A small but excellent local museum, housed in the 1838 War Department building on the United States Oval — the historic parade ground of the long-since-closed Plattsburgh Barracks. The museum is run by volunteers and is unusually thorough: detailed exhibits on the naval engagement, the land battle, the broader War of 1812, and the long history of the United States Army in Plattsburgh.
The collection includes original cannonballs, uniforms, weapons, and a working model of Macdonough's flagship the USS Saratoga. Allow 90 minutes. Free guided tours of the surrounding Oval Historic District are available by prior arrangement.