Clay is an adorable town in Onondaga County and is a perfect place to escape the fuss and bother of city life to unwind and find peace.
In 1791, it became a part of the Central New York Military Tract and was formerly known as West Cicero.
It lies north of Syracuse and is the largest town in the county, containing part of North Syracuse, and is a suburb of Syracuse.
Laid out from Cicero in 1827, it was named after an American attorney and statesman, Henry Clay, also known as “The Great Compromiser.”
Clay has fitness centers, beautiful parks, great food, excellent art studios, historical sites, museums, farms, and nature centers.
Explore the best things to do in Clay, New York.
Are you tired and hungry from a long trip?
Uncle Chubby’s Inc. can be your first destination, so you’ll have the energy to go about Clay and explore the beautiful places and things you can do.
This wonderful place is a full-service pizzeria and sports bar on Caughdenoy Road, serving the town for over 25 years.
You’re lucky if you’re a sports fanatic because you can watch your favorite game while indulging in the restaurant’s great food.
Choose from eight beers on tap at reasonable prices.
Enjoy Uncle Chubby’s Inc.’s mouthwatering pizzas, lasagna, chicken, turkey, spaghetti, burgers, corn dogs, desserts, beverages, and more.
Are your kids into gymnastics?
Drop by CNY Gym Centre, which offers gymnastics classes for boys and girls from six months to 18 and coaches competitive gymnastics teams levels two to ten and Xcel.
The center also offers ninja classes, terrific birthday parties, back handspring and tumbling clinics, school vacations, and summer camps.
Staff also includes former expert gymnasts who likewise teach Ninja Warrior Training, a gymnastics-influenced training for boys and girls.
Located on State Highway 31, CNY Gym Centre ensures a safe gymnastics environment with trained and accredited team coaches, background checks, and progressive training for certification.
Have you ever heard of “singing” docks every time the wind blows?
You’ll only hear it at Pirates Cove Marina, an all-inclusive service marina and repair facility where its singular pilings act like organ pipes.
It is located on Horseshoe Island Road.
This center offers a treasure trove of free books and videos on history, drama, mystery, and DVDs at the Ship Store.
Around the property are patches of various herbs and apple trees that you can pick in the Memorial Garden front garden and the in-ground pool.
You and your loved ones deserve a great boating experience, and you’ll only get it at the Pirate Coves Marina on Horseshoe Island Road.
It has a play area, a private pool, and more.
If you’re a sports geek visiting Clay, don’t forget to drop by Legacy Sports Park on Henry Clay Boulevard.
It’s a fantastic sports complex that provides world-class facilities and professional-grade training.
This 7,200-square-foot sports park center accommodates a multi-purpose indoor turf field, five batting cages, and several other amenities.
The facility assures world-class instruction, coaching, and recruiting under just one roof.
Legacy Sports Park provides all athletes a risk-free and nourishing environment to enhance or improve their skills, whether in or out of the field.
“Wrap up” your visit or staycation at Clay with lip-smacking food at Wrap it Up! Express on State Route 31.
It has been delivering Central New York with classic wraps and sandwiches since 2003 and is a best-seller at fairs and festivals.
You must try their famous wraps, especially Honey Mustard Chicken Wrap, Bacon Cheeseburger Wrap, Buffalo Chicken Wrap, and Greek Chicken Wrap.
Mushroom-Swiss Burgers, Tex-Mex Burgers, Wrap Up Burgers, BBQ Burgers, and Black & Bleu Burgers are also a must-try.
Don’t leave until you taste the soups, salads, Chicken Philly Sub, Roast Beef & Cheddar, Chicken Parmesan Sub, Hot Pastrami, and the Kid’s Menu at Wrap it Up! Express.
Are you an art lover who wants to paint or make customized items integrated with other art forms?
Pay Eva Hunter Art Studio a visit along Toscano Drive, where you’ll receive instruction at her studio and local destinations.
Meet the art expert, Eva, who is also dedicated to her crafts and ensures that each student receives proper attention and regard for personal artistic growth.
You can buy many items at the shop, such as acrylic paintings, prints, wearable art, and jewelry that you can customize with a personal touch.
At Eva Hunter Art Studio, Eva can give life to her dreams and imagination through her artworks.
Are you looking for a beautiful present or a memorable keepsake?
Then you must head to Larger Than Life, located on Route 31, where you can find the perfect gift for your loved ones or yourself.
This store offers a wide variety of collectible items from which you can choose, such as deluxe figures and vintage finds.
They also specialize in vintage video games and buy old systems.
Likewise, they are cartridge aficionados for the SNES, N64, and NES.
Larger Than Life is more than toys, video games, and trading cards.
They offer high-quality and super collectible gear such as slippers, hats, backpacks, wallets, and more from Bioworld and Loungefly.
Clay Historical Park also has a welcome center and the Cigarville Railroad Station Museum.
The Railroad Museum was a deserted passenger and freight station built in 1871 and catered to the Syracuse Northern Railroad.
Also inside the historical park is Sellen-Weller 1840 barn, a reproduction of the original log cabin constructed in 1795.
Near the park is the Immanuel Lutheran Church, the oldest church in Onondaga County, with archives from 1823.
Historical artifacts at Clay Historical Park and the Cigarville Railroad Station Museum depict the early lives of the people in Clay.
The colorful gardens and flowers at Lan’s Flower Farm are a sight for sore eyes.
Located on NY-31, this gorgeous flower farm utilizes bearable and bee-friendly growing techniques with more than 700 varieties of groundcovers, roses, hostas, containerized perennials, shrubs, hydrangeas, ornamental grasses, and daylilies.
Create your kaleidoscopic garden and bring home some of their lovely plants.
If you want to feel happy, visit Lan’s Flower Farm, feast your eyes on the palette of vibrant colors, and smell the flowers.
Buy some for your friends or loved ones when you get home and make them happy too.
There are cities and towns near Clay that you might want to visit.
They also offer the same warmth and appreciation.
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Situated in Onondaga County Park is Beaver Lake Nature Center, located in Baldwinsville, New York, 21 minutes from Clay.
It features nine miles of trails over forest, field, and wetland environments, which open in the morning and close at various times throughout the year based on the sunset.
The lake and wetland biospheres draw enormous flocks of migrating geese and different waterfowl during spring and fall.
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At least 20 species of animals, a thousand plants, and 180 birds have been identified in the past years.
Beaver Lake Nature Center also features displays, a Wildlife Observation Room, a gift shop, restrooms, and more.
Jeffrey M. Frank / Shutterstock.com
Nestled inside the 1857 Gleason Mansion are the Liverpool Village Museum and the Historian’s office on Second Street.
The collections in the Museum include pictures, relics, and data regarding the people, places, and activities of Liverpool, New York, 14 minutes from Clay.
The building was once a basket-weaving workshop that honored the village’s willow-weaving industry.
It supported the village for several decades and has many collections, including Regional archeology, land transport, and the Beatles.
The Liverpool Overhead Railway gallery depicts the astounding story of the first electric elevated railway in the world.
At the same time, Little Liverpool: Children’s Gallery is an interactive fantasy world designed for children under six years of age to play and learn.
Are you ready to challenge your mind and stimulate your imagination?
Then you must not miss WonderWorks Destiny in Syracuse, New York, 15 minutes from Clay.
Begin your journey to zones and galleries, including the Imagination Lab, Light & Sound Zone, Wonder Art Gallery, Space Discovery Zone, and Physical Challenge Zone.
The 40,000-square-foot amusement park integrates entertainment and education with over a hundred hands-on exhibits that inspire your imagination.
Your world will turn upside down, with the ceiling under your feet and the ground above your head.
You’ll wonder how such things work at WonderWorks Destiny.
Oneida Shores County Park is the ideal place to spend quality time with your family, where you can have a sumptuous meal at the picnic shelters.
Have a leisurely game with your friends or loved ones on the athletic fields or horseshoe pits.
Launch your boat, kayak, or canoe and catch the biggest bass or various fish species.
Oneida Shores County Park offers more fun and activities.
Visit the park in Brewerton, New York, eight minutes from Clay.
As a Bird Conservation Area, the Three Rivers Wildlife Management Area comprises adjoining areas of early successional forest, marshland, shrubland, wetland, and grassland.
These habitats provide a sanctuary to several birds and waterfowl, including Northern shrikes, Cooper’s hawk, American woodcock, grasshopper sparrow, and a bald eagle.
You’ll find an accessible parking area and an observation platform off Sixty Road.
Moreover, you can access another parking area, Green Ponde, which is also a duck/observation blind, secluded by a 0.25-mile gravel road to help accessibility and provide convenience.
Three Rivers Wildlife Management Area also offers hiking, hunting, trapping, and fishing.
Admission is free at Three Rivers, located in Lysander, New York, 16 minutes from Clay.
Walking or hiking is good exercise, so try the Great Bear Recreational Trails and see how far your feet can take you.
While hiking, you’ll see many plants, wildlife, and varied terrain along with the Oswego River and Canal.
You can ride your mountain bike, swim, fish in the Oswego River, or cross-country ski or snowshoe during winter.
Dogs are allowed in the park if you pick after them and bring home their waste to keep the place clean and odor-free.
Great Bear Recreational Trails is in Fulton, New York, just 16 minutes away from Clay.
When you leave home to go somewhere else, leave all the worries and anxiety.
You’re leaving to relax, spend time with your loved ones, and have fun.
Don’t forget to try the best things to do in Clay, New York!
Discover the world.
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