A full guide to visiting Gananoque, Ontario, built from a recent long weekend in town and years of family trips through the 1000 Islands. Inside, you will find the best things to do on the water and in town, the boat cruises and castles worth your money, where to eat, where to stay, and the one scheduling quirk that catches most visitors off guard.
Three locked doors in a row is usually a sign that the universe is trying to tell you something.
My friend Chris and I had spent the morning walking through Gananoque’s historic downtown, following street art from a tile mural assembled by local hands to a narrow alley between Charles Street and Stone Street lined with metallic prints. The art kept pointing us somewhere, so we pulled out our phones, searched for local art galleries, and found that this town of barely five thousand people had more than five of them. We walked to J2. Closed. We walked to Vaga. Closed. We walked to Woo Art. Closed.
It was a Tuesday morning in early October. That was the problem, and nobody had warned us about it. Gananoque runs hard all summer, a seven-day-a-week destination from the moment the first cruise boat pushes off in May to the moment the leaves start to show hints of fiery red. Then Labor Day passes, and the town breathes a sigh of relief. Throughout the fall season, most of Gananoque operates on a casual Thursday to Sunday schedule. If you arrive on a Monday or Tuesday with a list of things to do in the region, you’re likely to wander around staring through the windows of locked doors.
That’s the sort of thing I would have liked to know before I went, and the sort of thing almost nobody writing about Gananoque bothers to mention. So let me put it at the top instead of burying it in a footnote. I wrote this guide to share my story about experiencing the cruises, the castles, the cookies, and the 400-foot tower among the other great attractions in Gananoque. But I also wrote this to help you have an even better time than I did.
My first tip: Gananoque is better when you show up on the right day of the week.
I have been traveling this stretch of the St. Lawrence River for years. I have driven the 401 between Toronto and Montreal more times than I can count. My wife Christina and I have brought our boys through the 1000 Islands on family road trips, camped in Thousand Islands National Park, driven a boat out to Boldt Castle and Singer Castle, and used Kingston as a launchpad for adventure half an hour down the highway. But this past fall was the first time I slowed down enough to actually stay in Gananoque itself, three days spent with an old friend, no kids, no schedule beyond a dinner reservation and a pair of theatre tickets.
It turned out to be the best way to see the place. Here is everything I learned.
Gananoque Trip Planner
Where it is: On the north shore of the St. Lawrence River in eastern Ontario, about 30 minutes east of Kingston, 2 hours and 45 minutes from Toronto, and 2 hours and 45 minutes from Montreal. It sits directly off Highway 401 at exits 645 and 647, which makes it the single easiest meaningful stop on the Toronto to Montreal drive.
Why people come: Gananoque calls itself the Gateway to the Thousand Islands, and like all great marketing, it’s anchored in truth. The town’s harbor is the main Canadian departure point for boat cruises through the archipelago and out to Boldt Castle. It is also a genuine arts town, with galleries, street art, and one of the most respected regional theatres in the country.
How long to stay: Two nights is the sweet spot. One night lets you do a cruise and a dinner. Two nights lets you add the theatre, the museums, and the tower without rushing. Three nights, which is what Chris and I had, gives you room for the national park, the breweries outside town, and a slow morning or two.
When to go: July and August are full tilt, everything open seven days, highest prices, busiest boats. Late September and early October are my pick: the fall color on the islands is extraordinary from the water, the crowds are gone, and the air is still warm enough to sit on a patio. Just plan around the Thursday to Sunday schedule. May and June are quiet and green. From November through April, the town is largely shuttered for tourism, cruises stop running, and Boldt Castle closes entirely.
Getting around: Drive in, then walk. Downtown Gananoque is compact and flat, and almost everything in town- the harbor, the sculpture park, the galleries, the restaurants, the theatre, the museums- sits within a 15-minute walk. You will want the car for Thousand Islands National Park, the breweries toward Mallorytown, and the 1000 Islands Tower on Hill Island.
Best for: Couples and friends looking for a food, art, and water weekend. Families with kids who like boats, towers, and swimming. Road trippers who want one good overnight instead of another highway motel. It is less suited to travelers who need big-city variety or rainy-day indoor options, because there are not many.
Budget note: A three-hour cruise runs in the range of a mid-priced theatre ticket per person; the tower and museums are inexpensive, and the restaurants span counter-service cafes to genuine fine dining. The single biggest cost is usually the room, and shoulder season rates are noticeably better than July.
Border heads-up: the longer cruises cross into American waters, and landing at Boldt Castle means landing on United States soil at an official port of entry. If you plan to get off the boat at Heart Island, bring a passport or NEXUS card for every person in your party, including children. Cruises that only circle the island and return do not require it, but confirm which one you have booked.
A Little About Gananoque
Most guides to Gananoque skip straight to the boats. I get it. But skip the details, and you lose the soul of a place. Half of what makes the downtown worth walking is that you are looking at the bones of an industrial village that predates Canada, and once you know it, that famous view from the King Street bridge hits harder.
In 1784, the land here was granted to United Empire Loyalists who had come north after the American Revolution; I can count some of my relatives among them. Sir John Johnson got the east side of the Gananoque River and did, basically, nothing with it. The west side went to Colonel Joel Stone, a Connecticut-born Loyalist with a grant of 700 acres.
Stone built. In 1789 he put up a sawmill, and that mill is the reason there is a town here at all. The Gananoque River drops sharply on its run from Gananoque Lake to the St. Lawrence, and Stone recognized that drop as free power. In 1812, Charles McDonald laid out the town site and added his own mill, a store, and a church. Many of those industrial bones are still standing, which is why that view from the bridge is the best picture you will get of what an Ontario river town looked like 150 years ago.
The same position, on the supply line between Kingston and Montreal, made the village a target. On September 21, 1812, American forces under Captain Benjamin Forsyth raided the government supply depot. Stone was away escorting a convoy to Kingston. His militia fought, and his wife Abigail was shot in the hip while hiding the family’s valuables. The Americans burned the storehouse. Within a month, the British were building a blockhouse.
Chris and I started our downtown walk at the town hall, mostly because of the fountain out front. The building went up around 1831 as a private home for John McDonald (not to be confused with former Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald), and the Ontario Heritage Trust calls it one of the best late neoclassical buildings of its type in Ontario. Gananoque was not incorporated until 1890, so McDonald’s house was somebody’s home for sixty years before it became a seat of government.
One last thing, because it is better than the confident version you will read elsewhere: nobody actually knows what Gananoque means. The name is Indigenous and has been recorded in 57 different spellings. Rocks rising out of the water and garden of the Great Spirit are the usual candidates, and neither is settled. Locally, you will hear it shortened to Gan, as in Gan Brewing Co. Say it that way and you’ll sound like you have been here before.
My Three-Day Gananoque Itinerary
Most of my travel happens with my wife, Christina, my two sons, Cohen and Dylan, and a pile of gear. This trip was different. Chris and I have known each other a long time; we’ve traveled together to Calgary, spent time together in St. John’s, Newfoundland, a couple of years back, and we had a long weekend with nothing in it but a hotel in Gananoque, a couple of tickets to a show, and a burning need to see what the 1000 Islands looked like in the fall. I’ve written about my favorite places to see the fall colors in Ontario, and this was really to see if Gananoque should be added to that list.
Day One: Trails, Solar-Powered Beer, And A Town That Opens Up Slowly
I arrived first and drove straight to Thousand Islands National Park, where I hiked the Jones Creek trails and then Landon Bay.
Hiking the Thousand Islands Mainland
I’m a passionate hiker, so I’m going to be honest about the hiking here. Thousand Islands National Park isn’t a “destination” for hikers. The glory of this park is the water and the islands scattered throughout it. The trails on the mainland are a side dish. They are nothing like the big routes in Algonquin or Bon Echo. But what they lack in awe-inspiring viewpoints, they make up for in peaceful and quietly beautiful, rolling Canadian Shield granite, oak and pine, water glimpsed through the trees. On a gray weekday morning in late September, I had the Jones Creek network almost entirely to myself. Landon Bay has the better payoff, with a lookout over the river and the islands beyond it.
Then I made the stop that turned out to be my favorite discovery of the trip.
Breweries and Cideries
ArBru Solar Powered Brewery sits in Mallorytown, about 20 minutes east of Gananoque along the Thousand Islands Parkway. When I got there, it was closed.
Luckily for me, as I tugged at the locked door, the brewery’s owner, Phil Audet, was there and welcomed me in anyway. We talked brews and sustainable energy. An odd combination for anyplace other than here. Phil walked me through his solar array with the pride of someone showing off a new baby. ArBru brewery runs completely off-grid, something I’ve never seen done before in any of the Ontario breweries that I’ve visited. I was there on an overcast day, the kind where you assume solar is just decorative, and his panels were still putting charge into the batteries.
The important part, because off-grid credentials do not excuse bad beer: the beer is excellent. I bought a few cans to open later with Chris.
Next door in spirit, if not quite in geography, is BUSL Cider, which has one of the better patios in the region and an easy, unfussy style. Between the two of them, you could build an afternoon. In proper small-town Ontario style, BUSL is owned by Phil’s Dad, Andre.
Gananoque Town Hall and Sculpture Park
I checked into the Best Western Plus 1000 Islands, which sits right off the Thousand Islands Parkway, a short drive from downtown. Nothing surprising about it, and that was fine. Clean, comfortable, easy parking, and the kind of place where you are not paying a premium for a view you’ll miss because you’re out all day exploring anyway.
I met Chris there, and we went downtown, and Gananoque started working its magic on us.
We started at the city’s town hall and its fountain, that historic icon that I mentioned earlier. After taking in the views, we strolled down to the sculpture park on the edge of the Gananoque River. This, for my money, is the prettiest spot in town. It’s free, and almost nobody writes about it. Metal sculptures, some wildlife, some abstract, stand amongst the grass near the water. The river was busy with the life that art reflected: fish moving in the shallows, great blue herons working the edges, ducks, and white swans.
I sat down next to the water, and two of the swans swam directly up to me, then looked mildly put out when it became clear I had nothing to feed them.
This is also where the Gananoque dam splits the river, sending a channel off for small boat traffic while a wide sheet of water pours over the falls toward the St. Lawrence. Chris and I found a couple of locals sitting on the dam enjoying a drink, which turns out to be what people do here on a beautiful Tuesday night. They hailed us down as we walked across the dam, telling us, without prompting, that this was their favorite place in town.
Across the King Street bridge is the view the town is known for, looking out over those converted former mills on the edge of the shallow river. Go at the end of the day when the light is low on the stones and mortar and the shallow water reflects the sky.
Dinner at Riva
Dinner was at Riva Restaurant, and this is where I learned that small town does not mean walk-in. The tiny parking lot was jammed, and there was a waiting list at the door. Our friend Kathrine had warned us to book ahead, so we walked past it and got seated right away. I’d recommend that you take the same advice.
Riva is elegant in a classic cottage way, which is a hard balance to strike, but they pull it off. It was full, but the tables are spaced generously, so it never felt loud or crowded. Chris and I split the polpette and the escargots, which were Chris’s first-ever snails. Watching him work out that they are neither slimy nor gross was worth the price of the appetizer on its own. I had a garganelli, Chris had the baby back ribs, and I washed it down with a local Ashton Brewing Co. amber ale.
After dinner, we walked down to Gananoque Harbor for the sunset, which is what you do here. More on the harbor below, because there is more to it than a view.
Day Two: Art, Islands, And A Play That Took Me Apart
Breakfast was at Pistachio Cafe, one of the most popular cafes in town. Chris had a breakfast sandwich; I had a breakfast burrito and coffee, and the ambiance gave us our first proper introduction to Gananoque’s eclectic artistic style. Corners full of locally made work in colors that clashed with the wood-on-stone interior in a good way.
Out on King Street, the city’s love for art got more obvious. There is a lot of public art in this downtown: a mural built entirely from tiles painted by local residents, murals worked straight onto building brickwork, and that alley between Charles Street and Stone Street lined with metallic prints. It is not a formal art walk with a map and numbered stops. It’s one that invites you to stumble on things and pay more attention the more you discover. You just notice it, and then you keep noticing it.
Gananoque Art Galleries
Which is how we ended up standing in front of three locked local art galleries, as I mentioned above. The two we did get into made up for it.
Art Apothecary leans toward the ethereal and folkloric: Think howling wolves, five-point star charms, the sort of work that has a very specific audience.
At O’Connor Gallery, we were lucky enough to meet the owner, Dennis, who talked us through his current roster of artists and his plans for the spring collection. What pulled us in off the sidewalk was his display of photography by Steven Heipel, including a stunning shot of an Arctic fox on the ice floes of Baffin Bay. Dennis is the kind of gallery owner who will give you twenty minutes because you asked one good question. He also, later, set us up with our best meal in Gananoque.
Thousand Islands Cruise
In the early afternoon, we headed to the waterfront for our pre-booked cruise. This got off to a spectacular start when I locked my keys in my truck.
Credit where it is due: the team at City Cruises Canada were excellent about it, and the parking lot attendant dealt with the tow truck and then physically walked my keys over to the office so Chris and I could still make the boat. If you have ever wondered whether small-town service is a real thing, that is what it looks like.
The three-hour cruise was, without question, the most relaxing part of the trip. We moved out among the islands with the fall color just starting to light up the foliage, crossed between Canadian and American waters, slid under the Ivy Lea bridges, and cruised out as far as Heart Island, where we turned a slow circle around the most famous of the 1000 Islands castles.
Boldt Castle deserves its reputation, and it needs to be understood before you see it. The story is in my article about the castles of the Thousand Islands. If you read only one piece of background before you come here, make it that one. Boldt Castle is a six-story stone monument to love, abandoned mid-construction. Visiting it is a very different experience when you know why the work stopped.
Thousand Islands Playhouse
We got back to the dock with just enough time to walk over to the 1000 Islands Playhouse. We had tickets for Come From Away, which neither of us had seen, despite the two of us having spent time together in St. John’s a couple of years earlier.
If you don’t know the story, Come From Away tells the story of September 11, 2001 from the perspective of Gander, Newfoundland, a town of fewer than 12,000 people where 38 aircraft were forced to land, and thousands of stranded passengers stayed for up to five days. The play hit everything. It was funny, it was honest, it was entertaining, and as someone who remembers that day with vivid clarity, it uncovered emotions that I was not braced for.
Seeing this popular play in a small town theatre, with local actors, in front of a crowd that was completely into it, was about as close to perfect as an evening gets. I’ll share more about the playhouse below.
Dinner at Graydon’s in Woodview Inn
For dinner, Dennis from O’Connor Gallery had phoned his friends at the Woodview Inn to get us a table at Graydon’s, the inn’s restaurant. I’m glad he did. We had planned on Musky Jake’s, a very good waterside grill pub that the locals love, and I’ll try to hit it the next time I’m in town. But after a full day of art and theatre, a fireside table at what may be the best fine dining room in Gananoque felt like the right call.
We shared the double cream brie, which came as a mix of fresh mango chutney, slivered almonds, and diced green apple with baked baguette slices, and I could not leave it alone. We both ordered the beef short ribs for mains, which were excellent, but I spent most of the course thinking about that delicious brie.
Day Three: A Helicopter, And A Four Hundred Foot Tower
We checked out of the Best Western and went downtown to Laverne’s Eatery for breakfast. Laverne’s gave off the same energy as our breakfast the day before. A large cafe that works as a canvas for local art and creativity. I loved it. I had a salmon bagel that was as beautiful as it was delicious.
Laverne’s sits in the middle of Gananoque’s shopping district, and here is the thing I love about this downtown. There are almost no chain stores. What you get instead are places like Beggar’s Books, Market Vintage, and Steel Style, independent shops that reflect the same creative local streak as the galleries and the murals. A downtown with no chains is increasingly rare in southern Ontario, and it is a big part of why this town feels like itself.
Museums and Such
We tried the Thousand Islands Boat Museum and found it closed, which stung because Chris was really looking forward to it. We did get into the 1000 Islands History Museum next door, and it was a good trade. The exhibits cover Indigenous culture in the region, the area’s deep boating culture, and the flooding and dredging that came with the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway, which is a bigger and stranger story than most Ontarians realize (you can read more about that in my article about cycling the St. Lawrence). There were also enough model boats to get a smile out of Chris.
Worth knowing: the two museums sit side by side but keep separate schedules. Check both before you go, especially outside July and August.
Thousand Islands Helicopter Tour
Next was 1000 Islands Helicopter Tours, and the weather was not cooperating. Gray, foggy, the kind of morning where you expect a refund rather than a flight. Our pilot, Quinton, had just come back from a test run and found a ceiling of 400 feet, too low to fly. He offered to take us up anyway just to look, and by then, the ceiling had lifted enough to get off the ground safely.
We didn’t get the full tour down to Boldt Castle that we had signed up for. Because safety first always wins. What we got was enough: the islands from above, Gananoque’s fall color spreading out underneath us, and the thrill of seeing the breadth of an archipelago that is too vast to understand from ground level. Quinton was great about the whole thing, and we already know we will fly with him again.
Where Locals Love Lunch
Lunch was at a small cafe called Frisk on Stone Street, and I want to be careful how I describe it. It’s not fancy. It is not even especially charming. I had walked past it the day before, and it was absolutely packed, which, if you travel a lot, you’ll know, is the only review that matters. This is where downtown Gananoque goes for lunch. Think pre-made sandwiches and genuinely excellent soup.
But the real treat at Frisk is the cookies. I chased my sandwich with a s’mores cookie, and it was one of the best cookies I have eaten anywhere. I am not being cute about this. Go get yourself a cookie and then thank me later.
Thousand Islands Tower
Our last stop before Chris and I went our separate ways was the 1000 Islands Tower on Hill Island. I have driven the 401 between Toronto and Montreal more times than I can count, and I had never once stopped at it. Not once in 30-plus years of driving it.
The weather still was not great, but the views were still fantastic. We were standing 400 feet up in the middle of the St. Lawrence River, a few hundred meters from the United States border, with fall color starting to come alive on every island in sight.
This was the right way to say goodbye to the 1000 Islands. For now.
The Best Things To Do In Gananoque
That was my itinerary, but your interests, or what’s open when you get to the town, might be different than mine. As I mentioned earlier, I’ve been to Gananoque and the Thousand Islands countless times, and I’ve experienced most of the things to do here. So here’s my list of the attractions and experiences that are most worth your time organized by where you will actually be.. I’ve flagged what’s worth your money, what is free, and what is seasonal.
Take a 1000 Islands Boat Cruise
This is the thing that most people come to Gananoque for, and, honestly, it’s worth the time. The town is the main Canadian departure point for cruises into the archipelago, and the boats run from the harbor at the foot of town. There are thousand island cruises that run from the three major towns and cities along the Canadian side of the Thousand Islands. Rockport is ideal for those who want to quickly get out to the island chain’s famous castles; the city of Kingston sits on the Lake Ontario edge and is better for cruises with city views than it is for island exploration. Gananoque sits right in the middle of the islands, making it the ideal launching point for proper Thousand Islands exploration.
Cruise lengths range from about an hour up to five hours. The short ones stay in Canadian waters and give a tour of the islands that are closest to town. The three-hour run, which is what Chris and I took with City Cruises Canada, crosses into American waters, passes under the Ivy Lea bridges, and goes out to Heart Island to circle Boldt Castle. You don’t need to bring your passport for either of these cruises. There are also 5-hour cruises that dock at Boldt Castle so you can wander the grounds and the stunning architecture. Because both Boldt and Singer Castles sit on American soil, you’ll need to bring your passport for those.
- Practical notes: Book ahead in summer. Sit outside on the rooftop deck or bow deck if the weather allows. The enclosed deck can be warm, but the views of the islands are the whole reason for taking the tour. For a special treat, go in early to mid-October if you can, because the fall color on the water offers a completely different experience than the same route in July.
- Season: Roughly May through October. Confirm before booking in the shoulder weeks.
- Who runs them: City Cruises Canada from Gananoque, with other operators departing Rockport, Ivy Lea, and Kingston. Rockport’s one-hour Heart of the Islands run is a good short option if you are tight on time.
- Read More: You can find out more about the fascinating and tragic story behind Boldt Castle and the unique private ownership of Singer Castle (including how to stay there) in my guide to the castles of the Thousand Islands.
Fly over the islands by helicopter
Helicopter tours are awesome. I did my very first one when I was searching for polar bears in Churchill, Manitoba, and I was hooked. The Thousand Islands helicopter tours run from a small airfield just outside of Gananoque. They offer one of the most unique and complete views of just how magnificent the islands are.
Flights run from about 10 minutes up to an hour, and the longer ones take you down over Boldt Castle and the “modest” cottage islands toward the New York side.
The enormity of the Thousand Islands archipelago is tough to understand from a boat, because from water level you only ever see the islands nearest you. From high up in the air, with the islands splayed out around you, it’s possible to appreciate how the channels work, how the border weaves through, how many of these islands are just large enough to hold one house and one tree.
Getting good weather is important, and it’s a popular tour, so I’d recommend booking it early in your stay rather than on your last morning, as we did. By booking a helicopter tour early, you have a second chance if the ceiling is too low. The operators are honest about conditions and safety.
Climb the 1000 Islands Tower on Hill Island
The Thousand Islands Tower first opened on June 15, 1965; it rises 400 feet above the St. Lawrence River on Hill Island, about 620 meters from the New York State border. Hill Island sits between the two spans of the Thousand Islands Bridge, so reaching it means crossing the Canadian span and paying the bridge toll.
At first glance, this tower can look intimidating. It’s an old concrete structure that oozes a 1960s style similar to the Skylon Tower in Niagara Falls. There’s a winding staircase that climbs the exterior, which both Chris and I thought we were going to have to climb It turns out that the stairs are no longer in use. You take an elevator. If you came specifically to climb several hundred steps, sorry, you’re out of luck.
Instead of a workout, you’ll get a 360-degree panorama across the islands on both the Canadian and American sides- the best view of the Thousand Islands you can get without taking a helicopter tour.
- Season: Generally May through October.
- Know before you go: You’ll need to pay a toll to access the Ivy Lea Bridge. If you continue past the tower, you may end up at the U.S. border, so be careful and bring your passport just in case.
Kayak the 1000 Islands
Chris and I didn’t paddle on this trip, but I have done it with my kids in the past, and it’s one of my favorite ways to explore the islands. You can rent a kayak and explore on your own or book a half-day or full-day sea kayak trip run out of the Gananoque area. As you paddle, you’ll pass shipwrecks visible through the clear, shallow water and stop at spots like Half Moon Bay, the little natural amphitheater where boats gather for open-air services.
Experienced paddlers can rent and go independently. This is the hands-on, no-schedule 1000 Islands that the cruise boats cannot give you, because you can get into the narrow water between islands where the houses are close enough to wave at.
Gananoque Sculpture Park, the Dam, and the King Street Bridge
It’s free, it’s central, and honestly, it’s one of the most underrated things to do in Gananoque. Confederation Park, which often gets referred to as the “Sculpture Park,” runs along the edge of the water where King St. passes over the Gananoque River. Artwork here varies from metal sculptures of wildlife to abstract forms, and they reflect the shapes and animals living in the water itself.
Wandering beneath the dam for just a few minutes, I came across ducks, Great Blue Herons, white swans, and turtles. If you look close enough, you’re likely to see fish jumping. Confederation Park is a nice, walkable loop. Start at King St. and walk past the waterfall where the dam splits the river along the Gananoque Waterfront Trail. One side is for boat traffic and one side for a waterfall that tumbles down toward the St. Lawrence. Cross the dam and stroll back up the other side toward the Comfort Inn. The whole thing takes about 10 minutes to walk, but you may just find yourself pulling out a picnic blanket and staying a while.
Follow the Gananoque Street Art
There is no official street art trail in Gananoque, but that’s part of the charm. Start downtown and look up and down the side streets, and you’ll find it everywhere. The highlights are the tile mural outside the TD Bank at the corner of Stone St. and King St. This piece is a pride of the community and has been assembled from pieces painted by local residents. There are several murals worked directly onto the brickwork of the downtown businesses, and my personal favorite is an alley running between Charles Street and Stone Street lined with metallic prints. Give it forty minutes of aimless walking paired with a visit to some of the local vintage and clothing shops.
Visit the Art Galleries
For a town of 5,000 people, Gananoque has a remarkable number of art galleries. If you’re an art lover and want to dive into the scene, O’Connor Gallery, Art Apothecary, J2, Vaga, and Woo Art all offer unique collections ranging from ethereal to classic to modern.
In summer, they keep regular hours. From September through spring, most of them run Thursday to Sunday, and some keep shorter or appointment-only hours than that. Check each gallery’s current hours the week you travel rather than relying on anything published, including this.
Shop the Unique Stores of Downtown Gananoque
Gananoque’s shopping district runs along the main downtown blocks around Laverne’s, and the cool thing about it is the near-total absence of chain stores. Beggar’s Books is the spot for anyone who likes a secondhand bookshop paired with a great selection of vintage vinyl records. Market Vintage and Steel Style cover reclaimed styles and fashion. This is a browse-and-wander district rather than a destination shopping trip, and it’s worth an hour of your time.
Watch the Sunset at Gananoque Harbor and Joel Stone Heritage Park
Many visitors to Gananoque assume the town’s harbor is where the big Thousand Islands cruises take off from, but if you wander just a little further west on Water St., you’ll find Joel Stone Heritage Park and the Marina where locals and those with some spare money have their boats moored during the week. During the day, this is a working harbor. But in the evening, it’s the best sunset spot in town.
Joel Stone Heritage Park sits at the west end of Water Street, built partly on reclaimed land. Inside, you will find a children’s playground, a stone block amphitheater, and a beach. There is a gun position holding a restored 24-pounder dated back to 1807 along with two eight-pound replicas, stone walls carrying interpretive plaques at the entrance, and a scale model of the 1812-era village just inside. At the water’s edge stand an 80-foot flagpole and a 17-foot white pyramidal lighthouse with red trim that has become something of a local emblem.
So you can walk the War of 1812 story, let your kids run, and then watch the sun go down over the St. Lawrence from the same patch of ground. For a free attraction, it works remarkably well.
Catch a Show at the 1000 Islands Playhouse
I’ve spoken a few times in this article alone about Gananoque’s art scene, and for those who are passionate about the arts, you can easily plan a trip around it with the 1000 Islands Playhouse acting as the anchor.
The Thousand Islands Playhouse was founded in 1982 by a group of local actors and Queen’s University graduates. It’s believed to be the largest regional theatre company between Toronto and Montreal. More than 48,000 people attend each season.
The Playhouse runs two separate theaters. The Springer Theatre seats 348 and sits in the former Gananoque Canoe Club building, directly on the water. This is where the larger shows, like Come from Away, take place. The Firehall Theatre is a 140-seat black box in a heritage brick building, and it’s where the smaller and more experimental work takes place. The company has also run a touring Young Company doing children’s shows since 1997.
The converted canoe club on the St. Lawrence is a lovely venue, but it’s the Playhouse mentoring projects, which help emerging artists and playwrights, that the audience shows up for year after year. Watching Come From Away there, with the river outside the wall and a crowd that was fully engaged, was better than seeing the same show in a 2,000-seat showplace in downtown Toronto.
1000 Islands History Museum
The 1000 Islands History Museum is a nice add-on after a cruise. It’s small, well put together, and offers good insight into the history, culture, and landscapes of the 1000 Islands. The permanent exhibits cover Indigenous culture in the region, the boating culture that defines the islands, and the flooding and dredging that came with building the St. Lawrence Seaway. The Seaway project drowned communities and reshaped the river permanently, and the museum tells it honestly. There are model boats, fun art installations, and rotating exhibits, and enough variety to hold kids for a reasonable stretch.
Thousand Islands Boat Museum
Right next door, but existing on its own schedule, which is how Chris and I missed it, is the 1000 Islands Boat Museum. The museum covers the region’s wooden boat history, with vintage boats you can climb aboard, hands-on exhibits, boat building demonstrations through the year, and a mini-boat workshop for kids. If you have anyone in your party who cares about boats, check its hours first and build the day around it rather than assuming.
Things To Do Near Gananoque
As much as there’s plenty to do in Gananoque, this is a city that’s more of a central hub for Thousand Islands exploration than a singular destination of its own. There is plenty to do nearby, and that’s what makes it one of my favorite regions of Southwestern Ontario.
Thousand Islands National Park
This is one of the smallest National Parks in Canada, and one of the most unusual, because most of it is islands. The mainland sectors of TINP closest to Gananoque are Landon Bay and the Jones Creek trails, with more at Mallorytown Landing further east.
Set your expectations before you visit. The hiking is pleasant rather than dramatic: Shield granite and mixed forest with river views, and it is nothing like some of Ontario’s wildest provincial parks like Sleeping Giant and Killarney. Landon Bay has the best lookout. Jones Creek has the most trail network and the fewest people; Mallorytown Landing is where the Thousand Islands National Park camping is for those who can’t get reservations on the islands themselves.
The real wonders of the park are out on the water. There are primitive campsites and oTENTiks on islands including McDonald Island, which is the most accessible from Gananoque, and Gordon Island. Reaching them requires your own boat or a paddle-out excursion, which is the barrier and also the appeal. I have written a full breakdown of camping out there in my Thousand Islands National Park camping guide, including how the island sites work and what to bring.
ArBru Solar Powered Brewery
ArBru is just twenty minutes east in Mallorytown and worth the drive. Phil Audet runs the whole brewery off-grid on solar, and he will happily explain how, which turns a tasting into something more interesting. The beer is fantastic; I especially love their amber ale. You can buy cans to take with you or enjoy them on-site along with some wood-fired pizza. You can check their website for live music times as well, which are usually hosted on the brewery’s patio.
BUSL Cider
Just down the street from ArBru, with a genuinely good patio and a relaxed, casual feel. Pair it with ArBru for an easy afternoon beverage loop out of Gananoque along the Thousand Islands Parkway.
Drive the Thousand Islands Parkway
Free and one of the best short scenic drives in Ontario, the Thousand Islands Parkway runs roughly 37 kilometers between Gananoque and Brockville, parallel to the 401 but hugging the river, with lookouts, picnic spots, and the Waterfront Trail running alongside for cyclists. If you only have an hour spare, drive it east out of town toward Rockport and back. In early October, the color along it is excellent.
Gananoque Trails and Marble Rock
The town maintains roughly 12 kilometers of local trails, and Marble Rock Conservation Area north of Gananoque offers more substantial hiking on Frontenac Arch terrain with a decent lookout. Both are free, both are quiet, and both are a good option on a day when the weather has killed your boat or helicopter tour.
Cycle the Thousand Islands Waterfront Trail
This is an experience that I had a few years ago when I did a bike tour along the St. Lawrence River from Brockville to Mallorytown Landing. Cycling the 160-some-odd kilometers, through some of Ontario’s most gorgeous scenery, like the Long Sault Parkway, was awesome.
The trail, which is actually a section of the Trans-Canada Trail, has some flaws. Some of the sections run along the highways and roads of the Thousand Islands Parkway. The section near Gananoque, however, does not. This makes it the best spot along the St. Lawrence River for cycling with kids. The whole route is divided from the highway, creating a much safer cycling experience than almost anywhere along the way.
Where To Eat And Drink In Gananoque
For a town this size, the food is better than it should be. Here is where Chris and I ate, plus the places locals kept pointing us toward.
Riva Restaurant
Elegant Italian in a converted historic building downtown, offering elevated cottage vibes. The room strikes a classic note without tipping into theme, and the tables are spaced so generously that a full house still feels calm. We split the polpette and the escargots and moved on to garganelli and baby back ribs. There is a solid local beer list, including Ashton Brewing Co. Book ahead. The parking lot is tiny, and there was a waiting list on a Monday night in October. Reservations here.
Graydon’s at the Woodview Inn
Quite possibly Gananoque’s best fine dining, in a fireside room at the Woodview Inn. The double cream brie, served with fresh mango chutney, slivered almonds, diced green apple, and baked baguette, is the dish I still think about. The beef short ribs were excellent. This is the special occasion table in town. Details and reservations are here.
Pistachio Cafe
This is the downtown breakfast and coffee standout, and a good introduction to the town’s art scene. The menu consists of breakfast sandwiches, burritos, and proper coffee in a wood-and-stone room hung with local work.
Laverne’s Eatery
A larger, eclectic cafe in the middle of the shopping district. This might be the best breakfast spot in town, serving up bagels, omelets, pancakes, and burritos, plus a weekend brunch. My salmon bagel was excellent and a wonderful way to start off the day.
Frisk Cafe
On Stone Street, this unassuming cafe is where locals in downtown Gananoque actually eat lunch. They focus on pre-made sandwiches and very good soup. The s’mores cookie is one of the best cookies I have had anywhere, and I am not exaggerating for effect.
Musky Jake’s
A waterside grill pub that locals recommended to us repeatedly and that we did not get to eat at, because Dennis fixed us a table at Graydon’s instead. It is the casual waterfront option, and it is on my list for next time. Take this as a local recommendation rather than a personal one.
Maple Leaf Restaurant
Czech and Eastern European home cooking that has been running in Gananoque for more than thirty years. Schnitzel, perogies, borscht, rouladen. It is the sort of long-running, unfashionable, deeply reliable restaurant that a tourist town is lucky to still have.
The Purple House Cafe
The Purple House is Gananoque’s quirkiest restaurant. Serving up wood-fired pizza and salads in a planted outdoor garden setting, it’s run by Kerry Coyle along with her partner, Aaron. Ask a local, and they’ll likely tell you that this is one of the best meals in town. The twist is that its opening hours are more of a suggestion than a rule. So check their Facebook page ahead of time.
ArBru Solar Powered Brewery and BUSL Cider
Both are east of town toward Mallorytown and both worth the drive. ArBru runs entirely off-grid on solar and makes genuinely good beer, and owner Phil Audet is happy to show you the system. BUSL Cider has the better patio. Gan Brewing Co. is the in-town option if you do not want to drive.
Where To Stay In Gananoque
Gananoque’s accommodation splits cleanly into highway properties with easy parking and waterfront properties with a view and a walk. Which one is right depends entirely on whether you plan to drive in the evening.
Best Western Gananoque
This is where Chris and I stayed, and it’s a safe and easy central recommendation. It sits right off the 401, which makes arrival and departure painless, with a short drive down to downtown. Clean, comfortable, easy parking, and priced sensibly because you are not paying for a river view you will not be in the room to see. The practical trade-off is that you are driving to dinner. Check rates and availability here.
The Gananoque Inn and Spa
If you want to stay on the waterfront, directly on the St. Lawrence, a short walk from the harbor, the Playhouse, and downtown. This is the one to book if you want to leave the car parked for two days and if a river view matters to you. It carries a premium for both. Check rates and availability.
The Woodview Inn
This is where Chris and I enjoyed dinner on our second night in Gananoque. Not only is it one of the best restaurants in town, but it is one of the classiest accommodations in Gananoque as well. The historic home and motel-style extension is for those looking for more of a romantic stay or a quiet place away from the crowds with easy access to a great meal. You can check out their rates and availability here.
Comfort Inn and Suites Thousand Islands Harbor District
The best balance of price and position in town. It is within reasonable walking distance of downtown, the harbor, and most of the attractions in this guide, which means you can do an evening without driving. A solid family pick. Check rates and availability.
TRU by Hilton Gananoque
This is one of the newest chain hotels in Gananoque, and it’s the highest-rated on Booking.com. I haven’t stayed here myself, but I’ve heard excellent things about its modern appeal and cleanliness. Check rates and availability here.
Camping in Thousand Islands National Park
If you have a boat or you are willing to paddle out, the island campsites and oTENTiks in Thousand Islands National Park are the most memorable way to sleep in this region by a wide margin. McDonald Island is the most accessible from Gananoque. I have covered the logistics in detail in my Thousand Islands National Park camping guide.
Booking tip: the summer weekends sell out, particularly anything on the water and anything within walking distance of the Playhouse on a performance night. If you are coming in July or August, or you have theatre tickets, book the room before you book anything else.
Is Gananoque Worth Visiting?
Yes, and for more reasons than the brochures might make you think. Most people experience the 1000 Islands only as a cruise. They park, they board, they look at Boldt Castle, they drive away, and they have only seen the water without really seeing the place. That is a perfectly good way to spend an afternoon. But Gananoque deserves more.
What makes this town worth two nights is that it has an actual life of its own that goes far beyond the boats and the islands. Sure, those are the draw, but stick around a while, and you’ll find so much more. An art scene that gives life to the stone walls. A regional theatre doing that has grown into one of the best in Ontario, located in a converted canoe club. A brewer running his tanks off solar panels twenty minutes down the road. And locals like the art gallery owner who phones a restaurant for two strangers who walked in off the street and two guys enjoying a beer on a dam who want to show you their favorite place in town.
To put it simply, the islands are the reason you come, and the town is the reason you stay. Set two days aside, land on a Thursday through Sunday if it is not high summer, book Riva and a show before you arrive, and let the rest of Gananoque work its way into your soul.
We will be back. Christina and the boys have not seen the sculpture park, and I still owe Chris a trip to the boat museum.
Frequently Asked Questions About Travel in Gananoque
Gananoque sits on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River in eastern Ontario, directly off Highway 401 at exits 645 and 647. It is about 30 minutes east of Kingston, and roughly 2 hours and 45 minutes from both Toronto and Montreal.
Gan-a-NOK-way, with the stress on the third syllable. Locals routinely shorten it to Gan.
Nobody knows for certain. The name is Indigenous in origin and has been recorded in 57 different spellings. The two most commonly proposed meanings are rocks rising out of the water and garden of the Great Spirit, but neither has been established as correct.
Two nights cover the essentials: a boat cruise, a show at the Playhouse, the downtown walk, the museums, and two good dinners. Three nights let you add Thousand Islands National Park, the breweries toward Mallorytown, and the 1000 Islands Tower without rushing.
Late September and early October, if the choice is yours. The fall color across the islands is spectacular from the water, the summer crowds are gone, and the weather is usually still patio-friendly. July and August are busiest and have the fullest schedules. From November through April, most tourism operations, including the cruises and Boldt Castle, are closed.
No, and this is the single most useful thing to know before you go. Gananoque runs seven days a week through the summer. After Labour Day, most of the town operates Thursday to Sunday, and several galleries and museums reduce their hours further or close for the season. Check the hours of anything you are building a day around in the week you travel.
If you plan to get off the boat at Boldt Castle, yes. Heart Island is a United States port of entry with a Customs and Border Protection office on site, so everyone in your party needs appropriate identification, which in practice means a passport or NEXUS card. Cruises that circle the island without docking do not require it. Confirm which type of cruise you have booked.
For a first visit, the three-hour cruise is the sweet spot. It crosses into American waters, passes under the Ivy Lea bridges, and runs out to circle Boldt Castle. If you are short on time, a one-hour cruise still delivers the near islands. If you want to actually tour Boldt Castle rather than look at it, book a cruise that docks at Heart Island and bring passports.
Very. The boat cruises, the 1000 Islands Tower, the beach and playground at Joel Stone Heritage Park, the boat museum, the helicopter flights, and the swimming in Thousand Islands National Park all land well with kids. The limitation is rainy days, since the indoor options are the two museums and not much else.
It is one of the best overnight stops on that route. It is immediately off the 401, roughly halfway, and it gives you a cruise, a good dinner, and a walkable downtown instead of a highway motel. I have mapped the whole drive, including where Gananoque fits, in my guide to the Toronto to Montreal drive.
Kingston is 30 minutes west and makes an easy day trip, and I have written about using the Kingston waterfront as a base for land and water adventures. Brockville is 45 minutes east, with the Brockville Railway Tunnel and the Aquatarium. Rockport is a 20-minute drive along the Thousand Islands Parkway and has its own cruise departures. The Rideau Canal at Chaffey’s Lock is about 45 minutes north.
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Disclosure: Some activities in this article were done in partnership with Tourism 1000 Islands. All opinions remain my own. This article contains affiliate links. If you book accommodation through one of them, Wandering Wagars may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you, which helps keep this site running. All opinions, meals, cookies, and locked gallery doors are entirely my own.