Fort Henry stands on a limestone headland above the point where Lake Ontario narrows into the St. Lawrence River, and its job was to protect the eastern end of the Great Lakes. A first fort was thrown up here during the War of 1812, and the big stone fortress you see today was built between 1832 and 1837, after the British worried that the Americans might one day try again. It never fired a shot in anger, which is the usual fate of well-built forts, and it has been restored as a museum, where the Fort Henry Guard in red coats and white gaiters stage drills, marches and musket volleys in summer.
The fort is part of a larger story. It guards the southern end of the Rideau Canal, a waterway from Kingston to Ottawa built in the 1830s as a safe military supply route that did not hug the American border. The canal and fort together are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed in 2007. Kingston itself was the first capital of the united Province of Canada, from 1841 to 1844, and its limestone buildings, including a grand city hall with a dome and the old penitentiary, give the town a solid and slightly severe look. John A. Macdonald, the first prime minister, practised law here.
For the rider, Kingston is a pleasant stop on the Highway 401 corridor, and the roads of the Thousand Islands Parkway, to the east, offer one of the most scenic short rides in Ontario, running along the St. Lawrence with views of the islands and passing ships. The road from Ottawa down the Rideau route, via Smiths Falls and Westport, is quieter, with gentle bends and small villages. Surfaces are generally good, though frost damage can leave potholes in spring, and deer are numerous at dusk.
Kingston has more than a hundred thousand people, so fuel, repairs and food are everywhere, and the downtown by the waterfront has a lot of pubs and restaurants in old limestone buildings. Parking near the fort is easy, though the access road has a steep ramp.
If you plan to visit in summer, check the programme for the Fort Henry Guard's sunset ceremony, which is a spectacle in the best Victorian military tradition.