Hamilton Things to Do

I arrived here after a weekend in Toronto expecting to take a few photos of the waterfall and then continue on my drive back home to Windsor. However, I ended up staying for half a day, enjoying the large grassy park which would be perfect for picnicking and dog walking, in addition to the lovely Webster's Falls. You will also find the Bruce Trail here which you can hike along to view a second waterfall, and further still to a wonderful viewpoint of the Dundas Valley.

Only a 10 minute walk from Websters Falls along the Bruce Trail will bring you to Tews Falls. The water falls in a straight stream 41m over a bowl shaped portion of the Niagara Escarpment. It was a beautiful sight.

There are two viewing platforms to see the falls, unfortunately, there didn't seem to be any way to get down to the base of the falls. If you would like to photograph Tews Falls, I would suggest arriving in the morning, since the Falls are shadowed in the afternoon.

The Bruce Trail is a hiking path that extends for over 700kms along the Niagara Escarpment from Niagara Falls in the south to Tobermory, Ontario in the north. Here at Spencer Gorge, you can hike a small portion of the Bruce Trail for a wonderful day's outing.

From the Tews Falls lookout, follow the Bruce Trail to a lookout at Dundas Peak. From here, continue until you reach a blue side trail and follow this back to Tews Falls. The complete trip is less than 5kms, with little to no elevation gain. From Tews Falls, you can follow the Bruce Trail back only 10 minutes to Websters Falls.

Canada's largest Botanical Gardens, the RBG has five garden areas, including RBG centre, Hendrie Park, Laking Garden & the Arboretum. It also has four nature sanctuaries, including Cootes Paradise, Hendrie Valley, Rock Chapel & Berry Tract. Click here to view the garden map.

RBG Centre - The main centre for the Royal Botanical Gardens, the Centre has indoor greenhouses with a vast collection of cactus & exotic plants and flowers. Most popular is the Mediterranean Garden(cool, so bring a coat), where the bloom season is actually winter!

Hendrie Park - Gardens featured include Rose Garden (beautiful @ June & Early Summer), Medicinal Garden (herbs & spices), Small-flowered Clematis, Garden Lily (Lilium) Collection, Scented Garden (plants with attitude!), Thyme Garden, The World of Botany, Vines, Climbers and Espaliers, Kids' Gardening Zone (plant veggies), The Morrison Woodland Garden, Border Buffet (whole collection of plant borders to give you creative edge), Queen Beatrix Narcissus Collection (daffodil gift that Queen Beatrix gave during her visit in 1988) & a Collection of Canadian-Originated Trees. This garden really tickles of five of your senses & offers a comforting atmosphere.

Rock Garden - My personal favourite, the Rock Garden is actually a hillside valley garden that uses altitude & the rocks to compliment the flora. It is also a favourite among photographers & newlyweds, who love the fact that the garden is surrounded by hills, gardens and a pond & stream. This garden also has many trees & shaded areas, so it is a comforting walk in the baking sun.

For admission prices, please click here. It is open all year (except Christmas & New Years), from 9 a.m. to dusk. Remember the gardens are seasonal, so come when your favourite flowers are in bloom.

Royal Botanical Gardens is also accessible by doubledecker bus: click here to access their site.

Called the Mountain in Hamilton, this steep cliff cuts through the region at an average height of 90 metres above Lake Ontario and loops around Dundas Valley as it winds around the land surrounding Lake Ontario. It offers breathtaking views and wide vistas of the entire regions especially Hamilton Harbour, Cootes Paradise, Lake Ontario & surrounding communities. At its highest point, the escarpment rises to 110 metres. This peak is accessible within the Spencer Gorge Conservation Area and the view should not be missed! Almost nowhere else in Southern Ontario offers such wonderful views!

There are also waterfalls nearby to create a perfect setting. : )

Located on the shores of Lake Ontario in Hamilton, Confederation Park is 83 hectres of fun and excitement. Activities at Confederation Park include Waterworks, Go-Karting, Camping, Adventure Village and Baranga's on the Beach. It is a large park with lots of activities, especially if you bring kids along.

You could also take a scenic stroll, bike ride or skate along the 3.5-kilometre lakeshore promenade. Picturesque views of the shoreline and plenty of park space make this a perfect spot for any outing. Picnicing is very popular here!

Wild waterworks is opened from the first Sunday in June to Labour Day (September first Monday). Try the Night Rider and Blue Demon tube slides. The Demon Slides are six stories high, with many sharp twists and turns. Go solo or with a friend as you slide 5.5-storeys down to the Eazy River. Wild waterworks is also home to Canada's largest wave pool, with over one million gallons of heated water splashing down every second. Young kids will love Little Squirt Works, a fun wading pool with sprays, mists and fountains.

Hours of Operation for Waterworks:
Weekends: June 5 - 29: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Weekdays: June 5 - 29: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
June 26 until August 22: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
August 23 until Sept. 6: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Adventure Park is a family oriented amusement park with mini golf, batting cages, krazy kars (bumper cars), rock climbing, gemstone mining & an arcade.

Baranga's on the beach is Lake Ontario's most popular dining attraction, mostly aiming for the adult clientele. It has region's largest outdoor patio & comfortable seating indoors. With its many events hosted like Freedom Fridays & Latino Thursdays, like is the perfect place to end the day. ^_^

Baranga's is open from the first day of spring to Dec. 31.

The GO-kart track offers single and double passenger karts, to please both the experienced drivers & those underage.

Go-karts are Open: 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. from May 15 - Sept. 15. In April & October, it is opened on weekends from 12 noon to dusk.

Former home of Sir. Allan Napier, Dundurn Castle is one of Hamilton's most outstanding landmarks. Though I think Casa Loma in Toronto is pretty cool, I am more captivated by Dundurn Castle's Classic architecture. It was designed by a young English Architect, Robert Wetherall, & was built around the brick shell of Colonel Richard Beasley's colonial home.

Designed to be a fashionable Regency style villa, Dundurn (Gaelic for "fort on the water") was nicknamed "Castle" by the citizens of Hamilton.

Sir Allan Napier, at the height of his career, was a lawyer, landowner, railway magnate and Premier of the United Canadas. Pretty impressive resume!

With over 72, the rooms are decorated with oak panelling and grand chandiliers. The house also has a grand black walnut staircase that is located on the right side in the entrance hall. There are two bedrooms located on the first floor: the butler's room & Lady MacNab sister's room. Also located on the 1st floor is the dining room, living room & library. The second floor contains bedrooms, a sick room, a school room, Lady, MacNab's Boudoir, a nursery, and an upper hall. At the basement was the kitchen, servant's quarters and vault. The furnishings though dark, are well crafted & exquisite.

Operating Hours
Victoria to Labour Day: Daily 10 am - 4 pm
Labour Day to Victoria Day:
Open Tuesday to Sunday 12 pm - 4 pm

Admission Prices (it also includes a ticket to the Hamilton Military Museum)
Adult $10.00
Senior $8.00
Student $8.00
Children (6-14 yrs.) $5.00
Children (5 and under) FREE
Family $25.00

The Royal Botanical Gardens are a true hidden gem. While the gardens themselves are impressive, what I really enjoyed most was the hiking trails. We were in town (Hamilton) for the weekend and spent most of the time hiking the area. The Grindstone Marsh was my favourite – beautiful scenery, tons of wildlife and boardwalks that take you right out in the water. I would check out the Cootes Paradise area as well – great views and lots of different trails to keep you busy. Also, they have a really neat website to virtually explore the trails (www.rbg.geotrail.ca).