Alexandria Bay... a little haven in my backyard

---

When it comes to exploring my own backyard, I consider myself rather lucky. I have the good fortune of living on Lake Ontario, which means my backyard is full of adorable little water-loving towns like Alexandria Bay.

First things first....everyone around here refers to the place as Alex Bay, or even A-Bay. I seldom hear it called by it's full name. It's kinda like the J-Lo of small, upstate NY towns in that way. It is also the kind of place you only go in the summer. Winters are brutal up here, and many of us hibernate like the bears. In the summer months, we all get outdoors as much as possible, trying to eke out as much sun as we can during our way-too-short season. People camp, fish, rent cottages, and sail their boats, and you will find all these people in A Bay.

The quaint little streets are filled with nautical-themed gift shops, restaurants, bars and cafes. There's even a winery here, which doesn't look impressive from the outside but it's really quite nice. There's a boat service conducting tours of the Thousand Islands area, including a stop at Boldt Castle. It's a small town, but has anything a summer adventurist might need.

I have been here many times throughout my life. My family rented a cottage nearby when I was a wee child. As a young adult, I came with a van full of friends to enjoy the bar scene. Most recently, I came here for provisions and a good dinner out during a camping trip at nearby Wellesley Island State Park. The photos here are from a trip in 2015, when we had family visiting from Ohio. We spent the day here, strolling through the streets, shopping, dining and eating ice cream. This place will always hold a special place in my heart. I hope to return for many of my future summers!

---