The St. Lawrence River splits into more than 1,800 islands along the New York–Ontario border, and a long weekend based in Alexandria Bay and Clayton is enough to see the region’s two Gilded Age castles, its best antique-boat collection, and the river itself from the deck of a tour boat. It’s an easy self-drive from Syracuse, and no passport is needed for any of it — even Dark Island, home to Singer Castle, sits on the US side of the river.
Day 1Arrival in Alexandria Bay
Drive up from Syracuse, settle into a riverfront resort, and spend the afternoon out on the water with a two-nation boat tour.
🚗 Drive — Syracuse Hancock Intl to Alexandria Bay
~90 min via I-81 N
Syracuse Hancock International (SYR) is the closest major airport; rent a car and follow I-81 north through Watertown to the river — a straightforward highway drive that ends with Thousand Islands views in the final stretch.
🛋️ Check-In — Riveredge Resort
Check-in 3pm · rooms from $110/night
A riverfront resort right on the St. Lawrence with its own 2,000-foot dock, an indoor pool, and Castle View rooms that look straight out at Boldt Castle on Heart Island.
Riveredge Resort · 800-365-6987 · riveredge.com
⛴️ Two Nation Tour — Uncle Sam Boat Tours
~2 hrs · $32 per person
A narrated loop through both American and Canadian channels of the Thousand Islands — no passport required — with close passes by summer “cottages” the size of mansions and a stop at Boldt Castle along the way.
Uncle Sam Boat Tours · 315-482-2611 · usboattours.com
🍽️ Dinner — Windows on the Bay
Dinner · $20–35 per person
Riveredge Resort’s own waterfront dining room, with the same river view as the Castle View rooms upstairs and a menu built around St. Lawrence River seafood and steaks.
Day 2Boldt Castle & the Antique Boat Museum
Go ashore at the Gilded Age folly built for a love story that never finished, then drive the short riverside stretch to Clayton for the world’s best collection of antique wooden boats.
🏰 Boldt Castle — Heart Island
~2 hrs · $10 shuttle + $14.75 admission
George Boldt began building this six-story, 120-room castle for his wife in 1900 and abandoned it mid-construction the day she died — it sat untouched for 73 years before the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority restored it. Uncle Sam Boat Tours runs the shuttle out from Alexandria Bay.
🍽️ Lunch — Clipper Inn
Lunch · $15–28 per person
A chef-owned, cloth-napkin spot on State Street in Clayton that’s been serving shrimp scampi and king crab legs since long before the antique-boat crowd discovered it — closed Mondays.
🚤 Antique Boat Museum
~2 hrs · ~$14 admission
The largest collection of antique recreational boats in North America, with runabouts, launches, and the restored houseboat La Duchesse on the water in Clayton — open 10am–5pm daily, May through October.
Antique Boat Museum · 315-686-4104 · abm.org
🛋️ Check-In — 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel
Check-in 3pm · rooms from $192/night
A boutique riverfront hotel on Clayton’s working harbor, a 20-minute drive from Alexandria Bay, with balconied rooms over the water and dinner downstairs at the Seaway Grille.
1000 Islands Harbor Hotel · 315-686-1100 · 1000islandsharborhotel.com
Day 3Singer Castle & the Drive Home
Backtrack down the river for one more castle — this one still fully furnished and riddled with secret passages — then point the car south for home.
🚗 Drive — Clayton to Alexandria Bay
~20 min via Rte 12E
A short, scenic run back down the river road to Uncle Sam Boat Tours’ dock, retracing yesterday’s route along the Seaway Trail.
🏰 Singer Castle Tour — Dark Island
~3 hrs · $50.75 per person
Built in 1905 for the founder of the Singer Sewing Machine Company and still fully furnished, Dark Island’s castle is riddled with secret passages and a spiral staircase hidden inside a fireplace — reached by boat from Alexandria Bay, no passport needed.
Uncle Sam Boat Tours · 315-482-2611 · usboattours.com
✈️ Departure — Syracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR)
~90 min via I-81 S
Retrace I-81 south back to Syracuse — the same river views in reverse, with enough buffer to return the rental car before an evening flight.
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