WolfeIsland is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. It is the largest of the Thousand Islands located in LakeOntario and the Saint Lawrence River but it has the classic small town feel. There are two general stores: Mosiers and Fargos, a library, Town Hall, two churches, four restaurants, two golf courses, a few inns and lots of charm. Everybody knows everybody and I was lucky enough to live on WolfeIsland for three of my summers. My uncle lives there full time and my granddad has a house there.
The only two ways onto the island are ferries, one goes from Kingston to WolfeIsland and one goes from Cape Vincent, NY to WolfeIsland. The Wolfe Islander III leaves from Kingston and it takes about 20 minutes to get over to WolfeIsland. It’s a free ferry since it is part of the Ontario Highway system. The other ferry, Horne’s Ferry, is privately owned so you have to pay to use it.
One of the great things about WolfeIsland is how peaceful and flat it is which makes bringing a bicycle a must. You could ride forever looking at all of the beautiful views of farms and the water. Once you get out of Marysville, which is only maybe 6 blocks, all there is, is farmland, water front and the occasional farm house or vacation home. Even those who live out the highway bike into town to get on the ferry to go to work. There are endless things to do on WolfeIsland. Go to the Corn Maze, Big Sandy Bay, have dinner at Brown’s Bay Inn or the General Wolfe, get an ice cream cone at Mosiers, I could go on forever.
During the summer several art galleries open up displaying the beautiful artwork of the residents of WolfeIsland: paintings, photographs, sculptures, handmade crafts, jewelery and so much more. Also in the summer months there is a sailing regatta, the Wolfe Island Classic 5K Run along the lake front and the Wolfe Island Music Festival which brings tons of musical people to the island for a weekend in August.
If you have a weekend to spare there are several inns on the island such as The Dreamcatcher, Brown’s Bay Inn and The General Wolfe Hotel. If you want seclusion and be out of the village I would suggest Brown’s Bay. If you want to stay in the middle of all of the excitement then I would suggest the charming Dreamcatcher or the General Wolfe. Another option, for longer stays, is to rent a cottage. It is generally fairly easy to find a charming little house available to rent for a week or however long you want to stay in the summer.
I get wistful just talking about it. Warm summer days, swimming in the lake, sailing in the evenings, eating vanilla soft ice cream while watching the ferry sail into the sunset. You haven’t lived if you haven’t gone to WolfeIsland, once you get there, you’ll never want to leave. To get more information about Wolfe Island, visit their website at www.wolfeisland.com.
is privately owned so you have to pay to use it.
