Hamilton

Spencer Gorge, Albion Falls and an evening in Hess Village

Hamilton's waterfalls ring the escarpment, so group them by side. Start west at Webster's Falls near Greensville before the car park fills, walk the Spencer Gorge rim to the Dundas Peak lookout, and lunch on King Street in Dundas. Spend the afternoon at Albion Falls or the Royal Botanical Gardens, then go to Hess Village at night.

The waterfalls fall off the escarpment in a loose ring around the city, so group them by side. Start west at Webster's Falls near Greensville, early, before the car park fills. A short trail runs along the rim of the Spencer Gorge to the Dundas Peak lookout over the valley and the town of Dundas below. Drive down to Dundas for lunch on King Street, a small-town main street with cafes.

Spend the early afternoon at the Royal Botanical Gardens on the Burlington border, where marsh boardwalks and the Rock Garden fill an easy couple of hours, or swap them for the Art Gallery of Hamilton downtown if it is raining. Later, cross to the east Mountain for Albion Falls, a wide curtain of water over stepped rock that looks its best after spring snowmelt. Wear shoes with grip: the paths here get slick.

For the evening, eat on James Street North, then finish with a drink in Hess Village, the two-block cluster of pubs and patios between King and Main. On a second day add Dundurn Castle, the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum at Mount Hope and a stretch of the Bruce Trail along the Mountain brow.

Shawarma on King West, the farmers' market and James North kitchens

Hamilton has no single dish; decades of immigration to the steel city mean cheap, good food by neighbourhood. James Street North, between King and Murray, mixes Portuguese bakeries with Korean and Caribbean kitchens, and second-Friday art crawls add snack stalls. King Street West has quick shawarma and falafel counters.

There is no single Hamilton dish, and that is the point. Decades of immigration to the steel city have left neighbourhoods where you can eat well for little money. James Street North, between King and Murray, is the most concentrated: Portuguese bakeries and cafes from the street's older community sit beside newer kitchens serving everything from Korean to Caribbean, and the second-Friday art crawls fill the pavements with snack stalls.

King Street West downtown is the place for quick Middle Eastern food, with small counters turning out chicken shawarma and falafel wraps for students and office workers. Bronzie's Place on James Street South is a plain, old-school Italian room near St. Joseph's Hospital where nobody leaves hungry. Locke Street, further west, has a more polished run of brunch spots, bakeries and wine bars.

Buy picnic supplies at the Hamilton Farmers' Market beside the central library on York Boulevard, a covered hall that traces its origins to the 1830s and sells Niagara fruit, cheese and baked goods several days a week. Beer drinkers should look for Collective Arts, a Hamilton brewery known for its artist-designed labels. In summer and early autumn, Niagara peaches, cherries and corn arrive from the farms on the bench just east of the city.

Snowmelt falls, Supercrawl in September and the icy Mountain accesses

Hamilton's seasons decide what you can see. Snowmelt in April and May sends the waterfalls over the escarpment at full volume, and the Royal Botanical Gardens peak with lilacs and blossom in May. Average highs climb from 12C in April to 24C in June. This is the best time for the falls, though trails are muddy.

Summer is warm and humid, with July highs around 27C and lows near 15C. July is also the wettest month at the airport, with nearly 100 mm, often in short thunderstorms. Some smaller falls shrink to a trickle by August, while parking at Webster's Falls becomes a weekend scramble. In June, the Battle of Stoney Creek is re-enacted at Battlefield House Museum.

September brings Supercrawl, a free weekend festival that shuts James Street North for outdoor stages, art installations and food stalls, and the Tiger-Cats football season is in full swing at Tim Hortons Field. Escarpment colour arrives in early to mid October, best seen from Dundas Peak or the Bruce Trail along the brow.

Winter, December to March, is cold but not brutal, with January averaging -1C by day and -9C at night. The concern is ice. Freezing rain can make the Mountain accesses treacherous, so plan indoor days at the Art Gallery and the Warplane Heritage Museum, and keep frozen waterfall visits to the main viewing platforms.