Prospective Students

What to Do?

Hamilton is named the title "City of Waterfalls" for holding over 100 waterfalls, the most in all Ontario. The Bruce Trail - Canada's oldest and longest marked path, connects Hamilton to some of the most picturesque sites. The Dundas Valley Conservation Area is a short drive from the McMaster Central Campus - connecting you to the Ancaster Hermitage and Dundas Railway Station. These sites are apart of the Ontario Greenbelt - permanently protected lands for farming, forest, wetlands and watersheds.

Sherman Falls, Hamilton

The waterfront has been recently revitilized to include an outdoor roller rink in the summer, and skating rink in the winter connected to the existing coffee shop. Sarcoa restaurant is a short walk from this if you're looking for a large patio situated right on the Hamilton waterfront, great food and an after-hours night club.

Sarcoa Restaurant, Hamilton

The James Street Art Crawl takes place the second Friday of every month when James Street North is shutdown and features art installations, buskers, local foods and performances. Once a year the Art Crawl turns into Supercrawl where an estimated 135,000 people attending last years' festivities and has featured some prominent Canadian talent such as McMaster Alumni, The Arkells.

James Street North, Hamilton

Culture

Downtown Hamilton has undergone extreme changes even in the past few years. James Street North has become a hub of artistic culture, boasting multiple art galleries, quaint coffee shops, indepedent and homegrown grocers, and cosmetics and clothing stores owned by local citizens.

Locke Street (a 10 minute drive from McMaster central campus) features artisan shops, some of the best restaurants in Hamilton, cosmetic stores, organic food stores and summer festivals.

Locke Street, Hamilton

A short drive away comes Ottawa Street North - a hub of old school antique and fabric shops, art stores and is in close proximity to the new Ivor Wynne Stadium that houses our very own Hamilton Tigercats football team.

Ivor Wynne Stadium

Hamilton also holds its own when it comes to nightlife. Hess Village is a quaint street lined with bars, nightclubs, restaurants and patios that attract people from all over south-western Ontario. There is also Corktown and Augusta Street just a few minutes from Hess Village if you’re looking for more pub-style entertainment. Also just recently, Hamilton has added a few Country Bars to its roster of nightlife.  

Hess Street, Hamilton

Other Hamilton recreational sites to visit:

• Dundurn Castle
• Art Gallery of Hamilton
• Hamilton Warplane Heritage Museum
• Tim Horton Museum
• Canadian Football Hall of Fame

For other ideas on what to do in Hamilton, please visit Tourism Hamilton's website here.