Kingston weekend from Montreal: Fort Henry, rainy Sandbanks

The tripOur Kingston weekend from Montreal was a one-night trip on the first weekend of August: we drove from Montreal to Kingston, spent the night, and went on to Sandbanks in Prince Edward County. Day one was Fort Henry and a sandy beach by the river. Day two was Sandbanks in the rain.

Route

Aug. 1 Montreal 7:30 a.m.
Iroquois Beach
Fort Henry
Grass Creek Park
Dinner in downtown Kingston

Aug. 2 Kingston
Picton
Sandbanks Outlet Beach
Dinner in Saint-Clet
Montreal

Where we stayedDoubleTree by Hilton Kingston (one night)

WeatherAug. 1: cloudy and cool in the morning, sunny in the afternoonAug. 2: rain all day

AdmissionFort Henry: paid (adults C$20 before tax)Sandbanks Provincial Park: paid (daily vehicle permit, reserved ahead)Iroquois Beach, Grass Creek Park: free

Who cameMy wife and our kid

Stay

Where we stayed

DoubleTree Kingston room with two queen beds

A room with two queen beds and the indoor pool. We checked in late, and our kid still headed for the pool first. It’s about 15 minutes by car from downtown Kingston and about 3 km (2 mi) from Exit 613 on Highway 401.

DoubleTree by Hilton KingstonRight off Highway 401, so the drive in from Montreal and the drive to Prince Edward County the next day are both short.Check availability on Trip.com

Same hotel in Canadian dollars (Trip.com)Other Kingston hotels (Trip.com)

Iroquois Beach

We left Montreal around 7:30 a.m. and took Highway 401 west. After crossing into Ontario and about 1 hour 40 minutes of driving, we pulled into Iroquois.

The highway out of Montreal

We’d found Iroquois Beach by chance on July 1, on our way to the Thousand Islands. The weather was good that day and the beach was dazzling, but we had other plans, so we ate our packed lunch and moved on. That’s why we stopped again this time.

It was August 1, yet cloudier and cooler than that July day, and once again we had somewhere to be, so we only stayed a short while. It isn’t far from Montreal. I’d like to come back on a nice summer day and stay longer.

Kingston weekend from Montreal: Iroquois Beach and its dock on a cloudy day — Iroquois Beach and the dock on a cloudy morning

A child walking on the sand by the river — Our kid on the sand by the river

Fort Henry

When we came to Kingston in July, we only looked up at Fort Henry on its hill from downtown. We couldn’t go in then, so this time we decided to see its history from inside.

The sign on the road into Fort Henry

The British began building Fort Henry in 1832 to protect the southern end of the Rideau Canal and Kingston’s naval dockyard. It was never attacked. Restored in the 1930s, it is now a museum of 19th-century British army life, and in 2007 it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with the Rideau Canal (Parks Canada). It is a national historic site, but it isn’t run by Parks Canada. The St. Lawrence Parks Commission, an Ontario provincial agency, operates it.

FORT HENRY 1832 carved into the fort wall — FORT HENRY 1832, carved into the wall

Getting tickets

We bought tickets on site and paid for two adults only. In summer 2026 (June 19 to September 7), the Canada Strong Pass, a summer discount program, made admission free for anyone 17 and under. Parking is free, so you just leave the car and walk to the entrance.

A child in front of the stone gate and sentry box — Our kid at the stone gate and sentry box

Guard members in the tunnel leading to the parade square — The guard in the tunnel to the parade square

Drills, one after another

What surprised me was that the red-coated Fort Henry Guard aren’t real soldiers. We were told they’re students and members of the public trained for the demonstrations here. It was fun to watch how soldiers moved back then. One demonstration ran straight into the next, so sitting on the parade square steps, the time went quickly.

Artillery demonstration loading a cannon — Loading a cannon during the artillery demonstration

The cannons and muskets are loud when they fire, and I watched tensely every time. The cannon on the ramparts was the loudest, when the white smoke rose.

White smoke from a cannon on the ramparts — White smoke from the cannon on the ramparts

The moment the cannon fires

After 1 p.m., the whole guard gathers on the square for the Garrison Parade, forming up in formation. From the ramparts you can see every change of formation at once.

The parade on the square seen from the ramparts — The parade, seen from the ramparts

The guard standing in a triangle formation — The guard in a triangle formation

The guard marching with rifles on their shoulders — Marching with rifles shouldered

Guard members kneeling and aiming rifles — Kneeling, rifles aimed

The guard firing a rifle volley in line

Rooms inside the fort

Inside the stone walls around the square, the rooms are furnished as they were back then. The officers’ mess, a kitchen with a bread oven and a classroom hung with maps follow one another, and in the dark battery the cannons sit facing the openings. Our kid stood next to a cannon for a long time.

The kitchen, with a fire going in the oven

An old classroom with maps on the wall — The old classroom and its maps

Our kid beside a cannon in the dark battery

At the sentry box, one of the guard stood next to our kid for a photo.

A child standing with a guard member at the sentry box — With one of the guard at the sentry box

Kingston from the ramparts

In July we had looked at the fort from downtown Kingston. This time we looked back toward town from the ramparts. On one side, the view opens to a round tower across the river and to Lake Ontario.

A round tower and the Kingston side seen over the fort wall — A round tower and Kingston beyond the wall

The lake seen from the ramparts — The lake from the ramparts

One visit was good enough. If there’s a special event, like an evening show or a festival, I’d come back for that. If you’re in Kingston, it’s worth a stop at least once.

Tour comparison

Already in Kingston? See Fort Henry from the water or a trolley window

All three leave from downtown Kingston and can’t be refunded once booked (checked October 29, 2026). There’s no parking at the dock. The better option in each row is marked in yellow (✓).

	A	B	C
Language	English commentary	English guide	English commentary
Fort Henry	Passes the Kingston side on departure	Passes by, seen from the window	✓ Seen from the water
Duration	✓ 3 hours	About 1 hour	1 hour
Meeting point	Ticket office, 1 Brock St	Tickets at 248 Ontario St, trolley leaves from 209 Ontario St	Ticket office, 1 Brock St
Best for	Going out to the Thousand Islands	A loop around town	A short look from the water
Book	GetYourGuide	GetYourGuide	GetYourGuide

AKingston 1000 Islands 3-hour cruiseSails from the Kingston dock to the Thousand Islands and back.Check availability on GetYourGuide BKingston trolley city tourLoops through town in an hour, passing Fort Henry.Check availability on GetYourGuide CKingston waterfront 1-hour cruiseLooks up at Fort Henry’s walls from the water.Check availability on GetYourGuide

Grass Creek Park beach

After Fort Henry we scanned the map for a beach and settled on Grass Creek Park. It sits about 16 km (10 mi) back toward Montreal on Highway 2.

The entrance to Grass Creek Park

It was a big, clean stretch of sand. We spread out a mat, opened the beach umbrella we’d brought and stayed about three hours. The water was shallow, so our kid could play without fuss, and my wife and I took turns staying close.

Our kid soon joined a group of children with nets and buckets. They caught frogs no bigger than a fingernail, then dug a pool in the sand with shovels so the frogs had somewhere to rest. Apparently the older of two brothers they’d just met decided that our kid, the best frog catcher of the bunch, should be in charge.

A mat and a beach umbrella set up on the sand at Grass Creek Park — Our mat and umbrella on the sand

Summer sky above a beach umbrella — Summer sky over the umbrella

Children playing in shallow water at Grass Creek Park — Kids in the shallows

A very small frog found in the sand — A tiny frog found in the sand

That night at the hotel, our kid wrote about the afternoon in English in a diary. The last line is less about what happened than about how good it felt.

“Grass creek was just the best creek to do such things like catching animals and making friends.”

A postscript added one more line, “there were otters too,” along with a small drawing.

It was a Saturday, so the beach was busy. The restrooms were very clean, and parking was fairly roomy. Shade was scarce, and we were glad to have the umbrella.

Grass Creek Park beach in the afternoon

Grass Creek Park basics

Location: 2991 Highway 2 East, about 16 km (10 mi) east of downtown Kingston
Swimming: Marked swimming area, no lifeguards
Facilities: Two parking lots, picnic tables, a playground, restrooms
Restrooms: Daily, 8 a.m. to dusk, from Victoria Day in May through Canadian Thanksgiving in October

Based on the City of Kingston park page, as of October 2026. No admission fee is listed.

Dinner in Kingston: Hakka Himalaya

Flags along Princess Street in downtown Kingston

Dinner was at Hakka Himalaya on Princess Street, downtown. It serves Indian-style Chinese food, the cooking that Hakka Chinese families who settled in Kolkata built around Indian spices. The Toronto area has plenty of these restaurants. We had never tried it, which was reason enough to go.

Our kid outside Hakka Himalaya in Kingston — Outside Hakka Himalaya

At the door, a staff member warned us that both getting a table and getting the food would take a while. We were in no hurry, so we waited, and it came faster than promised. The place was packed, and it was fine with a kid. We ordered a little of everything, and all of it was good.

Dumplings served in a bamboo steamer — Dumplings in a bamboo steamer

We didn’t walk around City Hall or the waterfront separately and went to the hotel.

DoubleTree Kingston

We chose this hotel because a credit card perk covered the stay. It had a pool, and the room was fine. It isn’t downtown, but it sits right off Highway 401, which made getting in and out easy.

The indoor pool at night

The next morning, rain was pouring down outside the window.

A rainy morning, seen from our window

If you want to walk the waterfront, a downtown hotel such as the Delta Kingston Waterfront or the Hochelaga Inn is the better base.

Places to stay in each town

Tap a town to see nearby stays and prices on the map.

A farm stand in Picton and Harry’s Charbroiled

We decided to go to Sandbanks anyway. We had wanted to see it, and the daily vehicle permit was already booked. Driving into Prince Edward County and through Picton, we spotted a fruit and vegetable stand on the right side of the road to Sandbanks and pulled over for a few minutes.

Downtown Picton in the rain

A fruit and vegetable stand in the rain near Picton — The fruit and vegetable stand in the rain

The farm stand’s red barn-style building — The red barn-style building

Across from the stand was a burger place, so that became lunch. Harry’s Charbroiled is about 4 km (2.5 mi) from downtown Picton toward Sandbanks. One bite in, someone said, “Wow, this one is really different.” For our family it was the burger of a lifetime. If you’re driving this road, stop.

A burger from Harry’s Charbroiled — A burger at Harry’s Charbroiled

The burger, cut in half

Sandbanks in the rain

Sandbanks Provincial Park is about 20 minutes south of Picton by car. It was raining hard, and the sky was heavily overcast. Of the park’s three beaches, we went to Outlet Beach. Ontario Parks describes it as a good family beach because the water is shallow and the bottom slopes gently.

The Sandbanks park entrance in the rain

A wooded path leading to the beach — The wooded path to the beach

A beach path running between sand dunes — The path between the dunes

Our kid went into the water anyway and dug in the sand. My wife stayed close by in a raincoat, under an umbrella.

Walking to the beach under an umbrella

A woman in a raincoat beside a child digging in the sand — My wife in a raincoat, our kid digging in the sand

A woman and a child at the water’s edge in the rain — At the water’s edge in the rain

For a place we had only ever thought about visiting, actually being there, even in this weather, made all the difference.

Heading back, wipers going

Booking a Sandbanks daily vehicle permit

Booking: Reservations open on the Ontario Parks reservation site at 7 a.m., five days before your visit.
Fee: Up to C$21 per vehicle, tax included, per the 2026 Ontario Parks fee schedule. It can be lower on some days.
Heads-up: Summer weekends sell out early, and without a reservation you may be turned away at the gate. Prepaid permits can’t be refunded or moved to another date.

If you’d rather see Prince Edward County without driving, there’s a private Prince Edward County tour (Expedia). It leaves from Toronto and covers Picton, wineries and the dunes in one day.

On the way home: Bhandari in Saint-Clet

Driving back to Montreal, once we were over the line into Quebec, we stopped for dinner in Saint-Clet, a small village about 50 km (31 mi) west of Montreal. The place was Bhandari Cuisine Indienne, an Indian restaurant, and we had a set menu. The staff were friendly, and the food was good.

Indian dishes served on an iron platter — Indian dishes on an iron platter

Know before you go

Fort Henry hours and admission

Summer season: May 16–Sept. 7, 2026
Guided tours: 10 a.m.–4 p.m., every 30 minutes (in English). No tours at 1 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. because of the Garrison Parade.
Admission: Adults (25–64) C$20, students (13–17) C$13, children (5–12) C$11, 4 and under free, plus tax
Summer discount: During the Canada Strong Pass period (June 19–Sept. 7, 2026), 17 and under free, 18–24 half price
Parking: Free

Per the Fort Henry official site, as of October 2026. In the fall, only evening events run.

Terms

Term	Meaning
Fort Henry Guard	Interpreters in 19th-century British army dress who perform the marching, artillery and rifle demonstrations
Garrison Parade	The daytime event in which the whole guard forms up on the parade square
Daily Vehicle Permit	A one-day pass for driving into an Ontario provincial park
Hakka cuisine	Indian-style Chinese food created by Hakka Chinese who settled in India

FAQ

How long is the drive from Montreal to Kingston?

About 290 km (180 mi) on Highway 401. On our Kingston weekend from Montreal, we stopped at Iroquois Beach on the way and reached Fort Henry around 11:30 a.m. Without stops, it takes about three hours.

Is Fort Henry good with kids?

The demonstrations run back to back, so there was little time for our kid to get bored. The cannon and rifles are loud, so it helps to warn younger children ahead of time.

Is Sandbanks worth it in the rain?

We went on a day of heavy rain, and our kid still played in the water and the sand. Keep in mind that a daily vehicle permit is only good for the date you booked, whatever the weather.

Kingston weekend recap

We picked this one-night trip to use a credit card hotel perk, and in the end the food is what stayed with us most: our first Hakka meal, the burger at Harry’s Charbroiled that we called the burger of a lifetime, and the Indian restaurant on the way home. All of it was good. On the second day we went to Sandbanks in the rain because that was the day we had, but finally seeing a place we’d only thought about made a big difference, weather or not. And Kingston, which we had visited in July, had a different feel the second time.

Connection	Post
Same summer	Our Gaspésie road trip the same summer: four days around the Gaspé Peninsula from Montreal, route and hotels

Map and addresses

Iroquois Beach: Iroquois, Ontario
Fort Henry: 1 Fort Henry Dr, Kingston
Grass Creek Park: 2991 Highway 2 East, Kingston
Hakka Himalaya: 120 Princess St, Kingston
Harry’s Charbroiled: About 4 km (2.5 mi) from downtown Picton toward Sandbanks
Sandbanks Provincial Park: 3004 County Rd 12, Picton
Bhandari, Saint-Clet: 351 Chemin de la Cité-des-Jeunes, Saint-Clet

What we needed

Gear

Beach umbrella and a blanket: There wasn’t much shade on the Grass Creek Park beach
Raincoats and umbrellas: It rained hard at Sandbanks

A beach umbrella for shadeless Grass Creek beachView on Amazon

A kid’s raincoat for rainy SandbanksView on Amazon

Reservations

Sandbanks daily vehicle permit: Booked three days ahead (how to book)
Hotel: DoubleTree Kingston

Trip planning

Getting there

This is a road trip from Montreal

We drove from Montreal to Kingston on Highway 401. If you’re flying in, pick up a car at Montréal-Trudeau and take the same road.

Car rental in Montreal (US dollars)A round trip that returns the car where you picked it up keeps a one-night route simplest.Compare cars on Trip.com Car rental in Montreal (Canadian dollars)Same search, priced in Canadian dollars.Compare cars on Trip.com

Flights to Montreal (Trip.com)

Sources

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A Kingston weekend from Montreal: Fort Henry, a beach afternoon and Sandbanks in the rain

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