GKG, I hope you don't mind my preempting you with a consolidation post. I've been keeping track of info for my husband's trip.
WATERTOWN
Hotel
Days Inn - $79
110 Commerce Park Dr, Watertown
315-782-2700
free airport shuttle
Econolodge
Ramada Inn (6300 Arsenal Road. Watertown , New York)
free airport shuttle
Sackets Harbor is closer to ART than Watertown, and there are actually things to see and do, good restaurants, etc. It's on the Black River Bay.
http://www.sacketsharborny.com/accommodations.html
Ontario Place Hotel. Sackets Harbor, (overlooks the water)
$79 for one night in May.
103 General Smith Drive, Sackets Harbor, New York 13685
1 (315) 646-8000 / 1-800-564-1812
Provides airport pickup
comedy club here that attracts national names like "Sat
Night Live" cast like Jimmy Fallon.
brew pub (
www.1812ale.com) was not that great
gnaget paid $20 for a taxi, which seems high to him for an 8 mile drive
Taxi
Yellow Cab Taxi
(315) 782-2121
95 Public sq
Watertown, NY 13601
Car Rental
Enterprise
315-782-0100 - Vinnie. Let it ring – can take a long time to be answered.
Mon-Fri 7:30 AM EDT to 6 PM EDT
Sat. open until 12 noon EDT.
They will pick you for free. Pre-arrange that and call them when you arrive.
Brounty Aviation Service acts as their concierge/agent for after
hours transactions.
Two day minimum on a rental at $39.99 a day for a Neon, however. No
specials, as Enterprise is not actually located at the airport.
http://enterprise.com/car_rental/dee...EMCMR3&cnty=CA
$9.99/day weekends for an economy car (150 miles/day)
$19.99/day weekends for a compact with unlimited mileage in the
following areas: NY-NJ-CT-NH-VT-ME-RI-MA-MD-PA-OH-DE, ONTARIO, QUEBEC.
OR
10% off web rates for other rentals (eg $25.10 for a compact)
You may want to consider booking online and then calling to arrange
pickup/delivery to airport.
Sightseeing
It's a really short drive (30-40 mins) to the Thousand Islands region which is quite nice. Brockville and Gananoque are both quaint on the Canadian side. Alexandria Bay, on the New York side, is beautiful this time of years and the boat tours are a must.
Bonnie Castle,
http://www.bonniecastle.com/, is generally regarded to be one of the nicer hotels in Alexandria Bay, but it's a bit long in the tooth. Double check to ensure it's been kept up. The hotels in the Gananoque/Brockville are also aging. The natural beauty of the Thousand Islands has been a tourist draw but they haven't put in any new hotels in a long time. The Glenn House Resort in Gananoque,
http://www.glenhouseresort.com/, has perhaps the nicest location on the Canadian side.
Kingston across the Canadian border (~1 hr) is nice any time of year. Ottawa (1 3/4 hrs, also Canada) is particularly nice in the winter. Montreal (~2 1/2 hrs) is very nice.
Plenty to do in Syracuse as well.