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1000 Islands,
NY/Ont. The quaint overhead “welcome” signs at the entrance to each village in the Thousand Islands region are distinctive. Until lately, Alexandria Bay's sign lit up in neon, a garish reminder of the resort heritage of this touristy village, which, though tacky, is somewhat endearingly so. The signs for Clayton and Gananoque are old-fashioned wood, reflecting a more low-key tradition. The small sign at the entrance to the hamlet of Rockport has a homemade look, evidence of a simpler way of life. The Thousand Islands region is a watery venue of rocky, forested islands straddling two nations and marking the beginning of the storied St. Lawrence River as it leaves Lake Ontario to flow hundreds of miles northeast into the Atlantic Ocean in eastern Quebec. Some of the Thousand Islands – officially they number 1,864 – are mere rocks with a couple of trees, too small for habitation, though some hold a single cabin. Others are large enough for many cottages, and busy Wellesley Island contains a Victorian village, several state parks, a golf resort and hundreds of summer homes. The largest, Ontario's charming Wolfe Island, supports a year-round farming population of nearly 1,500. The region's vacation centers are as varied as the islands themselves. The focus on the American side is Alexandria Bay, locally called Alex Bay or simply the Bay. Here is an old-fashioned, once-moneyed resort in the genre, perhaps, of parts of the Jersey shore. To the west is Clayton, its poor-boy cousin lately on the upswing, an historic riverfront community that’s a mecca for fishermen, campers and museum-goers. The Canadian side is generally more low-key and more scenic. Its focus is Gananoque (GAN-a-NOK-kwee, or Gan, as the locals call it), an up-and-coming town of inns and restaurants (and a new casino), where the annual ten-day Festival of the Islands in mid-August has become one of the biggest family celebrations in Ontario. To the east, tiny Ivy Lea and Rockport retain the look of generations ago. In the heart of the area, Wellesley Island in New York and Hill Island in Ontario provide the bridge and highway links between the two nations and two very different shores. Fishing and boating are the islands' chief attractions for many. Bass, walleyed pike and muskies keep the anglers happy. More than 75 excursion boats full of sightseers ply the river waters. You can ride on a tour boat or rent a houseboat. Watch hulking ocean-going freighters pass along the St. Lawrence Seaway. Go scuba diving to look at underwater shipwrecks. Attend vesper services by boat. Take a shuttle boat to shop at the Boateak on Bluff Island or a ferry to dine at an inn on Wolfe Island. Stay overnight at a B&B on a boat or an island. Camp in a cabin on Canoe Island or a tent on Mary Island, and island-hop between campsites in Canada's St. Lawrence National Park. You can visit North America's largest freshwater maritime museum, see first-rate theater at a playhouse beside the water, visit a nature center on Wellesley Island, reminisce in the Victorian homes and ambiance of Thousand Island Park, relive the past on Wolfe Island, and enjoy the local Thousand Island salad dressing and River Rat cheese. And everyone ogles Boldt Castle, the $2.5 million monument to a man's love and a broken heart on Heart Island, an omnipresent landmark off Alexandria Bay. Just as the islands and towns vary, so do the people who populate or visit this busy summer vacation area. All types can find their place among the myriad islands and attractions of the mighty St. Lawrence.
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