Plattsburgh has more than shopping
The picturesque waterfront city has several excellent museums and a 34-stop heritage trail
To many Montrealers, Plattsburgh is a place where shoppers go for cross-border deals, travellers go for cheap airfare and boaters go to park on Lake Champlain.
It’s time to give the picturesque waterfront city another look for weekend getaways or day trips.
Just 100 kilometres south of Montreal, Plattsburgh, N.Y., has a storied past that dates to the arrival of Samuel de Champlain in 1609.
The city’s historical museums are a key part of its attraction.
Here are some ideas on what to do in Plattsburgh, whether you’re there for a few days, or you’re looking for something to do while your better half shops or you’re killing time before flying out of Plattsburgh International Airport:
Clinton County Historical Museum
On the grounds of the former Plattsburgh air force base, this is a low-key but engrossing museum that covers the history of a large area of northeastern New York, from the Canadian border to south of Plattsburgh.
The museum offers a crash history course, with many artifacts on display. Stone tools and cooking pots from prehistoric times. A wooden gun carriage from Benedict Arnold’s flagship during a 1776 battle on Lake Champlain. A cigar store Indian from the days when Plattsburgh was a cigar-making centre in the late 1800s. The museum is kid-friendly, with signs urging little ones to play with broken-pottery puzzles and pick up fox and other animal pelts on display.
The museum, at 98 Ohio Ave., is open Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For information, visit clintoncountyhistorical.org or call 518-561-0340. War of 1812 Museum A two-minute walk from the Clinton County centre, this museum covers the war, between 1812 and 1815, that began when the United States declared war on Britain.
The museum’s main focus is the September 1814 Battle of Plattsburgh, a decisive clash on Lake Champlain in which U.S. soldiers were able to repel a much larger Brit- ish force intent on occupying Plattsburgh and seizing control of the lake.
The context of the war is explained and the land and naval battle are recreated via a two-metre-by-five-metre scale model of the battlefield. Start your tour with a 10-minute documentary about the Battle of Plattsburgh. Kids can try on period costumes and attempt to lift an 11-pound cannonball.
The museum, at 31 Washington Rd., is open Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For information, visit battleofplattsburgh.org or call 518-566-1814.
Kent-Delord House Museum
This museum, near downtown Plattsburgh, is in a building that dates to 1797. It recreates what life was like for a family that lived in the house for three generations, from 1810 to 1913. Guests included James Monroe, the fifth U.S. president. The house, one of Plattsburgh’s oldest buildings, features original furniture and other family belongings.
In October, the museum is holding a series of special events. They include, on Monday (Columbus Day in the U.S.) a 19th-century family harvest day that will feature workshops on soups, apple cider and weaving. On Oct. 20, there are workshops on old-fashioned sweets, including “sweet meats” and cookies.
The museum, at 17 Cumberland Ave., is open Tuesday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. For information, visit kentdelordhousemuseum.wordpress.com and www.kentdelordhouse.org, or call 518-5611035. Heritage Trail The museums mentioned above are on Plattsburgh’s Heritage Trail, a walk that takes you to 34 locations throughout the city, including a Samuel de Champlain monument in a park that overlooks Lake Champlain, where a congregation of ducks had gathered the afternoon we visited.
The trail will take you over a 1930s pedestrian bridge that crosses the Saranac River and gives visitors a chance to get up-close looks at the Montreal-New York City Amtrak train as it passes over an adjacent train bridge.
For an detailed map of the Heritage Trail, visit bit.ly/ VLyUd1