If you approach or pass Hamilton on the "QEW" (Queen Elizabeth Highway) you may feel the desire to speed up to get away from this city as fast as possible. There is smoke and most of the time a bad smell which shows that the local industry is not exactly environment friendly.
If you do not follow this urge and visit the city you will not be disappointed. Hamilton has also nice things to offer - thanks to this industry. We know this and come regularly to this town.
A special reason for me is to have a good german or Austrian meal in the "Black Forest Inn"

• "Hamilton Place", offers up to 2181 seats and is used for a variety of events •Opera Hamilton
• Theatre Aquarius
• a studio theatre in "Hamilton Place"
• the "Bach Elgar Choir" with over 100 voices
• a symphonic orchestra
• the "New Hamilton Orchestra" which perform regularly in "Hamilton Place"
• the "Hamilton Military Museum" which is mostly dedicated to the period between 1812 and WWI
• the "Hamilton Museum of Steam & Technology", a technical museum
• the "Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum" in Mount Hope
• the "Children's Museum"
• the "Erland Lee Home", a museum dedicated to the founder of the first women institute in the world
• an art gallery
• "Dundurn Castle" where you can see how a rich Canadian family lived in the 219 th century
• many other historical buildings
• a farmer's market
• the famous "Royal Botanical Garden"
• "Wild Waterworks" located in the Confederation Park. This is Canada's largest outdoor wave pool. There is also a children's pool known as "Squirt Works" several water slides and a river ride. Open from June through to Labour Day.

We recommend to ask for actual information when you arrive in Hamilton and before you start exploring the attractions.

This "castle" was originally the estate of Allan Napier MacNab. He was soldier, speculator and lawyer. According to my opinion the perfect prerequisites for success. The city of Hamilton purchased the property in the sixties and renovated it tastefully.
After you went through excessive culture, have relaxed at "Wild Waterworks" you are ready going shopping. Hamilton seems to be a paradise for born shoppers. Start at "Jackson Square" and if you are not already exhausted proceed in King Street. (Please go in the right direction!) You will find hopefully more stores. (Things are changing fast and not always to the better.)
Naturally, you should not forget lunch or dinner. I was always pleased by the many international restaurants. I never knew how excellent an Indian chef can prepare Swiss specialities such as veal in a delicious sour cream sauce with "Rösti" (a Swiss speciality made from potatoes)
A few years ago the city has also finally started to renovate "Downtown". As you still can see, this is a necessity and more efforts are required because certain parts of the people are not willing to support this program. Litter everywhere, especially in the flower pots. Windows protected with card boards or ply wood. I was feeling like in Germany after a bomb ride or in a war zone in former Yugoslavia. Just come, see and compare with your home country.
Naturally, not everybody who lives there appreciated this special way of live. I could not believe when I was walking down King Street on a very hot day and saw a couple cleaning a spoiled window of a deserted shop. I was intended to take a picture to send it to city hall.
I talked to them and learned that they were the Austrian owners of the "Black Forest Inn" which was just on the other side.

Naturally, I showed my appreciation of their doing by visiting their restaurant. I enjoyed a great meal in the little "beer garden", German beer in a real glass and not in a plastic cup and after that an "energizer" - a good Austrian schnapps.

Hamilton has also a small and unfortunately sparely used airport. I still cannot understand that charter airlines are still not using it more frequently. They, as well as their customers could save money. We are always happy when we can pick up somebody here and must not drive to Toronto.

Close to this airport you will find the "Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum". I had visited this several times with my father in law. We were always talking about booking a sightseeing flight in one of the older air planes. Unfortunately we never did this.
Don't make the same mistake! Please send us an e-mail and pictures and tell us how it was. Thanks.

For all those who love nature we recommend to visit the "Royal Botanical Gardens". Elizabeth, my wife, did this and took many beautiful pictures. She was really excited and I prepared a German web site. You must find the official English site on the Internet.
I am still not sure whether this gardens are part of Hamilton or Burlington.