24 researched places across 8 pockets — restaurants, shops, schools and parks.
A celebrated fine-dining restaurant in the heart of Dundas — refined French-influenced cooking and a deep wine list, among the best in the Hamilton area.
Local pick: One of the region's best dinners
A renowned restaurant and event venue in a restored 1860s grist mill beside a waterfall in Ancaster — fine dining, a famed brunch and gardens for weddings.
Local pick: Sunday brunch over the waterfall
The restaurants, pubs and cafés along Waterdown's heritage Main Street — a walkable dining strip in the growing Flamborough town.
Local pick: A meal on the village main street
The King Street East strip through historic Stoney Creek holds casual restaurants, cafés and Italian eateries near Battlefield Park.
Local pick: A bite in the historic downtown
The plazas around Fifty Road serve the Winona fruit-belt community with casual restaurants, cafés and farm-to-table spots.
Local pick: A meal in the fruit belt
The cafés, pubs and eateries serving the growing village of Binbrook — casual dining for the rural south of Hamilton.
Local pick: A country bite in the village
Dundas's beautifully preserved King Street — boutiques, antiques, galleries, the Carnegie Gallery and cafés in one of Ontario's most charming downtowns.
Local pick: Boutiques in the Valley Town
Ancaster's heritage village core on Wilson Street — upscale shops, restaurants and historic stone buildings in one of Ontario's oldest communities.
Local pick: The historic village core
Waterdown's heritage Main Street shops and services — independent stores and cafés a short walk from Smokey Hollow falls and Memorial Park.
Local pick: Village shops and the falls nearby
A large enclosed mall on Centennial Parkway in Stoney Creek — department stores, fashion, dining and services for the east-end communities.
Local pick: The east-end anchor mall
John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport at Mount Hope — passenger flights, a major cargo hub and a growing employment and logistics sector in the rural south.
Local pick: The region's airport and cargo hub
The rural south of Hamilton around Glanbrook — working farms, seasonal produce stands and country roads along the Twenty Mile Creek.
Local pick: Farm stands in the rural south
A Hamilton-Wentworth DSB public secondary school in Dundas, serving the Valley Town and surrounding communities.
Local pick: The Valley Town's high school
A Hamilton-Wentworth DSB public secondary school serving the Ancaster community, known for strong academics and athletics.
Local pick: A top-regarded Ancaster school
A Hamilton-Wentworth DSB public secondary school serving Waterdown and the Flamborough communities to the north.
Local pick: The Flamborough high school
A Hamilton-Wentworth DSB public secondary school serving Stoney Creek and the east-end communities from the lake to the escarpment.
Local pick: The Stoney Creek high school
The Spencer Gorge conservation area above Dundas — Webster's Falls (the city's largest) and Tew's Falls (its tallest ribbon fall), with lookouts and Bruce Trail access.
Local pick: The city's tallest and largest falls
A delicate ribbon waterfall in a wooded conservation area at the edge of Ancaster — a short Bruce Trail walk leads to the falls.
Local pick: A ribbon fall on the escarpment
Great Falls (Smokey Hollow) tumbles over the escarpment at the edge of Waterdown beside Memorial Park — a town green with a lookout and trails.
Local pick: The falls at the edge of town
A National Historic Site marking the 1813 Battle of Stoney Creek — a stone monument, the Gage homestead museum and parkland in the heart of town.
Local pick: The War of 1812 monument and museum
A major aviation museum at Hamilton Airport — a flying collection of WWII aircraft, including the famous Lancaster bomber, plus exhibits and air shows.
Local pick: The Lancaster bomber and air shows
A Lake Ontario conservation area at Winona — a marina, beach, fishing pond and trails on the fruit-belt lakeshore.
Local pick: A marina and beach on the lake
A reservoir conservation area in Glanbrook near Binbrook — a beach, swimming, boating, fishing and trails in the rural south of Hamilton.
Local pick: The beach and the reservoir trails
A community park at the heart of the growing village of Binbrook — sports fields, playgrounds, a splash pad and walking paths.
Local pick: Ball diamonds and the village green