In 2022 or so, as the lockdowns were starting to lift after a dreary two years of pandemic isolation, I noticed our local neighbourhood Facebook page was suddenly awash with people asking, “What’s going on this weekend?” and “Is there anything to do around here?”
My neighbourhood in Hamilton had seen a huge influx of people from Toronto, Oakville and Mississauga as those who had the option of working from home during the pandemic had found their new homes in Steel Town.
Hamilton hasn’t always had the greatest reputation outside of our city. We tend to be portrayed in the news as a gritty industrial city, kind of down on its luck. But to those in the know it’s a fascinating place rich with arts, culture, natural beauty, and the best restaurant scene west of Queen Street West. The hospitals and university employ considerably more people than the steel mills do. We’re a city in the midst of a big shift, and more and more people are wanting to be a part of that.
One by one I told them of my favourite places to go and things to do. Information gleaned over almost two decades of my family exploring the city we had very quickly fallen in love with when we moved here via Toronto, Reno, Guelph, and Calgary.
“You should write a book about this!” my editor said one afternoon. She also suggested the format of 52 Things, arranged by season. The structure of 52 short essays worked perfectly with my schedule and attention span, and at that point it was up to me to find 52 things to write about.
I love this city, and I love talking about it, so the first 40 or so flowed like water. I could tell them about the amazing view from the hike to Dundas Peak, or soaking up the sun and sounds at our best summer festivals. Or all the places they could go to learn about Hamilton’s rich and fascinating history.
I worked hard to not make the book “52 of Jason’s favourite nature hikes” which would have otherwise been my inclination.
In the end I tried to strike a balance between things I love to do, and things I knew people would love if they only knew about it. You won’t find me sitting in the stands on a sunny day watching a Hamilton Cardinals baseball game. I hate the heat, and don’t really enjoy baseball. But friends who loved both told me again and again that it was a fantastic way to spend an afternoon. It went in the book.
I have never made it to Hamilton’s FrancoFest. But the festival—a celebration of all things francophone, and one of the biggest of its kind in Southern Ontario—looked like a ton of fun. Some friends who had been agreed. In it went.
On the other side of the equation were events and activities I knew well and wanted to share. Not just outdoors, but secret gems like the Planetarium, and secret gems in plain sight like the Art Gallery of Hamilton. A place everyone knows about, but not nearly enough people go to.
I also wanted to include information to make this guide as accessible as possible to everyone. I wanted a mix of free events as well as those that charged. I wanted to make sure that there was a blend of family friendly events along with ones that mainly adults would enjoy. And finally, I wanted to include transit routes and nearby stops for as many of the activities as possible.
Of course, dividing it into seasons also lends itself well to families following a school calendar. For instance, many of the events in spring take place or can be done over the upcoming March break.
This includes things like the sugaring off at Westfield Heritage Village, checking out the history of engineering Hamilton at the Hamilton Museum of Steam and Technology, hiking in the Royal Botanical Gardens, and checking out the raptor migration from the cliffs of Iroquoia Heights Conservation Area.
To my surprise and delight, some people are now looking at the book as a challenge and attempting to check off all 52 things in one year. It’s wonderful to see people exploring their city and falling in love with it the way we did when we moved here 20 years ago. I hope people will use this book as a springboard to exploring Hamilton for many years to come.
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Photo Credit to Jeff Tessier.
Jason Allen has lived in Hamilton with his family for twenty years, where he has spent much of that time scouring the city for things to do and ways to keep his kids occupied. He has lived in Calgary, Guelph, Toronto, Buffalo, Los Angeles and Reno, and would trade any of them for Hamilton. Jason works as an outdoor educator and adult learning course designer and writes for local publications about the city and the environment. He lives in the west end with his wife, two sons and two cats.
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You can order a copy of 52 Things to Do in Hamilton right here on All Lit Up (or link through to your favourite independent bookstore to order one!).
For more Under the Cover, click here.
