Kincardine (Ontario)

Kincardine is a town of 12,000 people (2021) in Bruce County in southwestern Ontario, on the eastern shore of Lake Huron.

Understand
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.

Visitor Information

 * Municipality of Kincardine
 * Bruce County Tourism

Get in
Kincardine Municipal Airport serves charter flights and private pilots.

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

By car
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.

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 (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 presents plays. During the winter the amateur Kincardine Theatre Guild presents plays using the same facilities. The Kincardine Legion (219 Lambton St) 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:

Kincardine has an extensive network of walking trails.

Remnants of the wreck of the ship "Anna Maria" can be seen at Station Beach.

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



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

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)