This was such an amazing place to visit for my family! 2 little kids, 2 parents and 2 grandparents. We booked a ride the river boat tour and had an absolute blast! Worth every single penny plus a big tip to the captain who we learned is only a volunteer. Captain Torensen I believe was his name. My husband said we should make the tour part of our annual 1000 Islands trip. I have to agree. We own a boat but there was something about being in that woody speeding around the gorgeous scenery by an expert captain that left a lasting impression on me. We enjoyed looking at all the antique boats in the numerous buildings on the property. My kids even had a great time and were not bored. There is also a small play garden and some interactive features throughout. I honestly assumed the museum itself would be a bit boring but it was not. We ended up missing a building so pay close attention to your map as you go through. Our GPS took us straight to the main building front door where there is metered street parking but we were informed by someone from the restoration shop across the street that there is a free grass parking lot behind the the shop. There was a lovely lady at the front desk who answered so many of my questions and provided extremely helpful advice about their Tuesday free sailing program which unfortunately was postponed until tomorrow but we may try to come back to participate. We also bought some items from the gift shop and the gentleman running the counter in there was very friendly as well. 10/10 cool place to visit with wonderful staff read more

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Just happened to see this museum as we visited the cheese shop nearby. Stopped in to see what items they had on display. So many amazing pieces out and great explanations of what they are or used for. So many fishing items, really loved to see all the local historical photos, read more

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Awesome little museum. Well ok not too little but lots of cool things there. We did the tour of the house boat (twice the size of my house almost!), the boat tour (worth it trust me!!) and went out on skiffs too. Takes a bit of coordination but it was really really fun. Great for the kids too they got to take a boat out n read more

Antique Boat Museum - La Duchessa. - Museums Near Me - Clayton, New York

Very nice museum with old boats from the region. Recommend a tour of the La Duchesse and a ride on a speedboat.

The best collection of GORGEOUS antique wooden boats! The staff is beyond friendly and helpful. The tickets are $15 per adult and there are military and family packages available. You have an option of riding a speed boat and joining different tours or riding your own canoe! What a lovely museum to visit with the family. You can also sit in the Adirondack chairs and relax in the sun. We loved the different buildings of all the boats- we loved the Boats build for speed. You can play the boat video game here for free - so much fun!! It's perfect and educational for everyone! Highly recommend!! read more

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A good selection of boats, lots of history. Worth while to check out. Modern boats don't compare to these wooden beauties. read more

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It was experience i didn't know i needed to have. Great spot for boat lovers and even no lovers to visit. The guides were very knowledgeable amd there is soo much to see here. There is a lot to see, but make sure you make it to the speed boat racing exhibit. read more

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This is an amazing place to see boating, water history. It's also a place to see gorgeous wooden boats. read more

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Although not antique boat enthusiasts, my family really enjoyed this museum. In addition to antique boat displays, there is a variety of exhibits, some of them are interactive. There are several buildings. The main building has a gift shop, and displays of the history of the Thousand Islands region, boat making, and fishing. There is a boat "garage" and you are able to climb up alongside or into some of the boats. There's a repair shop where you can watch craftsmen restore antique boats. And there is a covered marina with racing boats on the water. Outside the grounds are well kept, and you are able to walk along the river. read more

Antique Boat Museum - Museums Near Me - Clayton, New York

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If you love old boats this is the place for you. My favorite spot is the room full of old wooden canoes - I could spend hours in there. The grounds are beautiful and you can rent a skiff to try rowing or - on Tuesday nights in the summer - take a sailboat ride with their free Community Sailing program. Our skipper was a young but very professional and capable girl name Sarai who took the two of us on a fun and educational sail around the museum harbor. Would definitely recommend! read more

Antique Boat Museum - Antique Boat Museum, Clayton NY - Museums Near Me - Clayton, New York

So worth it! If you're in the Clayton/ Alexandria bay, NY area, must visit! It was a raining morning so hoped into this museum and It was great! Tickets are around $15 and $3 extra if you want a tour of the house boat (I did not do this). The cost of the ticket is worth what you get to see. There's about 5 buildings of antique boats. speed boats, row boats, canoes, etc etc . If you look ahead of time, you can book a tour on one of their antique boats (2 options for boat) for an additional cost. The property they are located on is beautiful to just sit and enjoy for a little bit too! read more

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I'm not a boat guy but I do appreciate beauty, antiques and history. This place has all that and more. Really cool afternoon. Now I want to find an old boat to restore. We didn't take advantage but they offer rides on some of the antiques boats . The place is quite large encompassing several buildings and some outdoor as well. Not to mention the Old Boat Brewery is a cross the street. What's not to like ? read more

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What a great place to spend time while in the Thousand Islands. We came here because it was to be a rainy day, and we were looking for something to do. I was quite surprised by the number of buildings and exhibits. To be clear, Clayton is a boating town, so this is a perfect place for this museum. I took an additional tour of a Guilded Age house boat ($3 extra and worth it). This was led by Nancy, an excellent docent. We were sorry we didn't sign up for a speed boat ride (additional cost) because it rained before we could book it. We also were sad that we couldn't take the kayaks out (included with the cost of admission) due to windy conditions. There are a number of exhibits, some you can go onto, some you admire from a distance. The speedboat museum is across the street and was interesting to see. The town of Clayton has many stores to browse through as well as a number of restaurants. We stopped at the 1000 Island River Rat Cheese Store, which is a quick walk from the museum. Get to the museum early is you want free parking. The streets are all metered. read more

This is a MUST see if you are anywhere close to the 1000 Islands Region. Wonderful display of the history and craftsmanship that went into man's quest to explore the treasures of inland waters. From paddle, to sail, to power, the progression of innovation and invention is well represented. The "in water" part of the museum is spectacular as well. Well worth the admission price. read more

A good way to spend an afternoon in Clayton. There are multiple exhibits covering the history of boating on the river as well as life more broadly (ice skate sailing, ice farming, ice fishing). A number of different kinds of boats are displayed. The small boat building displays canoes and skiffs. Another building displays larger vintage boats, some of which you can walk aboard, various motors, and speed boats. A third building houses a workshop. We chose to take advantage of both "add ons". The first was a tour of the Boldt houseboat. Really neat to see what life would have been like living on the river. It is beautifully maintained. We also took a 45 minutes ride in a classic Hacker Craft motorboat. It was a great way to get out on the water and our driver provided a good history of the various islands near Clayton. Definitely recommend if you have the time and the weather cooperates. This was the highlight of our visit. read more

It was better than I thought it was going to be. So if I could give it a half star I would. Overall interesting to look at and the tour of the la duchesse was interesting. read more

Antique Boat Museum - Visit la duchesse - Museums Near Me - Clayton, New York

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We ladies had a great time touring this fabulous display of all kinds of antique boats, and a few new ones like the folding kayak! The boats and buildings and displays were all top notch, and the people working there were friendly and helpful. We enjoyed walking on-board a few of the larger old "cabin cruiser" type boats and seeing the cleverly designed built in tables, beds, and kitchens. We wished that our AAA tour group had given us more time, because we rushed through. It would have been fun to take the 45 minute boat ride for $25. read more

This is a great museum and worth going out of your way for. The 5 building complex is beautifully maintained, and the wealth of information can't be absorbed in one trip. The boats are beautiful (the woodworking craftsmanship is amazing). We didn't take advantage of the opportunity to take a rowing canoe out on the water, or going for a ride in a vintage runabout - but we might on a future visit. If you have any interest in boats or Thousand Island history, you will love this place. It is a museum that is done right! read more

Wow. If you like boats you'll love this place. But even if you get sea sick looking at the water you will still enjoy this museum and learn quite a bit - lots of informative displays describing the history of the area. It's a large place with about 6 different buildings. Unlike most museums you can actually touch and even board several of the boats (and step down to the lower decks) which really makes a difference. Super friendly staff and a great museum store with some spectacular books on the area. Set aside about 3 hours at least to enjoy. Kids will love it. But there is no food so eat first or bring a snack bar. read more

Boating fans will like this place, especially race boat fans and antique boat folks. For a fee you can even ride one of the antique race boats. Good local spot, worth checking out if you are in the area. read more

So originally this was just a so so trip for me. But things really picked up in the afternoon. On Tuesdays you can go on little sailing trips. So my mom and I had a really nice time even though we got soaked. But another boat actually flipped! Wow! It was windy so if you go, be careful about the weather. Mom and I also went on a skiff and that was awesome. Rowing was hard but cool. So this is really to go to and I recommend it. read more

Delightful spot to spend a summer afternoon. Two hours spent poring over history of antique boats, motorized as well as human-powered. My favorites were the runabouts, but all of the boats were remarkable and brought to life a historical time in sport boating. The boats themselves are beautiful outright. I'll visit again! read more

My friends and I had called ahead two weeks before when planning our trip to the museum and were assured the museum would be open on 10/11. On our arrival we were informed the museum was closed for the season. The brochure states they are open until mid October, we had made a confirming phone call, our group consists of people who drove 4-15 hours to get to the museum. We were told the hours of the museum were posted in the "paper". I guess it was the Clayton Pennysaver and the guy who is responsible for information about the museum went straight to the crossword puzzle. There were more people than just our group who were turned away as well. At this point the staff ran out of the building and locked the doors to the museum. I guess this is a non profit venture. read more

My wife and I litterally stumbled across this museum last year while visiting our son in Ft. Drum. It was so great, the displays were "cass A" workmanship, and the guides were courteous, helpful, and just plain nice people. We stopped just for a quick look see, and spent over five hours there! Do't miss it if you're in the area. read more

Definitely a stop to be made if you're in Clayton. Admission is reasonable and the layout is great. Cute little gift shop in front with a nice assortment of boat and 1000 island duds. I wasn't sure how the kiddos would like it, but my 5 year old was thrilled with being able to climb around inside the boats and pretend to steer. She also loved the house boat tour and the little canoe ride we took at the end. read more