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Town Seal / Village Seal
Welcome!
Young Street
The Corner Cafe
Catholic Church
Methodist Church
Have a Picnic here.
Trails Map & Pictures.
Salad Dressing
Sunset Island Home
Sunset Island Homes
Triathlon
Triathlon
Triathlon
Signs pointing the way
Wilson Harbour (west)
Tuscarora State Park Marina
Bridge to Wilson Y.C.
Tuscarora Yacht Club
Boat House Restaurant & Bar
Ed's Country Rearaurant & Bar
Wilson Boat Yard Marina
Harbor side Art gallery
Just what it says
Patriots Statue
Town Folks
Daisy Barn RV Park
Wilson Harbor WebCam
Wilson Weather
Geodetic / Nautical Chart
(wide angle)
Inquiries? sandy@motuiti.com
Wilson on the Lake
WilsonOnTheLake.com
Updated Summer 2007
by Sandy Estabrook
Click for detailed village map Click for detailed county map
Sunset Island
Sunset on the Lake
Toronto in the Distance (telephoto)
The Niagara County Village of Wilson is a sleepy one light village and farming community of little change over the last couple decades. It lies on Lake Ontario 20 miles east of Niagara , 62 miles west of Rochester and 37 miles across the lake from Toronto. It’s just blocks off Route 18 know as The Seaway Trail. Wilson ia also the name of the township (pop 5840 as of 2000). It’s largest employer is the Pfeiffer Salad Dressing plant.
In contrast to its rural farming character, by summer Wilson turns into the home of vacationers and yachtsmen. Most of the aforementioned is centered around Wilson Harbor and its numerous yacht clubs, commercial marinas, restaurants and the residences of Sunset Island.
I started visiting Wilson a few years back and have been coming every year since. My honey grew up in Wilson and introduced me to the area with periodic visits to her folks who live on the Harbor. She also introduced me to the regions favorite sandwich - Beef on Weck. 2006, the summer I prepared this website, we stayed for two months at our “own place” right on the lake front at the Daisy Barn Camp Site and RV Park.
Being a boater and island hopper by nature I’ve always gravitated to the seaside where ever it be - The U.S., Europe and of course tropical islands especially the Abacos. Wilson NY, has now become my first, first hand experience of any consequence lakeside, ergo the purpose of this site. Which is: to pass along my impressions of Wilson and it’s environs from the perspective of a this vacationer, boater and water lover. It’s intended to be used as a guide for those first time visitors whether one arrives by land or by lake.
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As mentioned Wilson is a sleepy one stop light village with many victorian homes lining its side streets. It lies just 5 - 6 blocks from the lake front at Wilson Harbor. The village has what one might expect namely, a hardware store, one bank (HSBC), pizzeria, one gas station, IGA market, a combination lawn garden and pet shop, plus an assorted other dozen stores. Sadly, the liquor store went out of business as of 2006 and hasn't opened by '07 (the closest one is about 8 miles away). Is there a business opportunity here?There are a couple vintage bars, restaurants and of course the charming and historic Wilson House Inn and Restaurant, one of the few places to stay in Wilson. There are easily a half a dozen historic churches in and around town covering all the major Christian faiths. A local haunt of some note is The Corner Cafe a casual and popular spot for breakfast, lunch and light dinner.
Wilson House Inn & Restaurant (in town)
Niagara Motorcycle Club's Wilson Rendezvous. (Click for large montage)
Despite the rural atmosphere there are many annual events scheduled by the town generally associated with larger towns and cities. Every summer starts off with a large flee market and fair on memorial day. and repeats on labor Day weekend. "Field Day" another event to raise money for the Volunteer Fire Dept., is the last weekend in August. There is a annual triathlon, and five K race. The Niagra County Motorcycle Club congritates for the annual Wilson rendezvous. All events attract visitors from far and wide including Canada.
The prime organizers for such events is the WCEC (Wilson Community Enhancement Charity). For more information and a calendar of town events, check their website. Or you can also check the towns Event Listing. In Addition to the aforementioned, the WCEC provided Wilson with its first ever high-speed wireless internet (WiFi) hotspot. The hotspot covers the Boat House/Boatyard waterfront, Clark's Park, the town gazebo and lookout on Ontario St., and portions of the Wilson Pier, Tuscarora Yacht Club and Sunset Island.
Just a couple miles east of the village on Route 18 you find Wilson-Tuscarora State Park. It’s right on the lake and has many offerings, not the least of which is a regionally favorite sport called Disc Golf. Gota admit, never knew there was such a thing. Anyway as the name implies, it's a cross between Frisbee and Golf. It's played in wide open areas like a golf course and very popular in this region. Want to know more?
Greenwood Veterans Memorial Park
Memorial Day 2007 saw the opening of Greenwood Veterans Memorial Park. It's a stones throw from the harbor's clubs and restaurants and truly a magnificently uplifting and spiritual spot commemorating the Wilson men and woman who contributed to their nation. More information can be found by clicking on the picture above.
Sunset Grill (on the 12 Mile Creek)
Wilson Boat House (on the harbor)
Wilson Harbor is were the action is. Here you’ll find three Yacht Clubs, namely the exclusive Tuscarora Yacht Club on Clark Island. the Island Yacht Club, and the Wilson Yacht Club. They all have some type of reciprocation with other Lake Ontario clubs. Nearby you’ll find Moyers Marina and the Sunset Bay Marina with popular Sunset Grill. The slips of the aforementioned get crowded in the summer as they are popular stop for the cruising sailors from the US and Canada.
Many of the harbor area homes are second homes for folks who also come from around the country and Canada. This is especially true of the exclusive enclave of Sunset Island on the Harbors north side which is primarily accessible only by boat. (There is a service road through the state park that opens only occasionally)
The Harbors action spot on the east side of the harbor is The Wilson Boat House Restaurant is a fun spot and there's usually live music on weekends. And be sure to stop by their lively ”Five Coconuts Tiki Bar” if it's open. The boat house once used to pickup the cruising folks at the harbor yacht clubs if planning dinner. However as of 2006 that service is no longer being offered.
What might seem like part of the same establishment due to their proximity is the separate Wilson Boatyard Marina, including a half dozen gift shops and an art gallery. The also provide a four rooms for rent. Not to be overlooked are the fishing and sailing charters available here or if you prefer rent a Kayak or take a complementary boat ride around the harbor. You can "Discover Diving". They provide Scuba instruction and trips for the experienced down to the snorkeler too - even rent equipment for those who want to go it alone and those Kayaks I mentioned. There are days (I've seen 'em) when the visibility in the lake can exceed 40 feet close to Bahamian like! If fishing is your thing another alternate site you might want to check out is the Western Lake Ontario fishing guide. Also included here is all sorts of information on the neighboring town of Olcott.
Across the parking lot from the Boat House is Clark’s Park and pool. It’s a popular family spot for cooling off during summer days. Here, barbecues (IE: Christmas in July party) are scheduled through out the summer. and movies are shown during on selected evenings.
Oh, don't forget a stop at Brownies Drive-In. It's right on Route 18 between the yacht clubs and the Boat House, You cant miss it. For some local color head west on 18 to Ed's Country Store. It's more a bar and restaurant serving breakfast (7am), lunch and dinner. There is even a detached clam bar open three nights a week serving cajun food. Occasionally they have a band and even a friendly poker game. Like I said it's frequented by the locals. Ask about their nightly special, and two for one Beef on Weck. If your lucky there will still be some left.
During the summer of '07 we made it a point to sample Beef on Weck at all the establishments in Wilson and they all serve it, even Brownies. Our ratings come up with the Sunset Grill being no. 1 and Ed's being no. 2.
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When I first came to Wilson in 2001, I was taken aback with it’s lovely and energetic harbor environment. Although live aboard sailors and boaters have little concern, there are few places to stay in the immediate area. Those that are, have been mentioned above. Further east and west along route 18 you'll come across other accommodations. One of these is the Lakeview Motel and Cottages. It's a new establishment about 7 miles west of Wilson. Their motel opened in '06 and in '07 they added the cottages. It's run by Chris Nowacki and her husband.
Fall is a beautiful time as one might expect with the leaves changing. Add to that the harbor hustle and bustle with all the boats being hauled out in preparation for the harbor freeze. It should also be mentioned, the surrounding establishments close mid fall through mid spring with the exception of the Boat House which stays open a bit later.
As a result employees are seasonal including the restaurant chefs. In my search for a restaurant of some ambiance, quality food and presentation, one has to drive about 20 minutes from Wilson to Sanborn and the Schimschack's Restaurant. It's built on the edge of the Niagara Escarpment with their tiered dining room giving each table a panoramic view of Niagara County's farm lands, orchards and vineyards below. For additional fine dining, your best bet would be to head west to the arty town of Lewiston where you'll find numerous fine dining with some ethnic variety. 2007 we discovered one of those, the cozy Lewiston restaurant, Carmelo's Coat of Arms. The four of us concluded we would liken Carmelo's to one of the best in all of western NY including Buffalo. Both the aforementioned are a worthwhile trip from Wilson, but make a reservation. For a listing of all Niagara County's lake region restaurants, click here.
Western New York has much to offer travelers within 20 miles of Wilson, not the least of which is Niagara Falls. Aside from that, not far from Wilson is the local wine country, the historic Erie Canal city of Lockport, state parks and forts. And don't forget a stop at the charming and picturesque Niagara River towns of Lewiston during its annual art festival, and Youngstown with look-see at Old Fort Niagara. And finally, to Wilson's east, on the lake, the sport fishing harborage of Olcott.
- Wilson Homes -
- Wilson Harbor Scene -
- Signs Along the Way -
PS - A funny story. I live in Sarasota, Fl. I volunteer at their community hospital on Thursdays. One day a new volunteer joined the Thursday team. The usual conversation developed "where are you from" etc. He told me he was a retired orthodontist from Lockport NY. Wow I said, I'll be spending my summer in Wilson NY a few miles away. His reply was that he will be too on Sunset Island! Small world. (And what if he chose another day to volunteer). Naturally we connected a couple times during our visit.
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