Best Areas To Visit in Hamilton, Ontario
Best Areas to Visit in Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton, Ontario in Canada is so much more that the factories you see as you drive by on the highway!
Hamilton is such a big city with so many areas to explore!
I am going to share with you my tips on the best areas to visit in Hamilton, Ontario!!
This is not about a specific place such as Dundurn Castle or the HMCS Haida, instead it’s about areas or streets to mingle on and places to hang out in Hamilton.
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Best Streets & Areas in Hamilton, ON
Where is Hamilton?
Hamilton is located in Southern Ontario, Canada.
Surrounding Hamilton is the Niagara Escarpment, Lake Ontario and some towns.
Hamilton is in the middle of Niagara Falls and Toronto. It takes around 1 hour to get to either Niagara Falls or Toronto from Hamilton. If you’re planning a trip around the area here is How to Get to Niagara Falls from Toronto.
In 2001, the actual City of Hamilton expanded to include Ancaster, Dundas, Flamborough, Stoney Creek, and, Glanbrook. It gained some great areas to visit!
What is Hamilton like?
Hamilton has grown in many ways over the past several years.
There are over half a million people living in Hamilton now.
The city is lovingly referred to as ‘The Hammer” by many people who live in and around Hamilton.
Hamilton is full of many different types of neighbourhoods and districts, so here I am going to share the best areas to visit in Hamilton!
Locke Street
Locke Street is a fun street that is west of downtown Hamilton.
It’s about a 15 minute walk from downtown to get to Locke Street.
This area was once known for antique shops, but it has shifted to now having more modern shops and restaurants for the most part.
You will find people eating at vegan restaurants, strolling while eating gelato, shopping for organic food, and much more.
You can let your creative juices flow while make pottery or taking music lessons.
Also, there are some benches, so you can just chill and watch the people go by too.
Locke Street is a hip and cool area with lots of options for dining out or having some drinks.
More than that, you can also treat your body well, you can go to a spa or a health and wellness centre to get massages, chiropractic treatments, and more. I recommend the Regent Health Centre for these treatments.
There are also some spas, so you can spoil yourself too!
Some iconic places to visit on Locke Street are:
- The Westtown Bar and Grill for a laid-back pub with good food
- Democracy for vegan and vegetarian food and coffee
- CIMA Enoteca for Italian food and wood-oven pizzas.
- Amo Gelato Caffe shop for great gelato
There is a yearly Locke Street Festival near the beginning of September every year. The street is closed and fills with people, vendors, and live music on stages.
Ottawa Street
Ottawa Street is on the east side of Hamilton. It is close to the Centre Mall on Barton Street East.
Ottawa has been known for being an area for buying fabric, textiles and sewing supplies. Also, it has become more known for antique shopping too.
There are still some of sewing shops left, but now there are also quite a few restaurants and newer shops.
One focal point on Ottawa Street is the Tim Horton’s Museum. It is the actual location of the first ever Tim Horton’s in the world!
You can go in and order your food and you can also go visit the museum too!
The street is full of people mingling and shopping.
There are a few beautiful pieces of Indigenous art on the walls and some really nice murals.
There is also a really beautiful area to sit and play chess or checkers with an awesome mural as your backdrop.
When mingling on Ottawa Street, I recommend:
- visiting the Tim Horton’s Museum
- Check out the home decor and antique shops such as Artiques.
- Go vintage clothes shopping in Out of the Past or other shops
- Get some great fabric for your next creative project
- Shop at the Ottawa Market
Main Street in Dundas
Dundas is a quaint picturesque little town in the far west side of Hamilton.
Dundas is surrounded by big trees and hiking areas. It’s in a valley, so you can see the Dundas peak at the top of the escarpment.
The Dundas peak is a look out point at the top of the escarpment that overlooks Dundas.
Main Street in Dundas is, well as it suggests, the main street. It is full of shops with cute windows displays. The street is seasonly decorated to match holidays and events.
Dundas is all about local products and community.
At Christmas time, there is the Dundas Christmas Festival where you can ride on a horse carriage while you sip cider and mingle among the shops and performers.
You can sip coffee or local beers at some of the shops and restaurants.
If you’re looking for a bar check out:
- The Collins Brewhouse
- The Thirsty Cactus
- The Winchester Arms
If you’re looking to grab a bite to eat, I recommend:
- Bangkok Spoon Deluxe
- The Burnt Tongue
- Detour Cafe
- Cafe Domestique
There are also so many shops to buy your new wardrobe, home decor, and more.
You can visit the specialty food shops such as:
- The Dundas Cheese Shop
- Cumbraes of Dundas -butcher
- Pinbones Fish Market & Restaurant
- The Urban Vine for oils etc.
Hess Village
If you’re looking for a fun night life and some good food then Hess Village is a great area to visit in Hamilton for you!
Hess Village is about a 5-8 minute walk from downtown.
You can walk west down Main or King street until you get to Hess Street.
The area of Hess Village is full of bars, and restaurants. Hess Village is on Hess Street between Main and King Streets and on George Street.
You can chill at a pub with nachos and beer or dance at a club with shots and club music here.
You can get pizza, Mexican food, pub food and more.
Some places that I recommend visiting are:
- Amigos or Sinaloa Factory for Mexican Food
- Moody’s Pizza Bar and Arcade! You can play old video games and pin ball machines! It takes you back to when you were younger when you see Frogger, Pac-Man, Street Fighter and Pin ball games!
- The Gown and Gavel. It has a great patio and lively night life.
- The Electric Diner for a hip place to grab a bite to eat
Augusta Street
Augusta Street is located right behind the downtown Go Station in the core of Hamilton.
Augusta Street between John Street South to James Street South is a super fun area.
There are fun bars and pubs with bar food and chill vibes.
If you’re looking for less of a club scene than Hess Village, then Augusta Street is a great option for you.
Some of the bars have live music which is great!
Some of the places that I recommend visiting on Augusta Street are:
- Plank Restobar Augusta
- The Pheasant Plucker
- Paloma TnT
- The Cat And Fiddle. This is a great place for live music as you can see from the picture below.
King William Street
King William Street is in downtown Hamilton close the Jackson Square which is the mall downtown.
King William street between James Street to a little bit past John Street is a fun area to spend a day or evening.
It has coffee shops, restaurants and bars.
This street has parking lots close by and there is also street parking.
This area has become an area full of sidewalk patios.
Whether you want a burger, tex-mex tacos, French food, or steak you can find it all on King William Street.
This area has more restaurants than shops.
I recommend checking out:
- The Mule for a modern twist on tex-mex tacos
- The French for French bistro dining
- The Diplomat for international foods
- Undefined for fancy foods and cocktails
James Street
James Street South and North have both become fun areas to mingle.
James Street has really transformed in the past decade, especially the north end.
There is a monthly Art Crawl where vendors set up on the street, art galleries, shops and restaurants are all open late to welcome the mingling people. This monthly art crawl has been going on since the early 2000s.
The James Street Art Crawl is every second Friday of the month.
One of the biggest festival in Hamilton happens on this street.
It’s called Super Crawl, which comes from the monthly art crawl, but a much much bigger event!
The streets are closed and there are a few stages set up on James Street and around it.
There are large art installations, musical performances, tons of vendors and food trucks too.
This festival, just like the Art Crawls, is a free event! It happens every mid September for 3 days, Friday to Sunday.
Some places that I recommend visiting on James Street are:
- Mesa for great Mexican food. It’s a James Street classic!
- Martello Restaurant for a great back patio and pizza
- Mulberry Coffeehouse for a hip place to get great coffee and healthy food and drinks
- Bardo for local ingredients and freshly made bread, pizzas and much more
- Merit Brewing Company for a fun bar with sausages and locally brewed beers
- Lola and Latin Foods and Products to get your Mexican and Latin products
Honestly James Street is a long street so there are other great places that I could name, but here are a few that stand out for me.
Hamilton Waterfront, West Harbour & Pier 8
This area of Hamilton has been undergoing some improvements for quite a while now.
One of the main areas to visit is BayFront Park. It’s a huge park with a large rollerskating rink and lots of green space too.
This is a great area to chill by the water and enjoy. You can get an ice cream at the shop or stay for lunch.
This park and area is great to visit year round.
But… I must say my favourite time to visit is in the summer at sunset!
You will see boats swaying in the water in the marina, as well as boats sailing around Lake Ontario.
There is a large rink where people can roller skate. They even rent out skates and play music!
You can also get a hot dog or an ice cream when you’re there too.
I must say my absolute favourite time to go to this park is when Salsa Soul Productions hosts their Tuesday salsa night on the rink.
There are different DJs each time that play salsa, bachata and sometimes a mix of other latin music. Sometimes there is even a live band or singer there! It attracts a crowd from all around Southern Ontario so arrive early!
It’s a free event, but there is a donation box to help keep it going. Honestly, it’s worth the donation!
There are some yearly festivals that happen here too.
There is also a marina so you can get some great shots of the boats bobbing in the water as the sunsets.
They are actually expanding this marina and have added some beautiful Indigenous art work there.
There is a yacht club nearby and some nice areas to walk as well.
A short walk from the park is the famous HMCS Haida. This is a famous National Historical Site. It’s an old wartime navy ship that you can tour.
I recommend checking it out. It’s open for tours from May until around the end of September from 10:00am to 5:00pm.
Some other things that I recommend doing are:
- tour the HMCS Haida
- salsa dance with Salsasoul Productions at the waterfront
- get an ice cream at Williams Cafe
- roller skate during sunset
- attend a summer festival
- enjoy walking by the water and watching the sailboats
Westdale Village
Westdale is an area of west Hamilton close to McMaster University.
This area is interesting because the streets go in an oval. It’s a bit easy to get turned around if you mingle on the side streets.
The main street with the shops is called King Street West.
Because it’s so close to the university the area is buzzing with university students.
Close to King Street West is The Hamilton Aviary. It’s a non-profit place where you can go see parrots and other birds since 1927!!
It’s only open on Sundays from 1:00-4:00pm though. You can find it at 85 Knoll Drive. It is free, but donations are welcomed.
There are a lot of places to eat in Westdale. Whether you’re looking for Chinese food, burritos, desserts, coffee, fresh baked goods and more, you can find it in Westdale Village.
Some of my favourite places in Westdale are:
- The Westdale. It’s a classic movie theatre that shows independent films and performances
- Weil’s Bakery A classic bakery that has been in the neighbourhood for years
- Valentino’s for great pizza and Italian food
- Dragon Court for Chinese food
- Nannaa’s Persian Eatery for obviously Persian food
- The Bean Bar to chill at a local coffee shop
- The Burnt Tongue for great comfort food!
- The Snooty Fox for a fun pub vibe
Hamilton Beach
Another great area to visit in Hamilton is the beach front in East Hamilton.
There is a really nice path that you will find many people walking, cycling or chilling on.
It is lined with trees, grass and benches, as well as the beach on the other side.
As you walk along this area you will find a few restaurants and things to to.
There is Confederation Beach, Van Wagner’s Beach, and Hamilton Beach in this area. You can enjoy a chilled beach vibe at any of these beaches.
Besides walking the trail or being at the beach, there are also a lot of activities to do in this area.
Hutch’s on the Beach is a famous place to go for ice cream, fish n chips and other fast foods. It is an old-fashioned style diner that packs with long line ups. It has actually been there since 1946!
There is indoor and outside seating at Hutch’s on the Beach.
Adventure Village is a super fun place to visit. Some of the activities that they have are bungee trampoline, outdoor lazer tag, batting cages and more. There are also Go Karts and Miniature Golf too.
Another activity that is worth checking out is the lighthouse that is open at times, and you can walk up to the top for a nice view.
Also, there is a community pool where you can swim.
I highly recommend enjoying an evening at Baranga’s on the Beach which is open seasonly.
It has an outdoor volleyball net, outdoor and indoor dining areas.
The places that I recommend going to in at Hamilton Beach are:
- the beach to enjoy!
- Baranga’s On The Beach at sunset for dinner
- Hutch’s on the Beach for Fish n Chips and ice cream.
- Climb the lighthouse (It’s not too high)
- Adventure Village to bring on the fun! Mini golf, etc.
- walking the trail with an ice cream in hand
- Confederation Beach
Downtown Stoney Creek
This area is on the far east side of Hamilton by the bottom of the escarpment.
This area is between King Street East and King Street West in Stoney Creek.
It has some nice shops and restaurants, as well as some places to chill.
There is a nice area with benches and stadium seating where people can chill or watch a performance.
Some of the places that I recommend visiting are a bit spread out from each other, but I feel that they are worth the short drive to get there. Some of my recommendations are:
- Scout Cafe for a great vibe and awesome Serbian and Canadian food. I recommend sitting on one of the patio. It’s so nice! Across from Battlefield Park
- The Powerhouse Restaurant for a great pub vibe in a beautiful building that was once an actual power station!
- Attic Pizza, which only has take out food now. I would recommend taking your pizza and going to…
- …Battlefield Park which is a National Historic Site with Indigenous art, a museum, trails, and the park
- The Village Restaurant for some great comfort food
- Battlefield House Museum at the Battlefield Park
Which of the best areas to visit in Hamilton will you visit?
Now you have learned about my top recommendation of the best areas to visit in Hamilton!
The question is which ones will you visit first? Let me know in the comments below.
If this is your first time heading to Canada, here are some Interesting Facts About Canadian Culture.
Looking for day trips around Hamilton?
After your done exploring Hamilton, check out some of these other trips in the Hamilton area!
Where to Stay in Hamilton
Hamilton has a lot of hotels in different areas. You can stay close to the airport, downtown, on the escarpment, or other areas.
Check out this map with the hotels in Hamilton. You can book your hotel here too!
How to get to Hamilton?
There is a Hamilton International Airport on the mountain in Hamilton.
You can take the GO bus from Niagara Falls, Toronto and other locations.
There are 2 GO stations, which are bus and train stations, in Hamilton. They are working on a third in the east side of Hamilton.
The HSR is the public bus system that goes throughout Hamilton.
You can pay cash or get a PRESTO card and load it with money. If you pay cash, don’t forget to get a transfer, so you can get on another bus within an hour and a half in any direction throughout Hamilton
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