When visiting Kingston, Ontario, your first stop should be Kingston Station information center (or "centre" as the case is) for the city. Look for the building with the British-style phone box in front of it.
There's plenty to do OUTSIDE the building before you go in. On the right side of the building, you can pose in front of the big letters of K I N G S T O N or check out the old Canadian Pacific steam train, "Spirit of Sir John A."
In the back of the building are rest rooms (very popular as many local shops don't have 'em). Then right there is Confederation Park with its famed fountain.
Inside, a helpful staff that let us know about an outdoor market that was going on (we arrived on a Sunday, A LOT was closed). If you've procrastinated purchasing (or somehow was unaware of) tickets for Kingston's most famed must-do activity, a cruise of the Thousand Islands, they can definitely help.
And yes .... #1: They have a whole bunch of gift-store type souvenirs. I'm still trying to figure out how the large section of tie-dye shirts fit into the Kingston vibe, but if you're a hippie coming through town, it's your lucky day!
And yes ... #2: They have brochures for what I imagine is just about every place you can go in the Kingston area. Attractions, golf, restaurants, hotels ... and yes, shopping.
I highly recommend checking out their books ... they have some excellent picture books of Kingston and of the Thousand Islands. I also love their historic island maps and blueprints of the Spirit of Sir John A. Cool stuff. Things are a bit pricey ... but you're definitely getting quality.
So stop in. If you're in Kingston -- and you find yourself where all the action as -- you're probably already at Kingston's Information Centre! read more