“Road Trip” Oswego: History, Fun, Food, and An Awesome Lakefront

Our next road trip takes us to Oswego, New York.  This is a city of about 17,000 people 35 miles north of Syracuse.  It is home to the State University of New York at Oswego.

The city has the luck and luxury of being located along the southern shore of Lake Ontario.  And they make good use of this locale.  The views are great, many restaurants situate themselves along the waterway, there is a historic American fort that at one guarded this city and is now open to tours, and there is an amazing lighthouse and maritime museum all along the shore.

In this gallery we also include a couple of great spots to eat, again with many of them taking full advantage of the waterfront and its view.  And be sure and stay to the end of the article.  There you will find information about one of the Top Ten admission-free concert festivals held in the United States.  Oswego has hosted it for 35 years and it draws between 75-100,000 fans every year.  And the fireworks at the end of the show are without parallel in Upstate New York.

There is a lot of history in this great city, too.  Along with the important museums we highlight, you will meet the most famous woman to ever come out of Oswego.  Her story is a great American tale.  She was one of the first women in the country to graduate from medical college, was a spy and a battlefield nurse in the Civil War, and more.  In fact, the city just erected a life sized bronze statue of this great lady in front of their town hall.  What a story it is.

Stay tuned for other road trips around Upstate New York.