Alexandria Bay is a beautiful, small town on the shores of the St. Lawrence River, just minutes from Canada. In this post, learn 12 amazing facts about this really cool northern New York town.
When my family and I first moved up to North Country a few years ago, Alexandria Bay was literally the very first place that we visited. There is a little local park named “Scenic View Park” which is located right on the St. Lawrence River, and so I thought it would be worth checking out.
We were immediately charmed by the town’s big welcome sign, the quaint homes and buildings, and especially the stunning views offered by many locations within Alexandria Bay. I hope that this post helps you learn a little bit more about this really unique northern NY town that has quite a bit to offer visitors.
Alexandria Bay is named after Alexander LeRay de Chaumont
Alexandria Bay got its name from Alexander LeRay de Chaumont, son of Jacques-Donatien “James” LeRay de Chaumont, a very wealthy and influential Frenchman. The story behind the elder LeRay is interesting, since he was a driving force behind the French government’s decision to provide financial and logistical support to the newly formed United States against the British during the Revolutionary War.
Furthermore, the money provided by the King of France to the United States ended up bankrupting the French government and may have been one of the most important factors for the French Revolution. Some may give substantial to credit Jacques-Donatien Le Ray de Chaumont for successful revolutions in both countries, even though that may not have been his intention.
There are several towns in New York named after the older LeRay de Chaumont, including the town of LeRay (located near Watertown) and Chaumont, which is not too far from Alexandria Bay. Jacques-Donatien Le Ray de Chaumont lived in LeRay, and members of his family lived nearby.
The first people to live in the area were the Mohawk and other Iroquois Indigenous American peoples
The first encounter of indigenous Americans living in the greater St. Lawrence River area and newly-arrived Europeans was likely between the Mohawk and the French. According to historians, the Mohawk peoples (Kanyen’kehà:ka) maintained the area for its excellent hunting and fishing.
The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe continues to maintain a close connection to the Thousand Islands region, which is where Alexandria Bay is located. The tribal territory, which hosts the Akwesasne Museum, is located about 90 minutes north on NY-37
Indigenous cultures have a long connection to the Thousand Islands region. In fact, in the Iroquois language, the area is known as Manitouana or the “Garden of the Great Spirit”.
Anyone who has seen a bird’s eye view of the river and its many, many islands, such as the view you get from walking over the Thousand Islands Bridge, would agree that this part of the world was aptly named. Manitouana, a place of abundance, natural beauty, and wonder.
People have been vacationing in Alexandria Bay since the 1800s
Before the 1860s, Alexandria Bay was a relatively unknown town. While there was a small population living there, for most people who knew of the place, it was just a pretty place to stop while traveling on a steam-liner from Toronto to Montreal.
There was a small group of well-to-do individuals who had discovered the natural beauty of Alexandria Bay prior to the 1860s. Some of these people, such as New York Governor William H. Seward, built beautiful summer homes on the shores of the St. Lawrence River.
It wasn’t until President Grant visited friends in the area in 1872 that the Thousand Islands region of New York, and especially Alexandria Bay, took off in popularity. Ever since then, people have come from all over the country and the world to visit, and those who can afford it began to build homes there.
The image below is a clip from a NYC newspaper article printed in 1876. As you can see, not every single person was enamored by the attractions in “Alex Bay”, as the locals sometimes call it.
It reads like an 19th century Yelp review:
Boldt Castle is a tragic love story
Visitors to northern New York are often surprised to learn that there is a castle in the middle of the St. Lawrence River, and that you can see it from many points in Alexandria Bay. In fact, there are many boat tours that can take you to the island to visit the castle directly from the town.
The castle, which was never fully completed, was commissioned by New York City resident George Boldt. Located on Heart Island, he wanted the very large, luxurious castle to be a gift for his wife, Louisa Augusta Boldt (née Kehrer).
Boldt Castle is located on Heart Island, formerly known as Hart Island. George Boldt changed the name from “Hart” to “Heart” Island, perhaps to better reflect the emotion behind the gift of the castle to his wife.
When his wife suddenly died of heart failure at the age of 44 in 1904, George immediately halted the construction project. Some stories report him sending a telegram to order the workers to drip their tools.
According to local lore, even though George visited the Thousand Islands region again after Louisa’s death, he never went to the castle, or the island, ever again. Fortunately, after several decades of neglect, the property is now owned by the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority and is a beautifully restored, well-maintained tourist attraction.
This means that you can visit Boldt Castle and wander the grounds. When you do, you are sure to
The population of Alexandria Bay increases 1500% during the peak summer season
Alexandria Bay is typically a very small town, with just over 1,000 full-time residents. The St. Lawrence River is especially beautiful at this location, however, and its popularity means that during peak season, the population grows to more than 15,000.
People love to do all sorts of activities on the river and in the town of Alexandria Bay. Boating, swimming, water-skiing, jet-skiing, river tours, touring of historical sites, and dining at the town’s cafes and restaurants are some of the most popular things to do in Alexandria Bay during peak tourist season.
If you spend any amount of gazing at the river from the shore of St. Lawrence in the area, you will almost surely see a boat from Uncle Sam Boat Tours going by. This is the most popular water tour company in Alexandria Bay, and it’s a great way to take in the scenery while learning all that this part of New York has to offer.
Alexandria Bay is a 25 minute drive to Canada
While there is a lot to do right in the town of Alexandria Bay, those visitors with a passport or enhanced driver’s license might be surprised to know that you can get to Canada in 25 minutes. Once you have crossed the border, you can be in Ottawa in 1.5 hours and Montreal in 2.5 hours.
While this was easier to do in the “before times”, those who want to visit Canada from Alexandria Bay can figure out all that they need to do to cross the border from the ArriveCan app that they can download to their smartphones.
The bridge to Canada from Alexandria Bay is located on Wellesley Island and is named the Thousand Islands Bridge. It’s worth visiting the bridge even if you don’t want to cross the border because you can actually walk across the bridge on a footpath that is right next to the highway.
To walk across the bridge, park at the North Country Welcome Center in Alexandria Bay (get Google Maps Directions).
There is a beautiful state park in Alexandria Bay
One of New York’s most beautiful state parks is located in Alexandria Bay. Keewaydin State Park, established in 1962, allows public access to the river and its gorgeous 174 acres. If you are ever in Alexandria Bay, I highly recommend visiting this park.
The sunsets are fantastic from the shores of the park. I especially love the photograph below where you can see the warm colors of the sun close to dusk casting a lovely golden color onto the remnants of a grand estate that used to be located on the property.
It has a drive-in movie theater
There are many quaint aspects of a visit to Alexandria Bay and nearby towns, and one of those elements of charm comes from the connection the region has to the past through its old homes and buildings. The Bay Drive In Movie Theater has the charm of an old-fashioned drive-in theater, but it has updated digital systems and shows the latest movies.
It’s a cash-only theater, but reasonably priced and there is an ATM machine on-site. In addition, you can get movie-theater snacks and other food before the show at the on-site cafe.
How cool is it that you can visit this unique drive-in theater only about two miles from the town?
Alexandria Bay is a great place to watch cargo ships
230 metric tons of cargo passes Alexandria Bay on thousands of commercial shipping vessels each year, which means that hundreds of large ships can be seen right from the shores of the town. These ships come from all over the world to deliver goods to the ports in the Great Lakes, and you can also see ships on their way to any number of far away countries.
Admittedly, it is very exciting to watch a large ship like these come through. Depending on where you are watching from, you might hear a quiet rumble, see an impressive wake, or even notice the water level change slightly (it seems to get “sucked up” as the ships get closer).
The photograph below is a view of a large vessel approaching the Thousand Islands Bridge from the west. If you are lucky, you might be able to see a vessel passing underneath the bridge while you are walking across on the footpath, which is a pretty amazing birds-eye view.
It is home to Longue Vue Island, an artificial island
There is a small island named Longue Vue Island that you can see from the marina at Keewaydin State Park, or while on your boat or a boat tour. This island is actually an artificial island that has been there since about 1906, and is the only man-made island in the entire region.
The island, which has been owned by a few different families over the years, is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is has been owned by the current owner since the 1990s, and they have done significant renovations and improvements, so we are sure to be able to marvel at this engineering feat for decades to come.
The town of Alexandria Bay is more than 200 years old
The current town of Alexandria Bay was first settled by descendants of European immigrants to North America in the early 1800s. A Quaker man named Cadwallader Child, while working as a surveyor, decided that the spot would make a good place for a port town, which is how the idea for Alexandria Bay began.
Alexandria Bay was a very small town for many years, and only had about 120 residents in the year of 1860. By 1890, the population had increased by a factor of ten to more than 1100.
The town’s history of more than 200 years combined with low population growth since the construction of the central town has meant that the buildings in the town look much like they did when they were first constructed, although with modern updates and improvements. This means that many of the locations in the town are historic buildings that we can visit to learn more about the history of the town and the region.
Many of the towns in North Country have very old, historic buildings – including homes. It is not uncommon to find houses that were built in the very early to mid-1800s.
If you are a fan of history or architecture, you are sure to find the buildings very interesting in this area.
It’s part of the world-famous Thousand Islands region
The Thousand Islands Region is famous as a world-class vacation destination. Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, as well as many of the smaller lakes and rivers nearby, provide recreation opportunities to many thousands of people each year.
Lists of fun things to do in the Thousand Islands region, which happens to include part of Canada on the other side of the St. Lawrence, always include boating, excellent fishing, bird-watching, hunting, freshwater wreck diving, and fall foliage viewing.
Conclusion
I hope that you found this post about interesting and amazing facts about Alexandria Bay fun to read. If you visit the area, now you know more about this beautiful town, and you will enjoy it even more than you already do.
Thanks for reading today, and don’t forget to share!