Norther New York Guide!

I am finally getting around to making a NNY Guide! Something I wish we would have had when we first arrived at Fort Drum. It can seem like there's not a lot to do around here, but when you really explore there is a whole lot to do.  So I am making a list of some of our favorite ways to get out there. Everything I post is kid friendly because we take Jed everywhere with us! From closest to Fort Drum to the furthest. Enjoy! 

Fort Drum/Watertown!

• On Fort Drum there are splash pads (which is one of the first things we did here), bowling, trails, library (story time). I know ACS has a lot of events as well for moms who stay home and want to go out during the day.

• Watertown. The closest big city to Fort Drum has some normal things to do, like the mall, the movies, places to eat. Downtown Watertown is a neat place to see. The library is historic and there is even a museum across from it for all you history buffs! In the summer they have a Famers Market on Wednesdays, It's a lot of fun. 
• Thompson Park. Located near downtown Watertown, this is one of the coolest, if not the coolest, park here. It has a huge wooden playground, a beautiful view with an open field, and a zoo (more below).
•  The Watertown zoo in my opinion is kind of lame (for a zoo). Although its not very expensive, $7 for adults, $4 for kids, kids 3 and under are FREE.  They have local animals, and a really cool butterfly house which may be worth the $7. They also have a small farm section where you can pet some of the animals. 
• Burville Cider mill is a quick 20min venture but oh so worth the donuts and cider that they have. You can also buy apples and look at their cool waterfall. Don't be fooled by their website, It's only open in the Fall. 
• Farms in general are a lot of fun to see. You can go apple picking in the fall, and berry picking in the summer! 

Sackets Harbor

• Old McDonalds Farm is a really fun farm to visit with kids, but even if you don't have kids, its still fun. Its seems a little expensive for a farm, $10 for adult and $8 for kids. But there is a whole lot to do! You can see farm animals, feed them, theres a tour, jumpers for kids, mini golf. You can spend an entire day there. 
• Sackets Harbor is a beautiful little water town. Its very historic, known for the war of 1812. They have tours in the summer and some little museums that you can see. But even if you don't see any of that, the town itself is beautiful to walk around. There are some cute shops you can visit, and I would recommend eating breakfast at the Tin Pan Galley it is seriously amazing (and expensive), I would do dinner at Goodfellos, they have the best brick oven pizza! If you like spicy, I recommend the afterburner. Then head over to the ice cream stand across the street for some amazing ice cream! 

Clayton 

• Another cute little town by the water. They have some fun shops, including the river rat cheese store!! They also have the antique boat museum, I believe its $12 but free for military. 

Alexandria Bay

• Alexandria bay is probably the most "touristy" thing here. Similar to Clayton, but with a little more things to do. Not only can you walk around, but they also have some really neat boat tours you can do. They have one that takes you to Boldt Castle which is a must see here. 

Syracuse 

• Syracuse, being a major college town, has a lot to do! There is Destiny USA, which is one of the biggest malls in the state.  There is also the Syracuse zoo which is free to military and family. There is also Dinosaur BBQ which was on DD&D, and worth the ridiculous wait and crowd. 

Canada

• Canada is only about 30 min from Fort drum. If you're in the area I would highly recommend going there! Right after the border they have a really cool observation tower that is worth seeing. We visited Brockville while we were there, but there is obviously so much you can see. 

Baseball Hall of Fame

• One of my favorite things we've done! Not only is the baseball hall of fame cool, but Cooperstown is really neat to see. 

Niagara Falls

• Don't really need to say much about this, it speaks for itself! This is one of those must see things that is a little further away but worth the trip. Buffalo is a cool city to see if you're in the area, and I recommend eating at lake affect diner, and Sophias on Military Rd (only breakfast/lunch place). 

These are just a few of the places you can see while you're here. There really is a lot to do around here, my favorite being yard sales and random events near town. There is a whole lot of outdoor things to do that I didn't bother mentioning because they seem so obvious, like hiking, rafting, fishing, ect. The fourth of July seems to be the busiest and seems to yield the most to do! But there is something to do in every season, including the wretched winter.