Kingstown Encounters II: Nature walks, October Blooms, and Halloween

Boat and Autumn Leaves at Arrowhead Park

Written by Özlem Atar

Happy belated Thanksgiving to those who celebrate!

I had the most charming long weekend with Kingston-based friends and their children. The weather was perfect for baking and hosting a dinner party. I am looking at the two maple trees out the window and dreaming of a sunny afternoon walk. Weather gods promise it will be bright towards the weekend.  

Do you chase the fall leaves and blooms like I do? I hear an enthusiastic ‘Yes.’ Let's find the most exquisite!

Walks in Kingston: Nature walks are my all-time favorite event, and fall is the best time to admire plants and take photos. Don’t let the rain and the wind discourage you from stepping ‘your nose’ out the door. You might find the leaf with the perfect colour. Trees in Lake Ontario Park are very generous with their hues and the fungi on their trunks. So are the trees at Arrowhead Beach Park in Kingston East.

Fungi at Lake Ontario Park, Kingston

October, the Month of Rose: Who would tell October is the new month of rose? In my country, May is when roses bloom, hence the colloquial, “Gül ayı” or the month of rose. In Kingston, roses resist the cooler weather. The image below is from a front yard on Palace Road. The rose bush loved her drink of rainwater on October 6.

October Bloom on Palace Road, Kingston

Pumpkinferno at Kingston Pen: Are you enthusiastic about following ghosts? Kingston Pen Tours invites you to their Pumpkinferno after dark. The historic landmark is transformed into an “enchanted wonderland of glowing pumpkins” for the month of October. If you are looking for a spectacular outdoor experience for you and your family, tickets are available every weekend, from Thursday through Sunday nights. Don’t miss this spooky opportunity to visit one of Kingston’s most iconic landmarks at its brightest!

Halloween Stroll at Dusk: Okay. Kingston Pen may not be the place for the faint-hearted like myself. Are you fascinated by Halloween décor but enclosed spaces with a dark past frighten you too much? Let's replace it with a dusk walk in the city. A stroll along smaller streets and crescents in my neighbourhood brings me and my walk buddies lots of photo moments. We capture many postcard quality images to send friends and family outside of Canada. So can you!