Kingston, the ‘museum capital of Canada,’ ready for tourism season

The Victoria Day long weekend signals the start of the 2019 tourist season, and that means many attractions in the Kingston area are now open.

Those attractions include everything from Fort Henry to the Original Hockey Hall of Fame, the Kingston Penitentiary and Murney Tower, the Limestone City’s oldest museum and national historic site.

First built in 1846, Murney Tower is Kingston’s most accessible martello tower, military battlements constructed over a century-and-a-half ago to defend then-British soil.

“It was built in response to the Oregon crisis in defence against the Americans,” says Bria Crosby, a tower tour guide.

War never came to Kingston, but the preparations for military action have left the city with a rich military history, including Fort Henry and of course, the Murney Tower museum.

After being under construction for the winter months, the tower is now open for the summer.

WATCH: Fort Henry ready to welcome tourists

1:47 Fort Henry ready to welcome tourists

Murney is one of nearly 25 museums in the area. The Kingston Association of Museums, Art Galleries and Historic Sites refers to the Limestone City as the “museum capital of Canada.” One of the newest museums in the fold is the South Frontenac Museum in Hartington.

Alan Boyce, the museum’s secretary, says everyone is excited about the upcoming season.

“The centre theme is Frontenac County, South Frontenac Township from 1900 until 1929, so it’s before, during and after the Great War,” Boyce explained. “The centrepiece is the 146th Battalion exhibit; that’s a recruitment battalion that came from Frontenac, Lennox and Addington counties, trained the men and sent them overseas.”

Other displays include tools that were used on farms and at work, as well as things that were used in the home.

For more information on these museums, as well as others in the region, visit the Kingston Association of Museums, Art Galleries and Historic Sites website.