HISTORIC OSWEGO: PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE

Oswego is located on Lake Ontario in north-central New York and is known as "The Port City of Central New York". It was incorporated as a village on March 14, 1828; and the Oswego Canal, a branch of the Erie Canal, reached the area in 1829. The city of Oswego was incorporated in 1848.  The Conference Center is located in the historic Canal District and is centrally located to the entire area and all of NYS.  Our central location and easily accessibility from all compass points have made us the premier event space and destination.

Oswego and Lake Ontario have a deep connection to our nation’s history from the Revolutionary War to WWII. Fort Ontario, the Safe Haven Museum, the Marine Museum, the lighthouse, and many other locales in and around the area offer a rich and in depth look into our nation’s past.  Oswego has many parks for you and the entire family to enjoy.  The crown jewel being Breitbeck Park With its historic Bell Tower and position overlooking the harbor, break wall, lighthouse, marina, and of course Lake Ontario, a prettier place is hard to find. Spectacular sunsets and photographic opportunities abound no matter what time of year you visit. Every year the city hosts Harborfest, a four-day festival of music, culture, and food centered around the Oswego Harbor; culminating in a fireworks display on the Saturday evening of the festival. The event is sponsored by local businesses, and the entertainment is mostly admission-free. The festival continues to draw approximately 150,000 to 300,000 attendees every year.

The City of Oswego has undergone a tremendous renaissance during the past decade and continues to grow in a positive direction. Dining has become widely recognized in Oswego with many classic restaurants, cafes, and more modern family restaurants as the city continues its expansion eastward.  If you like the outdoors both in town and nearby locations we offer fishing, boating, kayaking,  swimming, cycling, hiking, snow shoeing, ice skating (two city rinks + the SUNY Marano Campus Center), cross country skiing, and many nature trails. The Sterling Nature Center on the shore of Lake Ontario is a mere 20 minute drive west  It has a wide array of trails & stunning natural beauty and an active rookery.   Wildlife of all manner resides in this beautiful natural habitat.  

Oswego is home to Novelis which is the leading producer of flat-rolled aluminum products and the world's largest recycler of aluminum.  Nine miles east of the city are the Exelon Nuclear power plants: Nine Mile Point Units 1 and 2 produce 1,907 megawatts of zero-emissions energy: enough carbon-free electricity to power more than 2 million homes and have some of the highest safety ratings in the nation. Less than an hour to our north is the Salmon River Fish Hatchery.  Each year over one million pounds of fish are released by the DEC into more than 1,200 public streams, rivers, lakes and ponds across the state. These fish are stocked for two main purposes: to restore native species to waters they formerly occupied and to enhance recreational fishing.

We are also home to SUNY-Oswego which is known throughout New York State as a premier learning institution in many fields of study.  They consistently “field” some of Division III’s best athletic teams in the nation including a nationally ranked men’s hockey program.   SUNY Oswego has also made the Princeton Review’s List of Best Colleges for 2020 in its regional reviews.  It also has a reputation for being one of the “greenest” campuses in the SUNY system in regards to energy and sustainability.  Residents and visitors both are welcome on campus and frequently take advantage of the colleges many hiking trails at Fallbrook and Rice Creek,Our local and specialty shops are all within walking distance.  

Oswego’s many bistros, bakeries, shops, taverns, movie theatre, children’s museum, and music scene are all waiting for you to come visit!  New businesses are opening, new housing is being constructed, and many new attractions are in the works.  Come visit this hidden gem and schedule your event today!