passport is best). The
elevator ride to the top
gives excellent views of
the sprawling Thousand
Islands.4 p99
The Drive » It’s simple –
retrace your route back over the
bridge to the mainland and exit
onto Rte 12 north. If go-karts
are your thing, stop at Alex Bay
500 Go-Karts, one of the state’s
longest tracks and only 1.5 miles
from the exit. Alex Bay itself is
another 3.5 miles down the road.6 Alexandria Bay
Further east, Alexandria
Bay (A-Bay or Alex Bay),
an early-20th-century
resort town, is still the
center of tourism on the
American side. While
it’s run down and tacky,
there’s enough to keep
you occupied: go-karts,
mini-golf and a drive-
in movie theater (www.baydrivein.com) are only
minutes away.
It’s also the departure
point for ferries to Heart
Island and Boldt Castle
(%315-482-9724; http://www.
boldtcastle.com; adult/child
$8/5.50; h10am-6:30pm
mid-May−mid-Oct), built by
George C Boldt, the former
proprietor of Manhattan’s
famed Waldorf-Astoria
Hotel. Boldt began building
this replica of a 120-room
Rhineland, Germany, castle
in 1900 for his dying wife
Louise, who passed away
well before it was finished.
Boldt subsequently
abandoned the project and
it became the provenance
of the island’s woodland
creatures. But since the late
1970s, millions have gone
into its restoration, and
now the structures are as
magnificent as originally
intended.
Another not-to-be-
missed island experienceis a trip to neighboring
Singer Castle (%315-
324-3275; http://www.singercastle.
com; boat & admission adult/
child $34/17; h10am-4pm
guided tours), perched on
Dark Island. Built by the
president of the Singer
sewing machine company,
this 20th-century delight
was modeled on a Scottish
castle, giving it long,
spooky hallways and
dimly lit passages.
Uncle Sam’s Boat
Tours (%315-482-2611;
http://www.usboattours.com; 45
James St; 2-nation tour adult/
child $20/10) has several
departures daily for its
two-nation cruise (visiting
the US and Canadian
sides of the river), which
allows you to stop at
Boldt Castle and ride
back on one of its half-
hourly ferries for free.54 p99
TRIP HIGHLIGHTFewer people travel along the river north of A-Bay but it’s worth a detour to the
Frederic Remington Art Museum (%315-393-2425; http://www.fredericremington.org; 303
Washington St; adult/child $9/free; h11am-5pm Wed-Sat, from 1pm Sun) in Ogdensburg.
Remington (1861−1909), an artist who romanticized the American West in paintings
and sculpture, was born nearby in Canton and his family moved to Ogdensburg
when he was 11. He led something of a peripatetic existence as a correspondent and
illustrator for high-profile magazines of his day like Collier’s and Harper’s Weekly.
The museum not only contains some of his sculptures and paintings but loads of
personal ephemera like cigars he smoked and scrapbooks. A visit here goes well
with one to the Rockwell Museum of Western Art (p71) in Corning.
From A-Bay, Rte 12 turns into Rte 37 just past Morristown, following the coastline.
There are fewer islands in the river the further northeast you drive, but you can pull
over at several turn-offs as well as two state parks – King Point and Jaques Cartier –
to take in the views.FREDERIC REMINGTON ART MUSEUM
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE:
NEW.YORK.TRIPS.7
(^) ST LAWRENCE SEAWAY