Seaway Trail Discovery Center

The Seaway Trail Discovery Center is a museum located in Sackets Harbor, New York that offers a wide range of exhibits about the culture and heritage of the Great Lakes Seaway Trail and surrounding regions.Cite web|url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-22523487_ITM|title=Touring the Road Less Traveled|accessdate=2008-05-16|date=2003-03-01|work=Good Housekeeping] The Seaway Trail is a convert|504|mi|km|0|lk=on|adj=on National Scenic Byway in the United States, mostly in New York but with a small segment in Pennsylvania.

The museum is located in the historic 1817 Union Hotel and was opened in July 2000 by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Preservation to provide visitors with an overview of the Seaway Trail,cite book | title=New York Off the Beaten Path, 9th| url=http://books.google.com/books?id=aN-djel3mekC&dq=Seaway+Trail+Discovery+Center&client=firefox-a&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0| last=Scheller| first=William| coauthors=Kay Scheller, Lillian Africano, Nina Africano| date=2007| pages=64| publisher=Globe Pequot| isbn=0762744251] the State's only scenic byway. It includes exhibits on the history, architecture and natural resources of St. Lawrence, Jefferson, Oswego, Cayuga, Wayne, Monroe, Orleans, Niagara, Erie and Chautauqua counties, those that surround the Great Lakes. The Center's exhibits also focused on the region's 27 historic lighthouses, local battles during the War of 1812,cite book | title=Off the Beaten Path| url=http://books.google.com/books?id=PwTi34hdNJoC&dq=Seaway+Trail+Discovery+Center&client=firefox-a&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0| last=Reader's Digest Association| date=2003| pages=243| publisher=Readers Digest| isbn=0762104244] and famous residents including: Susan B. Anthony, Frederic Remington and George Eastman.Cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=travel&res=9A0DE3DA1031F936A15755C0A9669C8B63|title=New York Seaway Trail Gets an Upstate Center|accessdate=2008-05-16|date=2000-06-25|work=The New York Times]

In addition to historical exhibits, the Center also features exhibits and lectures with content that applies to the daily lives and residents of the region.Cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-119761530.html|title='Talking Anglers' Seaway Trail Museum Offers Unique Exhibit|accessdate=2008-05-16|date=2004-07-25|author=J. Michael Kelly|work=The Post-Standard] Federal funding allows the center to contribute to and help develop the counties it serves.Cite web|url=http://westsidenewsonline.com/OldSite/westside/news/2004/0808/features/seawaytrail.html|title=Seaway Trail Receives Federal Funding|accessdate=2008-05-16|publisher=Westside News Inc.|date=2004-08-08] The Center is one of the few attractions in the North Country that is open year-round and believe that doing so helps extend the tourism season in the region. As of 2004, the Center received more than 20,000 visitors each year.Cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-126505099.html|title=Officials at Sackets Harbor, N.Y., Trail Center Anticipate More Visitors|accessdate=2008-05-16|date=2004-12-27|author=H. Michael Jalili|work=Watertown Daily Times] . Its work is believed to contribute to providing visitors with a greater understanding of how its agricultural heritage shaped the region and allow residents to understand how heritage tourism can help develop and grow the region.cite journal | author=Anne Langworthy, Joan Howard, Fiona Mawson| title=Building the Relationship Between Agriculture and Tourism| journal=Centre for Regional Development Reports, Swinburne University of Technology| year=2006| url=http://researchbank.swinburne.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/swin:7187?start=91]

References

External links

* [http://www.seawaytrail.com/05_discoverycenter.asp Seaway Trail Discovery Center]