Heart island (Boldt Castle) 
Scenic view park 
Beach at Scenic view park
We’ve all eaten the salad dressing, but few people have actually been to Thousand islands in upstate New York. This is an incredible archipelago made up of over 1,864 islands in the St Lawrence River, which separates the northern US border and Canada. (To qualify as an island, it must be above water 365 days per year, and must have one tree). While some of these islands are tiny and uninhabited, some have sprawling mansions, and there are even a few castles?!?
Speaking of castles, the top visited attraction in the Thousand Islands area is Boldt Castle. Construction was started in the 1900’s when millionaire hotelier George Boldt (of Waldorf Astoria fame) wanted to build a castle for his wife. Sadly, she died before the house was completed and construction was immediately stopped. Tragically, the house sat empty and unfinished for 70 years before money was raised to restore the home. It’s fascinating to tour the first two levels of the home and see how it looks in all its Gilded age glory. The top level (where the servants quarters would have been) has been left unfinished so you can see what level of disrepair the castle was in before the restoration. You can still see the damaged and graffitied plaster walls.
More information about the history of Boldt Castle and how to purchase tickets can be found at: https://www.boldtcastle.com/visitorinfo/
We took a boat tour that showed us the highlights of the Thousand islands (including the incredible houses on Millionaires row) and also had a long stopover at Boldt castle. We had plenty of time for the self guided tour of the house and grounds. They also have a small cafe outside that offers ice cream, drinks and sandwiches. We loved Boldt Castle and thought it was the highlight of the boat tour. There are longer boat tours, but this half day trip was the perfect length for our 5 young kids!
Boat tour 
The Alster Tower
In the evening we enjoyed live music at Scenic View Park in Alexandria Bay. Checkout the local calendar with the live music scene at: https://www.visitalexbay.org/explore/entertainment-nightlife/
Scenic view park is an incredible place to view the massive cargo ships that sail down the river towards Lake Ontario. Watching the ships throughout the day was such a highlight for us! Look for lodging that provides a river view. Or even better, stay in a rental home on one of the islands!! Just make sure a boat is included to get you back to the mainland!
While you’re in Alexandra Bay be sure to check out the incredible Navs Popcorn shop! The owner is super friendly and lets you taste all the popcorn flavors before you buy! Our favorites were fireball, sour patch, chocolate drizzled caramel, and jalapeño! Check out their website for details! https://www.navspopcorn.com/flavors
This was our perfect day in New York’s Thousand Islands and Alexandria Bay! Next time we will check out the scuba diving in the river. The visibility is excellent due to the zebra mussel population which cleans the water. There are tons of shipwrecks to explore underwater if you love to scuba! Maybe next time!!
We stayed in Swan Bay RV resort which offered waterfront RV sites and plentiful fishing from the docks. Seriously, my kids would catch a fish within 20 seconds of dropping their line! EVERY time!!
If you want to explore another great upstate New York attraction, check out my post on the Finger Lakes Region! Why you must visit the Finger Lakes region of New York…
Happy travels!!
