Duck Soup is a rustic cottage with loads of charm. It has marvelous views of Black River Bay (with a sun rise worth getting up for). It’s located on a one-lane dirt road, off a “private” dirt road, off a dead-end street. There isn’t much more you can do to get away from it all. It’s a large cottage with a main room with high vaulted ceilings, a large cozy fireplace, mid-century furnishings and decor, and two loft spaces that add extra lounging areas (did I mention the view of the bay?). There are four comfortable bedrooms and 2-1/2 bathrooms. There is a private screened-in porch offthe master bedroom. One of the bedrooms was stocked with books, puzzles, and games to keep the family fun going. There is a gas grill and a full kitchen where we made delicious meals. The deck has a table and chairs for dining (and of course the views). We loved the bird watching: the Swan family, the Duck family, the elusive Loon, the mighty flocks of Geese, and the aerial stunts of the Common Terns fishing for breakfast. We also enjoyed sipping evening cocktails on some lawn furniture in the back of the bay above the private dock. There are two kayaks, a canoe, and three bikes we used to explore the local area.
It’s also just a short drive to the quaint town of Sackets’ Harbor, where we enjoyed checking out the history of the area and vistas of Lake Ontario. Another day we drove to Clayton, NY, on the Saint Lawrence River. Both towns have decent shops and restaurants. One of our favorite places to pickup supplies is The Little Barn Bulk Foods (10 minutes away), the have great fresh steaks and chicken. The big grocery stores are down the road from them in Watertown. On Wednesdays, a downtown farmers market is held in Watertown.
One day, we had a great day-trip to Gananoque, Canada, and took a boat-ride tour of the “1000 Islands” of the Saint Lawrence Waterway. After we had a delicious lunch at the Purple House Cafe in Gananoque.
Another great day trip is to take the two Wolfe Island ferries to Kingston, Canada, where there are many great restaurants to try and interesting shops to explore.
We stayed for a week (and could have stayed longer).
Duck Soup Cottage is a lovely home-away-from-home that we hope to return to again. Have fun, go on adventures, and don’t forget to relax.