Mermaid Island (Parks Canada)

Follow staff in period costume on a tour of Bellevue House. Hear stories about Canada’s first prime minister, who made history here in the 1840s. Feel a Lake Ontario breeze in an heirloom garden. At Fort Wellington, one of the fortified posts the British built to defend its colonies against American invasion in 1812 and 1838, you can relive this precarious period when the fate of Canada hung in the balance.Kingston Fortifications National Historic Site is located in and around the harbour area of Kingston, Ontario. Situated at the mouth of the Cataraqui River, and overlooking the confluence of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, the fortifications consist of five separate 19th-century military installations.An historic 19th century military waterway linking rivers and lakes across Eastern Ontario’s countryside, the Rideau Canal is now a popular natural playground, perfect for boating, paddling, fishing, camping, hiking and cycling the canal’s wooded pathways.Two of Canada’s most important Prime Ministers, Sir Wilfrid Laurier and the Rt. Hon. William Lyon Mackenzie King, resided in this Victorian Ottawa mansion where they entertained dignitaries and politicians while often conducting the nation’s business.Granite islands speckle the St. Lawrence River in a transition zone between Canadian Shield and Adirondack Mountains. Explore by boating, paddling, or hiking. Awesome Thousand Islands National Park awaits, a few hours from Toronto or Montreal.