Leanne. Meeting Sue and Donna in Victoria, and then Donna, Ann and Jude in Parksville was all wonderful.
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We travel by train every chance we get, it’s a wonderful way to travel. Thanks for sharing your photos and the history of the places. I love all those towers and I’m glad they are protected now.
Thank you for joining us on ‘My Corner of the World’ this week!
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I imagine the scenic train rides in NZ. Thanks, Betty, for hosting and for your comment. Have a nice weekend!
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Hi Natalie, I hear how train travel is popular Back East. I was in Kingston approximately 35 years ago and I recall even then it was a very interesting city. I love all of your photos. The waterfront pathway looks very serene. I am sorry our paths did not cross this time. Greenpoint campground has no cell/wifi……a positive and a negative. I did read many books:). Fun, catching up this morning reading blog sites. I look forward to your updates, Natalie:)
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Hi Erica: Book reading and camping in nature are good for our mind and body. I had a wonderful time on Vancouver Island. I hope our paths will cross in the future. Thank you for stopping by. I’m catching up after my trip, too.
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