Thousand Islands region offers wineries, boating, castles, and more
The Buffalo News
August 13, 2015
Thousand Island Winery
My husband and I honeymooned in the 1000 Islands when we got married 35 years ago. Since this year was a milestone anniversary for us, we decided to revisit the area, which is about a 4 hour drive from Buffalo, to see how much it has changed over the years. While there are a number of towns to visit on both the US and Canadian sides of the St. Lawrence River which flows through the area, we focused on three towns on the US side of the river: Alexandria Bay, Clayton, and Cape Vincent.
Are there really 1,000 islands?
Actually, there are more than 1,000 islands, 1,864 to be exact! The islands were formed about 12,000 years ago during the last Ice Age. The region became a popular summer resort area beginning in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when wealthy families from New York, Chicago, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh visited the many grand hotels which dotted the region during that era. Many of these people also built opulent summer homes on private islands.
While the area still has its share of wealthy people with homes in private islands, the region is also popular with fishermen, boaters, and people who just enjoy beautiful scenery and the outdoors.
Alexandria Bay
Since we stayed in Alexandria Bay the first time around, we stayed there this time too. While we stayed at the Edgewood Resort for our honeymoon, we chose to stay at the Riveredge Resort this time, as it has a much better view of Boldt Castle, one of the main attractions in the region. Since we made our reservations months in advance, we were able to secure one of the rooms with a river view balcony; a great place to sit and watch the sun set over Boldt Castle and the St. Lawrence River each evening. Since the river is part of the St. Lawrence Seaway, you might even glimpse some huge freighters.
Earlier that day, on our way into town, we stopped at the Thousand Island Winery and went on their VIP Tasting and Tour, which is offered Monday-Friday at 2:00pm. It’s one of the best wine tastings we’ve ever experienced. Participants are escorted upstairs in the winery’s vintage barn and seated at tables covered with grape themed table cloths. You get to choose 9 of their wines to taste and you even get a keepsake souvenir glass. A tour of their production facility is included in the experience.
The following day we explored the region by boat by taking the two-hour, two nation tour offered by Uncle Sam Boat tours, which has been offering tours since 1926. Part of this tour takes you past “millionaire’s row,” with exquisite mansions built on some of the islands. There was also beautiful scenery along the way. The tour makes a stop at Boldt Castle on Heart Island, which, as mentioned earlier, is one of the region’s main attractions.
Boldt Castle has a beautiful, yet tragic love story behind it. George Boldt, who achieved his wealthy as manager of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City, commissioned architects to build a castle as a symbol of his love for his wife Louise. The castle was 90% completed when Louise died suddenly in 1904. George ordered work on the structure to be halted immediately and it remained unfinished, exposed to the elements, and vandalized until 1977, when the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority acquired the property and began restoration.
When we first visited the castle in 1980, it was pretty much an empty shell; today it is beautifully restored, although tour guides told us that will never be fully restored, as it was stipulated by the family that it could only achieve 90% completion. We spent about 2 hours touring the castle and grounds, and another half-hour touring the Boldt Yacht House.
There is also another castle in the region that is open to the public; however we didn’t have the opportunity to tour it on this trip. Singer Castle, located about 10 miles east of Alexandria Bay, was constructed on Dark Island in 1905 by the Bourne family. Members of the family resided in it until the 1960’s. Mr. Bourne made his fortune as president of the Singer Sewing Machine Company. Boat tours to the castle are offered by local tour boat companies, like Uncle Sam Boat Tours, until mid-October.
Clayton
The next day was spent in Clayton, about 10 miles west of Alexandria Bay. The main attraction here is the Antique Boat Museum, which has greatly expanded since our last visit. The complex now has six buildings to tour, along with a houseboat once owned by the Boldt family. We started our self-guided tour in the Morgan building, which features the exhibit “Quest for Speed, the Story of Powerboat Racing.” The museum’s main building, the Haxall building, has rotating exhibits, as well as a theater featuring short films on boating, and a gift shop.
The adjacent Dodge Launch building has a large exhibit titled ‘The National Motor Boat Show,” featuring a variety of wooden boats, including two cruisers you can climb aboard and explore. Boat restoration takes place in the Stone Building and the Small Craft Building features canoes and skiffs. Just outside this building are some Adirondack chairs where one can sit and enjoy the river view.
The McNally Yacht House features the museum’s in-water fleet. However, the highlight of the museum’s collections is the La Duchesse, a 103 foot houseboat built for George Boldt in 1903, which is open by guided tour only.
After touring the museum for a couple hours, we walked a few blocks to the downtown area, which has a number of gift shops, art galleries, and restaurants. We bought subs for lunch and ate them in the pavilion in Frink Park, which has a wonderful view of the St. Lawrence River. This park is the site of summer concerts and other events in town. Right next to the park is the 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel, which opened in July 2014. It was recently awarded the AAA 4 Diamond status, one of only 24 hotels in upstate New York to have that designation. I think we’ll stay here the next time we come to the region, as it looks very nice and has a great view. We also won’t wait 35 years before going back!
We ventured to the outskirts of Clayton for a few hours. Our first stop was Coyote Moon Vineyards, which offers a nice selection of wine for tasting. Next, we went to the Clayton Distillery and sampled some unique adult beverages, including moonshine. My favorite was the lemonade shine. After sampling wine and whiskey, I felt like a needed some fresh air. Fortunately, the River Golf Adventure mini golf course is right across the parking lot from the distillery. It’s a brand new course, with plenty of water hazards; not exactly something you want after you’ve been drinking. Fortunately, the golf balls float! It was then back to downtown Clayton for dinner at Bella’s, which has an outdoor patio overlooking the river.
Cape Vincent
We spent the morning of our final day in the 1000 Islands visiting the Tibbetts Point Lighthouse in Cape Vincent, which is located at the point where Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River meet. The present 59 foot tall lighthouse tower was built in 1854. While the tower is not open to the public due to insurance regulation, you can get a nice view of the area using a telescope that is located on the grounds. There is a small museum, gift shop and rest rooms located in the visitor’s center. The keeper’s house and assistant keeper’s house are currently used as a youth hostel.
If you go
For more information visit the following websites:
www.visit1000islands.com
www.visitalexbay.org
www.1000islands-clayton.com
www.capevincent.org
Directions
From Buffalo take the NY State Thruway east to exit 36 and take I-81 north to exit 50. Travel east to Alexandria Bay or west to Clayton and Cape Vincent.
Are there really 1,000 islands?
Actually, there are more than 1,000 islands, 1,864 to be exact! The islands were formed about 12,000 years ago during the last Ice Age. The region became a popular summer resort area beginning in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when wealthy families from New York, Chicago, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh visited the many grand hotels which dotted the region during that era. Many of these people also built opulent summer homes on private islands.
While the area still has its share of wealthy people with homes in private islands, the region is also popular with fishermen, boaters, and people who just enjoy beautiful scenery and the outdoors.
Alexandria Bay
Since we stayed in Alexandria Bay the first time around, we stayed there this time too. While we stayed at the Edgewood Resort for our honeymoon, we chose to stay at the Riveredge Resort this time, as it has a much better view of Boldt Castle, one of the main attractions in the region. Since we made our reservations months in advance, we were able to secure one of the rooms with a river view balcony; a great place to sit and watch the sun set over Boldt Castle and the St. Lawrence River each evening. Since the river is part of the St. Lawrence Seaway, you might even glimpse some huge freighters.
Earlier that day, on our way into town, we stopped at the Thousand Island Winery and went on their VIP Tasting and Tour, which is offered Monday-Friday at 2:00pm. It’s one of the best wine tastings we’ve ever experienced. Participants are escorted upstairs in the winery’s vintage barn and seated at tables covered with grape themed table cloths. You get to choose 9 of their wines to taste and you even get a keepsake souvenir glass. A tour of their production facility is included in the experience.
The following day we explored the region by boat by taking the two-hour, two nation tour offered by Uncle Sam Boat tours, which has been offering tours since 1926. Part of this tour takes you past “millionaire’s row,” with exquisite mansions built on some of the islands. There was also beautiful scenery along the way. The tour makes a stop at Boldt Castle on Heart Island, which, as mentioned earlier, is one of the region’s main attractions.
Boldt Castle has a beautiful, yet tragic love story behind it. George Boldt, who achieved his wealthy as manager of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City, commissioned architects to build a castle as a symbol of his love for his wife Louise. The castle was 90% completed when Louise died suddenly in 1904. George ordered work on the structure to be halted immediately and it remained unfinished, exposed to the elements, and vandalized until 1977, when the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority acquired the property and began restoration.
When we first visited the castle in 1980, it was pretty much an empty shell; today it is beautifully restored, although tour guides told us that will never be fully restored, as it was stipulated by the family that it could only achieve 90% completion. We spent about 2 hours touring the castle and grounds, and another half-hour touring the Boldt Yacht House.
There is also another castle in the region that is open to the public; however we didn’t have the opportunity to tour it on this trip. Singer Castle, located about 10 miles east of Alexandria Bay, was constructed on Dark Island in 1905 by the Bourne family. Members of the family resided in it until the 1960’s. Mr. Bourne made his fortune as president of the Singer Sewing Machine Company. Boat tours to the castle are offered by local tour boat companies, like Uncle Sam Boat Tours, until mid-October.
Clayton
The next day was spent in Clayton, about 10 miles west of Alexandria Bay. The main attraction here is the Antique Boat Museum, which has greatly expanded since our last visit. The complex now has six buildings to tour, along with a houseboat once owned by the Boldt family. We started our self-guided tour in the Morgan building, which features the exhibit “Quest for Speed, the Story of Powerboat Racing.” The museum’s main building, the Haxall building, has rotating exhibits, as well as a theater featuring short films on boating, and a gift shop.
The adjacent Dodge Launch building has a large exhibit titled ‘The National Motor Boat Show,” featuring a variety of wooden boats, including two cruisers you can climb aboard and explore. Boat restoration takes place in the Stone Building and the Small Craft Building features canoes and skiffs. Just outside this building are some Adirondack chairs where one can sit and enjoy the river view.
The McNally Yacht House features the museum’s in-water fleet. However, the highlight of the museum’s collections is the La Duchesse, a 103 foot houseboat built for George Boldt in 1903, which is open by guided tour only.
After touring the museum for a couple hours, we walked a few blocks to the downtown area, which has a number of gift shops, art galleries, and restaurants. We bought subs for lunch and ate them in the pavilion in Frink Park, which has a wonderful view of the St. Lawrence River. This park is the site of summer concerts and other events in town. Right next to the park is the 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel, which opened in July 2014. It was recently awarded the AAA 4 Diamond status, one of only 24 hotels in upstate New York to have that designation. I think we’ll stay here the next time we come to the region, as it looks very nice and has a great view. We also won’t wait 35 years before going back!
We ventured to the outskirts of Clayton for a few hours. Our first stop was Coyote Moon Vineyards, which offers a nice selection of wine for tasting. Next, we went to the Clayton Distillery and sampled some unique adult beverages, including moonshine. My favorite was the lemonade shine. After sampling wine and whiskey, I felt like a needed some fresh air. Fortunately, the River Golf Adventure mini golf course is right across the parking lot from the distillery. It’s a brand new course, with plenty of water hazards; not exactly something you want after you’ve been drinking. Fortunately, the golf balls float! It was then back to downtown Clayton for dinner at Bella’s, which has an outdoor patio overlooking the river.
Cape Vincent
We spent the morning of our final day in the 1000 Islands visiting the Tibbetts Point Lighthouse in Cape Vincent, which is located at the point where Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River meet. The present 59 foot tall lighthouse tower was built in 1854. While the tower is not open to the public due to insurance regulation, you can get a nice view of the area using a telescope that is located on the grounds. There is a small museum, gift shop and rest rooms located in the visitor’s center. The keeper’s house and assistant keeper’s house are currently used as a youth hostel.
If you go
For more information visit the following websites:
www.visit1000islands.com
www.visitalexbay.org
www.1000islands-clayton.com
www.capevincent.org
Directions
From Buffalo take the NY State Thruway east to exit 36 and take I-81 north to exit 50. Travel east to Alexandria Bay or west to Clayton and Cape Vincent.
