Oneida Nation Invests Big in Summer Fun at Sylvan Beach

A prominent New York powerhouse is opening a new project in Sylvan Beach, some of which will be ready for Memorial Day weekend.

Joel Barkin, Vice President of Communications of the Oneida Indian Nation (OIN), says, "The Nation leadership always saw the potential of what could be Sylvan Beach...We are well along the way and The Cove will be a big piece of that."

"The Cove" about which Barkin is speaking is formally "The Cove at Sylvan Beach," a central part of which will be the Sylvan Beach Supply Co, which will open to the public on Friday, May 27, 2022.  The Cove, featuring seventy cottages and including amenities catering both to tourists and the local community, will be open to the public in June of 2022.

"There will be pontoon boats, kayaks, bikes, water bikes...If you want to spend a day on Oneida Lake you can do that.  There will be a candy wall with 2,000 pounds of candy...It will be a special place."

Barkin says that they have taken into account the decline of Sylvan Beach over the past fifty years and is hoping that the investment from OIN will inspire others as well.

"The Nation is not going anywhere.  It is the internal homeland of the Oneida people so we will keep investing."  He says that they want to turn Sylvan Beach into a year-round destination.

By the way, he says, there is a high demand on pontoon boats, so if someone wants to rent one, he suggests renting early. Rentals and reservations can be made online.

Barkin added that the properties at Sylvan Beach are all included in the Turning Stone's rewards program.