Art Gallery of Hamilton

Southwestern Ontario


The largest art museum in southern Ontario, the sleek AGH has a wide-ranging collection of 10,000 works, with a strong emphasis on modern art and 19th-century works by Canadian and European artists. Special exhibits change periodically and tend toward emerging and contemporary artists – they are often worth a look. Admission is free for the permanent collection; tickets are required for the special shows. Free docent-led tours are offered on weekends and Wednesdays at 1pm.

Touch tours (geared for the visually impaired, but open to all) are offered at 2pm on the last Friday of the month.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Southwestern Ontario attractions

1. Bayfront Park

0.8 MILES

Take a stroll to gorgeous Bayfront Park where you'll find a calm harbor with fancy yachts and a beach with people fishing. In summer, they are joined by…

2. Dundurn Castle

1.04 MILES

Delightful and unexpected, this column-fronted, 36-room mansion once belonged to Sir Allan Napier McNab, Canadian prime minister from 1854 to 1856. It…

3. Royal Botanical Gardens

2.28 MILES

Northwest of Hamilton, Canada's largest and most spectacular botanical gardens comprise more than a thousand hectares of trees, flowers and plants,…

4. Tiffany Falls Conservation Area

4.53 MILES

This is the 'best-value' waterfall in Hamilton – a five-minute stroll from the car park takes you right under a 21m cascade. The falls are not huge but…

5. The Griffin House

6.76 MILES

This well-preserved early-19th-century home belonged to Enerals Griffin, an escaped slave from Virginia who arrived in Canada via the Underground Railroad…

6. Chiefswood National Historic Site

15.54 MILES

Built in 1856 by Mohawk Chief George HM Johnson for his British bride, Emily Howells. This historic home is the birthplace of E Pauline Johnson, one of…

7. Six Nations of the Grand River

17.99 MILES

Southeast of Brantford is Six Nations of the Grand River – a reserve designated for the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora – and the…

8. Peninsula Ridge Estates Winery

19.18 MILES

This photogenic winery is unmissable on a hilltop. The lofty timber tasting room, restaurant and hilltop setting are magical. Tours take place on weekends…