Sights in Hamilton
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Royal Botanical Gardens
With 1000-plus hectares of flowers, natural parklands and a wildlife sanctuary, the Royal Botanical Gardens is only one of six world gardens to be designated ‘royal.’ During spring, the rock garden is a highlight, with 3 hectares of rare trees, waterfalls, ponds and 125,000 flowering bulbs. Think a rose is a rose? Think again, pal. From June to October, thousands of different roses (including antique varieties) bloom in the Centennial rose garden. The arboretum is best in May when the lilacs explode into flower. The sanctuary is home to birds, deer, fox, muskrat and coyote, with trails traversing marshes and wooded ravines.
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Dundurn Castle
A boxy, column-fronted, 36-room mansion, Dundurn Castle once belonged to Sir Allan Napier McNab, Canadian prime minister from 1854 to 1856. It sits on a cliff overlooking the harbor amid lovely chestnut-studded grounds, and is furnished in mid-19th-century style. Also on-site is the Hamilton Military Museum (adult/child/concession/family $3.50/2.50/3/8.50), with weapons and uniforms from the War of 1812 to WWI. Admission is free with Dundurn Castle admission.
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African Lion Safari
About 1000 animals and birds express themselves freely in the vast, cageless African Lion Safari, about 25km northwest of Hamilton off Hwy 8. Drive your car through the park and get within kissing distance of lions, giraffes, zebras, monkeys and other African beasts. If your car-rental agency has an aversion to bird droppings, take the park tour-bus instead ($5 per person). Kids love this place.
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Canadian Football Hall of Fame & Museum
Despite universal mockery of ‘Canadian football,’ nothing stops Canadian sports fans from welling with enthusiasm for their fast-paced brand of gridiron. The Canadian Football Hall of Fame & Museum puts more than 100 years of Canadian Football League (CFL) history on display through equipment, photos and the actual Grey Cup – the CFL’s holy grail.
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Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum
The newly renovated Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum is a capacious hangar 10km south of town near Hamilton airport. Dangling inside is a collection of two-dozen vintage planes, all in flying condition, celebrating Canada’s history in the skies. Look for the huge RACF 641 jet impaled on a hot-dog spike out the front.
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Parks Canada Discovery Centre
On the lakeshore is this snazzy new place, an urban outreach center with displays on local maritime conservation, parks and heritage sites.
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Hamilton Military Museum
The Hamilton Military Museum with weapons and uniforms dating from the War of 1812 through to WWI.
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