Kingston residents and visitors can immerse themselves in the local literary, film and music scenes thanks to new walking tours provided by Tourism Kingston.
“Discover music venues where some of Canada’s best bands got their start. visit the locations of popular TV producers and visit the places that have inspired award-winning novels,” the local tourism office said in a media release on Thursday, July 13, 2023.
Free tours are available at Kingston tourism website. Each theme offers three tour options: central, western (Queen’s University and nearby neighborhoods) and extended and ranges from approximately 60 minutes to two and a half hours, allowing users to explore at their own pace. According to the release, the mobile-optimized interface makes it easy to follow on smartphones, with route maps, directions, stories and assets such as photos, videos and music presented seamlessly.
The following details about the tours were provided by Tourism Kingston:
Discover Kingston’s cinematic past and present by visiting recent film and television production locations while learning about the early history of cinema and film production in the city. we’ll see how the streets and buildings of Kingston have been transformed for productions, into anything from 1890 New Orleans to a futuristic planet in the Star Trek universe.
Immerse yourself in Kingston’s musical stories, from rock to pop or classical. Visit the places where some of Canada’s most talented musicians got their start and explore Kingston’s vibrant live music scene. The musical tours take the user from downtown The Tragically Hip’s first show to their last, as well as exploring the venues that sparked musical collaborations and careers by notable Kingston musicians such as Miss Emily, the Mahones and The Glorious Sons .
Explore the Kingston connections of notable Canadian writers, from Robertson Davies to Bronwen Wallace. This tour will take users to a variety of literary landmarks and locations that continue to inspire the written word. Users will learn about a Rembrandt painting that inspired a modern poem, the penitentiary that inspired many literary works, and the archives that protect many literary legacies.
Tours are free and Tourism Kingston recommends headphones for the best tour experience. More information about the new walking tours and other options can be found at visitkingston.ca/walking-tours.
The Creative Kingston Walking Tour project is presented by Tourism Kingston and made possible by a Tourism Relief Fund grant through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario and support from the City of Kingston.
