It’s a given that nobody knows a community better than the locals, so savvy travelers now often ask, “what do the locals do?” or “where do the locals go for…?”

When in the 1000 Islands, the locals:

• Spend Sunday afternoons at Potter’s Beach.  Sandy beaches are rare in the Islands but Potter’s, at the west end of Grindstone Island, is owned by the Thousand Islands Land Trust and is open to the public.  Accessible only by boat, locals will raft their boats together just off the beach and swim and sun all afternoon, after the “weekend warriors” have departed.
  
• Have a drink with Mitzi at the bar of the Clipper Inn on a weekday, during “happy hour.”  A 1000 Islands institution, Mitzi knows everyone and everything going on – and what went on last year too.  The allure is that she treats locals like close friends and visitors like locals.
  
• Go to Foxy’s, in Fisher’s Landing, by boat for dinner.  The restaurant, specializing in Italian food, is accessible by land too, but there’s just something about going out to dinner by boat…
  
• End at the night at the Lost Navigator in Clayton, but always refer to it as “the Nav.”
  
• Have breakfast at the Koffee Kove.  Locals sit at the big table, “continental style,” with friends and neighbors constantly coming and going from the six seats.  If the table gets overcrowded, they just drag another chair over and squeeze in. 
  
• Buy jewelry at the Silver Shoppe in Clayton; have custom jewelry made by Alex Mosher at Treasure Island in Alexandria Bay.  Locals especially like to have Alex make their wedding rings.
  
• Take in the Saturday night dance at the Grindstone Island Church.  Accessible only by boat, you’ve got to have a ride or be able to navigate the River after dark. When Grindstone Island’s year-round community of only a couple dozen hearty souls swells to several hundred during the summer months, the Island is hopping with all kinds of activities, none more popular than the Saturday night dance at the church hall.  A D.J. or sometimes a band is brought over from the mainland and young and old alike dance for hours and munch on snacks that everybody brings.  The evening also usually includes one of the locals “calling squares” later on too. 
  
• Drive out to Wilson’s Beach, on the lake side of Cape Vincent on Wilson Bay for some quiet afternoon sunning and swimming.  Some sand, gravel and stones washed smooth by the waves over time make for a unique “beach,” (you’ll want a chair) but the swimming is good and its location keeps it quiet. 
  
• Enjoy fall days on the River best.  The colors come later to the River; the leaves don’t start turning until the water cools.  But a still October day on the River, with the colors reflected in the vast waters and most of the visitors gone, is something even a working local will take time to enjoy.