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Station Beach

Kincardine is a town of 11,000 people (2016) in Bruce County in southwestern Ontario.

Understand

Bruce B Nuclear Generating Station

The economy of Kincardine has been dominated by the Bruce Nuclear Power Plant since the 1970s.

There is also a thriving tourist industry, centred on its sandy beaches and Scottish cultural tradition.

Get in

Kincardine Municipal Airport serves charter flights and private pilots.

The Kincardine Yacht Club is a busy marina serving mainly recreational boaters.

By bus

There are two buses daily from Toronto (4 hr, $46.50), Toronto Pearson International Airport (3½ hr), London and Owen Sound offered by TOK Coach Lines (June 2020).

Grey-Bruce Airbus (☏ +1-800-361-0393) offers eight trips a day from Toronto Pearson International Airport ($86 one way) (June 2020).

By car

Kincardine is a small town located on the eastern shore of Lake Huron. Most people arrive here by car, from the east on highway 9, or from the north and south on Highway 21.

In the winter, blowing and drifting snow frequently causes dangerous driving conditions. Occasionally conditions require the highway to be closed to traffic. Check the weather forecast , road conditions and road closures before leaving. Make sure your car tires are in good condition, and travel with clothes appropriate to the weather.

Get around

Most people get around Kincardine by car, bike or foot. There are no public buses, but there are several taxi services.

See

The Kincardine Lighthouse

The icon for the town is the lighthouse, which is painted on the watertower seen from the highways, as you come into town. The lighthouse is one block west of Queen Street (the main street). Inside the lighthouse is a Maritine Museum [formerly dead link] . Across the street is the Paddy Walker House Museum. A Phantom Piper [formerly dead link] plays from the top of the lighthouse at sunset.

Do

Kincardine is a very popular tourist destination in the summer. There are events such as the Kincardine Summer Music Festival, the Kincardine Scottish Festival, Cruise Nights [formerly dead link] (Classic Cars) and Fishing Derbies planned almost every weekend.

Unique to the town, is the Saturday night pipeband parade. The Kincardine Scottish assemble at Victoria Park and parade down Queen Street, playing bagpipes and drums, followed by a crowd. At the end of the street, they take a brief break, and parade back to the park (followed by the crowd). Some nights, they are joined by visiting pipebands.

During July and August the Bluewater Summer Theatre [dead link] presents plays. During the winter the amateur Kincardine Theatre Guild presents plays using the same facilities. The Kincardine Legion [dead link] organizes regular bingos, dances and community dinners.

Most people come here to enjoy the lake. The water is clean and there are lengthy stretches of easily accessible beach for swimming or sitting in the sun and the fresh lake air.

There are four golf courses nearby:

  • Ainsdale Golf Course. 
  • Black Horse Golf Course. 
  • Kincardine Golf & Country Club. 
  • Somerhill Golf Club. 

Kincardine has an extensive network of walking trails.

Kincardine tourism information can be found at Kincardine Tourist Info or the Bruce County Tourism pages. Remnants of the wreck of the ship "Anna Maria" can be seen at Station Beach.

Buy

1 Pine River Cheese & Butter Cooperative, south of Kincardine on highway 21, ☏ +1 519 395-2638, fax: +1 519 395-4066. Fresh cheese and discount "trim ends" are available for purchase from the factory store which is open every day during the summer. Fresh chesse curds every Wednesday. cheesemusem is free. 

Fincher's, 816 Queen St, ☏ +1 519-396-7012. Toys, games, jigsaw puzzles, hobbies, children's books, Playmobil toys, Webkinz. 

Eat

  • 1 Bean's Bistro, 728 Queen Street, Kincardine, ☏ +1 519 396-4777. Great local coffeehouse without the franchise-feel of big chain coffeehouses. Offering light breakfast and lunch fare as well as great, individually hand-prepared regular and specialty coffees, teas, fair trade. 

Mid-range

  • 2 The Erie Belle, 259 Harbour Street, ☏ +1 519 396-4331. Regular visitors to Kincardine always stop in the Erie Belle for deep-fried fish and lots and lots of chips. (updated Nov 2016)
  • 3 Bruce Bar and Grill (Bruce Steakhouse), 750 Queen St, ☏ +1 519 396-5100. Every town in Ontario used to have a hotel. This was Kincardine's, which is why local people occasionally refer to it as "the Bruce Inn". The Canada South Blues Society puts on regular concerts here. 
  • 4 Gilley's Feed Lot Bar & Grill, 832 Queen St, ☏ +1 519-396-7423. Tu-Sa 11AM-10PM. (updated Jul 2018)
  • 5 Jean's Family Restaurant, 1120 Sutton St, ☏ +1 519 396-1900. A good place to go for breakfast. 
  • 6 [dead link] Knotty Pine Restaurant, 507 Broadway Street, ☏ +1 519 396-3132. Chinese and Canadian cuisine. 
  • 7 New Seasons Tavern & Restaurant, 722 Queen St, ☏ +1 519 396-2323. Chinese buffet on Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights. 
  • 8 Victoria Park Restaurant, 335 Durham Market Square, ☏ +1 519-396-8001. 
  • 9 Watercress Bistro, 829 Queen St, ☏ +1 519 396-5727. From 4PM. 

Splurge

Drink

Most bars and pubs offer food (see Eat above) as well as drink. The following usually have a large selection of draft beer.

  • The Erie Belle, 259 Harbour Street, ☏ +1 519-396-4331. 
  • 1 Hawg's Breath Saloon and Deli, 894 Queen Street, ☏ +1 519 396-6565. Eat the peanuts and throw the shells on the floor! 

Sleep

In the summer, the hotels, motels and cottages are frequently full.

Hotels

  • 1 Inn at the Harbour, 249 Harbour Street (right across from the lighthouse), ☏ +1 519 396-3311, . Friendly clean hotel with spacious room. Free Wi-fi. 3rd and 4th floor rooms have access to a balcony. $160 off season. (updated Oct 2016)


Motels

Campgrounds

Go next

Larger nearby towns are Goderich (~ 30 minutes by car south), Walkerton (~ 30 minutes east), Port Elgin (~ 30 minutes north), Southampton 40 minutes north

The nearest major centres are London (2 hours south-west), Kitchener (1hr 30 min hours east) or Owen Sound (1hr 15min north)

Routes through Kincardine
END ← Owen Sound ←  N  S  → Huron-Kinloss → Jct


This city travel guide to Kincardine is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.
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