1. Is it noisy and crowded around your lake house?

We are new to the Sylvan Beach community, having just purchased this property last November. As newcomers, what has impressed us the most about our location is the peacefulness and the relaxed atmosphere.

We have lived in the country for 26 years so are used to wide-open spaces. We had long viewed the Sylvan Beach area as being too congested; too resort-townish. It wasn’t until we started visiting the area last summer that we discovered, to our surprise, that it is really pretty tranquil.

The village center has a certain resort-town buzz on warm summer evenings…..lots of visitors strolling Main Street, filling up restaurants and catching the amazing sunsets. But, where we are located, just past 30th Street, (they are numbered consecutively from the center of town heading north), the pace is much more relaxed.

Like most resort communities, properties are pretty close to one another and, being country folks, we were concerned about that. It turns out though that neighbors don’t need much space to enjoy their privacy. The lake seems to have a captivating influence such that people in their own yards hardly seem to notice their neighbors as they sit and enjoy the sunsets and soothing summer breezes.

2. Do you have a sandy beach?

In the village, there is a wide, sandy, public beach. At our lake house, as at most, the water comes right up to the edge of our property. So, rather than sitting or lying on a sandy beach, you can sit or lay on a grassy lawn. The water in front of our lake house is very shallow for a very long way. That is comforting if there are young children around and it has the added bonus of keeping all motorboats out a long way.

3. Do you have a boat dock?

No, boats may anchor out in the lake in front of our lake house but it is too shallow for a dock.

4. How is the swimming? Is the lake bottom sandy?

The lake bottom is sandy and the swimming is great, although you do have to wade out a good ways before it is deep enough. You may like to know that Oneida Lake is not a crystal clear lake. It is a eutrophic lake which means that it has a rich biome…lots of aquatic life, both animal and plant. Consequently, the lake will have occasional algae blooms that make the water cloudy and there is often more plant material washed up along the shore than in a deep rock-bottom lake. It has always been this way and the area is filled every summer with happy vacationers cooling off in the lake; many who have been returning for twenty years or more. It is also what makes this such a terrific fishing lake.

5. Can we have extra guests stay over?

With permission. Please see our “Rules” page.

6. How is the fishing?

Great! Please check out our "Links" page for fishing information.

7. What is there to do in the area?

Lots! Please check out our “Links” page for local events & attractions.

8. Is Crosswinds walking distance from the public beach, amusement park & restaurants?

No. For some, this might be a negative consideration. However, most of our renters select Crosswinds precisely because it is not right in the center of all the hustle and bustle. At the end of the day, it is nice to get back to a peaceful cottage.

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