America's Byways® Press Room
November 5, 2003 - Seaway Trail Celebrates 25th Anniversary Year

Throughout 2003, New York’s Seaway Trail has been celebrating twenty-five years of “great American road trips” as one of America’s Byways™.

The actual anniversary and birth date of this premier America’s Byway™ was October 30, when corporation bylaws were signed establishing the Seaway Trail Corporation. Back then (in 1978), the Seaway Trail extended along the shoreline highways in St. Lawrence, Jefferson, Oswego and Cayuga Counties of New York State. Today the Seaway Trail winds 500 miles from Massena, NY, following the shoreline to the OH state line on the west.

This anniversary year has seen many special promotions and events. Several new elderhostel programs were added for 2003. To the Seaway Trail Lighthouses/Maritime Tour and Sackets Harbor Experience programs was added four more: American Rights; Seaway Trail Sportfishing; Toys Invention, Production & Education History; and The Gilded Age of the Thousand Islands.

This year also saw the premier of Seaway Trail Walks©, in which Seaway Trail and waterfront communities along the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River shoreline offered visitors guided walking tours in Westfield, Lewiston, Sackets Harbor, Clayton and Waddington. Each community hosted its Walk on a different weekday to form a weeklong series that took travelers west-to-east along the 454-mile Seaway Trail. The one-and-a-half hour Walks began June 9th and continued through October 17th.

A new architectural attraction also opened this year. Travelers can now roam the secret passageways and landscaped gardens of historic Singer Castle on the St. Lawrence River. This island castle joins other architectural marvels on the Seaway Trail, such as Boldt Castle, the French Castle at Old Fort Niagara, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Graycliff, the Seaway Trail Discovery Center, 28 historic lighthouses and many other interesting structures.

For more information about upcoming events and activities during this 25th Anniversary year, contact Seaway Trail (1-800-SEAWAY-T, or info@seawaytrail.com.)

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