Kingston 
Imagine spending your afternoon cruising past the Thousand Islands, wandering Kingston’s historic limestone streets or picking fresh apples at a countryside orchard near the Rideau Canal. Then, as darkness falls, step aboard a supposedly haunted steamship, explore a fortress by flashlight or listen to chilling stories from Kingston’s past.
Credit: J.-F. Bergeron ENVIRO FOTO/Destination Ontario
That’s the appeal of an October getaway to Kingston. The Ontario city combines colourful autumn scenery and historic attractions with an unusually varied lineup of Halloween experiences, including a new ghost tour aboard the Titanic-era SS Keewatin.
Plan one or two days around the city’s fall attractions, then choose an evening adventure that suits your appetite for scares.
Contents:
- Fall Fun Before the Frights: Explore Kingston by Day.
- Best Halloween Experiences After Dark
- How to Put Together Your Kingston Fall Getaway
- What Should You Know Before Travelling
Fall Fun Before the Frights: Explore Kingston by Day
Kingston’s waterfront, historic downtown and surrounding countryside offer several ways to enjoy an October afternoon before the Halloween attractions begin.
Things to Do in Kingston This Halloween
See the Fall Colours From the Water
One of the loveliest ways to experience Kingston in autumn is from the water, with views of historic buildings, wooded shorelines and the Thousand Islands.
Kingston 1000 Islands Cruises offers daytime sightseeing excursions, including the Discovery Cruise and Heart of the Islands Cruise.
The Heart of the Islands Cruise explores the scenery surrounding Kingston and the Thousand Islands. Its published fall schedule includes a 12:30 p.m. departure, while the Discovery Cruise offers daytime departures through October 12 before switching to a later schedule.
Choose this option if you’d rather spend the afternoon on the water before exploring Kingston’s haunted history after sunset.
Plan your visit: Cruises depart from Crawford Wharf at 1 Brock Street. Check operating dates and departure times before booking, particularly later in October when schedules change.
See our guide to boat tours and cruises in Ontario for more scenic experiences.
Where to eat: Try Wooden Heads Gourmet Pizza at 192 Ontario Street or Dianne’s at 195 Ontario Street, both convenient choices around the downtown waterfront.
Take a Two-Hour Fall Colours Trolley Tour
For countryside scenery without the driving, Kingston Trolley Tours has introduced a two-hour Fall Colours Tour.
The trolley travels from downtown Kingston towards Fort Henry, offering elevated views of the city, before continuing to Kingston Mills and the historic locks along the Rideau Canal.
The route passes through the Village of Sunbury and rolling countryside, with a stop at Waddell Farms to browse the farm shop and sample a fresh apple.
When: Select Saturdays and Sundays, October 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24 and 25, 2026, at 1 p.m./1:30 p.m. The tour takes approximately two hours.
Tickets: $44.50 for adults and $35.50 for children aged 2 to 15, plus HST. Departures are from 209 Ontario Street.
This is an especially convenient option for visitors staying downtown who want fall scenery without renting a car.
Pick Apples at Waddell Apples
If you prefer exploring the countryside at your own pace, visit Waddell Apples at 1345 Washburn Road.
Set near the Rideau Canal and Lower Brewers Locks, the family-run orchard offers pick-your-own apples, ready-picked varieties and a farm store housed in a historic log cabin.
Browse fresh cider, apple pies, butter tarts, chocolate, preserves, honey and maple products. Depending on the harvest, visitors may find McIntosh, Cortland, Empire and other apple varieties available for picking.
When: The farm and store are open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the current harvest season, with last entry for apple picking at 4:30 p.m. Thanksgiving Monday hours end at 3 p.m.
It’s an appealing alternative to the trolley tour if you have a vehicle and want more time at the orchard.
Explore Kingston’s Historic Streets and Public Art
Not every fall activity requires admission. Kingston’s limestone buildings, waterfront and historic neighbourhoods make an excellent setting for an afternoon walk.
Begin around City Hall and Confederation Basin, wander through Market Square and Princess Street, then explore nearby Sydenham Ward, known for its attractive heritage streetscapes.
Along the way, use the City of Kingston’s Arts Walk Map to discover public art installations.
For suggested walking routes and neighbourhoods, see Visit Kingston’s Walkable Kingston guide.
Where to eat: Stop at Pan Chancho on Princess Street for baked goods and lunch, or enjoy a more leisurely meal at Chez Piggy, located inside a historic limestone building at 68 Princess Street.
Step Inside Kingston Penitentiary
Kingston Penitentiary
For a darker chapter of Canadian history during daylight hours, tour the former Kingston Penitentiary at 560 King Street West.
Opened in 1835 and closed in 2013, the institution housed some of Canada’s most notorious prisoners. Guided tours take visitors through former cellblocks and other prison areas while recounting stories of daily life, discipline, riots and escape attempts.
Unlike the evening ghost tours, this is a historical experience rather than a haunted attraction.
When: Tours operate through October 31, 2026, with hours varying by date.
Tickets: Express tours start at $27.13, standard tours cost $42.13, and extended tours cost $81.13.
Enjoy a Pumpkin-Filled Afternoon at Fruition Berry Farm
Travelling with children? Fruition Berry Farm at 3208 Hughes Road offers a classic October farm outing.
Families can take tractor-drawn wagon rides, pick pumpkins and navigate the farm’s 2026 corn maze, themed “The Great Sunflower Race.”
The farm also offers autumn photo opportunities, seasonal decorations and ready-picked pumpkins and squash.
When: Saturdays and Sundays through October 31, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., plus Thanksgiving Monday and October 26.
Admission: $10 for adults and $5 for children aged 5 to 15. Pumpkins cost extra.
Plan this as a daytime activity, leaving your evening free for another attraction.
Try an Escape Room Before Dinner
For an indoor option, Improbable Escapes offers puzzle-solving adventures suitable for groups of friends and families with older children, depending on the room.
Its Halloween-friendly themes include:
- Coroner’s Report: Begin your adventure inside the abandoned Ambrosia General Hospital.
- The Cure for the Common Zombie: Solve a zombie-themed mystery.
- The Mysterious Miseries of Franklin M. Stein: Take on another eerie escape challenge.
Unlike most ghost tours, escape rooms can be booked for daytime sessions when available. Check the specific room’s location, age guidance and schedule.
What Are the Best Halloween Experiences After Dark?
Save your evening for Kingston’s haunted attractions. These range from guided storytelling and mysterious cruises to more intense Halloween scares.
Ghost and Mystery Cruise: Hear Kingston’s Darkest Stories From the Water
For a Halloween experience on the water, Kingston 1000 Islands Cruises offers the Ghost and Mystery Cruise.
This 90-minute evening journey takes passengers past waterfront landmarks associated with Kingston’s mysterious history, including Fort Henry, Rockwood Asylum and Kingston Penitentiary.
Stories of shipwrecks, murder and unexplained events add a different dimension to the city’s already atmospheric shoreline.
Remaining 2026 dates: October 15 and 29 at 7 p.m.
Duration: 90 minutes.
Where: Crawford Wharf, 1 Brock Street.
Because only two October departures remain, plan your trip around the cruise date if this is your preferred Halloween experience.
Where to eat: AquaTerra at 1 Johnson Street offers waterfront dining near the departure point. Reserve a table early enough to allow for boarding.
Fort Fright: For Visitors Who Want Real Scares
Fort Henry becomes a Halloween attraction during Fort Fright, with eerie settings and frightening encounters throughout the historic military fortress.
A Kingston Halloween tradition since 2007, Fort Fright is designed for visitors who want more than ghost stories.
On select Thursdays in October, the attraction offers an especially dark experience. Visitors navigate the fortress with flashlights while much of the regular lighting is switched off.
Where: Fort Henry, Kingston.
Best for: Teens and adults comfortable with frightening environments. Parents should check the attraction’s age and content guidance before booking for younger children.
Where to eat: Plan dinner downtown before travelling to Fort Henry, or look for seasonal snacks available during Fort Fright.
Ghosts of the SS Keewatin: Tales from the Great Lakes
The newest attraction from The Haunted Walk invites visitors aboard the historic SS Keewatin, a steamship from the Titanic era.
During the 75-minute experience, guides recount unsettling stories associated with the ship’s decades on the Great Lakes, from mysterious whispers to reported shadowy figures and strange encounters.
Exploring a historic vessel after sunset gives this tour a different atmosphere from a conventional ghost walk through city streets.
2026 Dates: October 9, 10, 13, 16, 17, 20, 23, 24 and 27 to 31, with departures beginning at 7 p.m.
Duration: 75 minutes.
Where: SS Keewatin at the Great Lakes Museum, 55 Ontario Street.
Where to eat: Have dinner at Wooden Heads or Dianne’s before the tour.
Take a Haunted Walk Through Kingston’s Historic Neighbourhoods
For visitors more interested in local history, unexplained encounters and storytelling than jump scares, The Haunted Walk offers several alternatives.
- Haunted Walk of Kingston: Discover eerie stories associated with Sydenham Ward and the city’s historic streets.
- Ghosts of Fort Henry: Hear mysterious accounts linked to the 19th-century military fortress.
- Haunted Queen’s University: Explore ghost stories connected to the university’s historic buildings.
These are good choices for visitors who want a Halloween atmosphere while learning about Kingston’s past.
Ghost and Mystery Trolley: Kingston’s Haunted History Without the Walking
Another option is the 90-minute Ghost and Mystery Trolley, which travels through historic neighbourhoods and past locations associated with unsettling events and local legends.
The evening ride is a convenient alternative for visitors who prefer seated sightseeing, although those with mobility concerns should verify boarding accessibility before booking.
How to Put Together Your Kingston Fall Getaway
Credit: Natasha Gerschon / Destination Ontario
Rather than trying to fit every attraction into one trip, choose a daytime activity and pair it with one evening experience.
Option 1: A Romantic Fall Weekend
- Morning: Explore Kingston’s waterfront, limestone streets and public art.
- Afternoon: Take a Thousand Islands sightseeing cruise or the Fall Colours Trolley Tour on an operating date.
- Dinner: Reserve a table at Chez Piggy or AquaTerra.
- Evening: Book Ghosts of the SS Keewatin or a Haunted Walk tour.
Option 2: Family Fall Fun With a Little Halloween
- Morning: Pick pumpkins and enjoy wagon rides at Fruition Berry Farm.
- Afternoon: Return downtown for lunch and a waterfront walk, or book an age-appropriate escape room.
- Evening: Choose a ghost storytelling experience suited to your children’s ages and comfort with scary themes.
Option 3: History by Day, Haunted Kingston by Night
- Morning: Tour Kingston Penitentiary.
- Afternoon: Explore historic downtown, Queen’s University or Sydenham Ward.
- Dinner: Enjoy a meal at a downtown restaurant.
- Evening: Head to Fort Fright or take the Ghost and Mystery Trolley.
Option 4: Fall Colours and Apple Picking
- Morning: Visit Waddell Apples for pick-your-own apples, cider and baked treats.
- Afternoon: Explore Kingston Mills and return downtown for a waterfront walk, or take the 1 p.m. Fall Colours Trolley Tour on a separate day.
- Evening: Have dinner downtown followed by the SS Keewatin ghost tour or another available Haunted Walk.
What Should You Know Before Travelling?
Choose the evening activity first. Ghosts of the SS Keewatin runs on selected October dates, while the Ghost and Mystery Cruise is available only on October 15 and 29. Fort Fright and other Haunted Walk experiences have their own operating schedules.
Reserve time for travel. Kingston’s downtown walking routes, restaurants and waterfront cruise departures are relatively close together. Fort Henry, Kingston Penitentiary and countryside farms require additional travel time.
Dress for changing weather. October evenings can be chilly, particularly near the waterfront. Bring warm layers, comfortable footwear and rain protection for outdoor activities.
Stay downtown if possible. A downtown hotel or historic inn makes it easier to walk to restaurants, waterfront attractions and many evening tour departure points.
Book ahead. Limited-date ghost experiences, escape rooms and evening cruises should be reserved before arranging the rest of your itinerary. Check operating hours and availability with each organizer.
