The Hamilton Waterfront is a great place to go no matter the season. In my opinion it consists of two areas and lead to another often overlooked area.
First of these areas is Bayfront Park. This is a great place to go on a walk, ride your bike or roller blade. The park is a series trails that circle around and has plenty of open space for soccer and other great activities. Along the left side there is a paved 12 km trail that has your distance travelled marked, which is ideal for pedestrians and riders alike. This is especially convenient for those of you who want to keep track of how much you have travelled. If for whatever reason you feel you can’t walk the distance or have a guest with you unable to do so there is a summer operated trolley that will take you from one end of the trail to the other with a tour for a nominal fee. For those of you with small boats and jet skis, there is a loading area as well. Near the entrance of the park is an extension of the local nostalgic restaurant called Hutch’s. This restaurant has its home base on the Hamilton Beachfront and is famous for its fish and chips, burger, hot dogs and ice cream. Did I forget to mention that there are anglers who love coming here to relax and fish for the fun of it.
Next on the list is Pier 8 home to my favourite William’s Coffee Pub among other things. William’s Coffee Pub is a great place to sit down with family and friends and just talk, relax and enjoy your time together. It has an amazing selection of menu items not only for drinks but also for food and desserts. This location has fireplaces for the late fall and winter and a patio for late spring to early fall. Two recent additions to Pier 8 are the Discovery Centre, which is in the the process of being repurposed, and the outdoor ice rink. The outdoor ice rink is now fully operational with skate rentals nearby by winter 2012 they expect to put up plexiglass boards to cut the chill winds over the lake. There is also a harbor boat tour operation that runs a variety of events. There is also a trail that goes along the water and on this trail you will see a series of artwork and fish posted along the warehouses exterior. This artwork was made by the youth of Hamilton and posted along the trail. Between Bayfront Park and Pier 8 you can see some of Hamilton’s most beautiful sunsets.
Princess Point is the often forgotten area found on the other end of the Bayfront Trail. Although small, Princess Point is a great place to have a picnic and enjoy the good weather and don’t mind the local geese… They just want in on the fun too! If there is anything you feel I forgot please let me know in the comments and I’ll make sure to add it. I haven’t had a chance to take pictures but as soon as I do they will be here.
The Global Trekker Lives On 