Great Lakes Seaway Trail - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 905

in all sizes. Some are just large enough to accommodate a few trees; others are home to
statelyVictorianmansionsaccessibleonlybyboat.Itwastheownersoftheseislandestates
who, on their return to the big cities, made Thousand Islands dressing a staple on so many
menus.
Alexandria Bay, the commercial hub of the district, is a comely village with old shops
such as the Cornwall Brothers Store, a bastion of quaint Americana. From the waterfront
taketheboattourtoBoldtCastleonHeartIsland.Thisimposing121-roomstructure,arep-
lica of a castle on the Rhine, was built by George C. Boldt, the proprietor of the Waldorf-
AstoriaHotelinNewYork,asagiftforhisbelovedwife.(Heevenhadtheislandreshaped
into the form of a heart.) When his wife suddenly passed away in 1904, Boldt sent his 300
workmen home and never set foot on the island again.
For dramatic aerial views of this idyllic archipelago, motor across 100-foot-high Thou-
sand Islands International Bridge (off Rte. 12 a few miles southwest of Alexandria Bay),
whose several spans connect the United States to Canada. From Hill Island, Ontario, you
can take an elevator to reach the top of the 1000 Islands Skydeck—a 400-foot perch over-
looking the river from Alexandria Bay to Clayton.
Tibbetts Point Lighthouse marks the point where Lake Ontario meets the St. Lawrence River in northern New York State.