I included Bellevue House (1840s home of Canada's first Prime Minister) in our Kingston itinerary knowing the historic house is closed for renovations. The Parks Canada website clearly mentioned that only the visitor centre, grounds and gardens are currently open to the public--and for this reason, admission is free. We got here around 2:40PM on Civic Holiday Monday. Parking was not a problem because the site has a huge parking lot right across the street, also free of charge. We went straight inside the visitor centre where friendly staff welcomed us and invited us to read and look around and, later, to follow the path to the house and grounds. While we were here, I overheard some clueless visitors who were upset about Bellevue House's closure and even blamed the website. I commend the staff for being patient while informing them that the house has been closed since 2018.
We spent a few mins reading about Sir John A. Macdonald and the Confederation (and the prejudices of that time) and then off we went to see his house--or the exterior, at least. We climbed up the yellow front steps and posed for photos on the porch. From the house, we followed the path towards the wooden bench overlooking the kitchen garden. The backyard has lots of shade due to mature trees. There is even a huge red oak tree, estimated to be over 200 years old, towering over a wooden gazebo next to it. We should have brought our tripod and DSLR camera because we had the grounds to ourselves. We stayed for 30 mins which seemed like a long time when compared to others' quick look and selfie before leaving.