The Erie Canal was conceived in 1817 to transport goods from the Atlantic Ocean, up the Hudson River at Albany to the Great Lakes.
Constructed by laymen — not an engineer among them — the 8-year-long project was controversial from the start. Thomas Jefferson thought it “a little short of madness” and cost prohibitive. All work had to be done by hand and pickaxes, as dynamite had not been invented. Hacking out a 363-mile-long ditch of water through the New York wilderness, joked critics, “was its own School of Engineering.”
Due to the advent of the railroad system, it turns out, the Erie Canal was nearly obsolete when completed in 1825.
Although the waterway’s dominance was fleeting, its mystique remains. What is now the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor offers a considerable number of experiences and attractions in communities along its banks. Chose a getaway in one of the towns below, or visit all five, for a step back in time.
SyracuseÂ
DRIVING DISTANCE FROM MELVILLE: About five hours awayÂ
The Erie Canal Museum, located at 318 Erie Blvd., E in Syracuse, is a historical treasure trove preserving the memories of the past era. Credit: Erie Canal Museum
In the early 1800s, the Erie Canal coursed right through downtown Syracuse (but was paved over in the 1920s). Considered a “port town,” old photographs convey a Venice-like panorama.  The Erie Canal Museum (318 Erie Blvd., E, Syracuse, 315-471-0593, eriecanalmuseum.org; $12) showcases photos and remnants of those days, including a full-sized replica of a line boat in the original Weighlock Building — where canal boats were weighed and tolled, like semitractor trucks are today. It’s preserved as the last canal boat weigh station in America. Architecture enthusiasts will thrill to the Everson Museum of Art (401 Harrison St., 315-474-6064, everson.org; $14) designed by “starchitect,” I.M. Pei.
OVERNIGHT STAY
The Marriott Syracuse Downtown, (100 E. Onondaga St., 315-474-2424, marriott.com; room rates starting at $175 per night) was a sensation when it first opened in 1924 as The Hotel Syracuse. After a complete renovation in 2016, it shines once again as a much-heralded place to stay close to all the action.
Seneca Falls
DRIVING DISTANCE FROM MELVILLE: About six hours awayÂ
Explore the Erie Canal’s history, from its 1817 conception to its modern-day attractions along the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto/DenisTangneyJr
Although not directly on the Erie Canal, Seneca Falls sits on the Cayuga Seneca Canal, a tributary considered part of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. In the mid-1800s, little Seneca Falls was drawing abolitionists, suffragists, proponents of Temperance, and other agitators in a whirlwind of evangelical fervor so hot, this corner of northern New York State came to be known as “The burned over District.” Even now, there’s an energy here that more and more visitors tap into — and so much to do.
The historic town offers a glimpse into significant landmarks such as the Women’s Rights National Historic Park. Credit: NPS
Visit the Women’s Rights National Historic Park (136 Fall St., 315-568-0024, nps.gov; free to enter) — site of the first Convention, in July 1848, to push for rights of women; the National Women’s Hall of Fame (1 Canal St., Seneca Falls, 315-568-8060, womenofthehall.org;$10) — honoring women of note; and the It’s A Wonderful Life Museum (76 Fall St., 315-568-5838, wonderfullifemuseum.com; $5) — based on the uplifting, one person can make a difference Frank Capra film. On a Seneca Falls visit, Capra was charmed by the bridge and main street vibe, renaming the town Bedford Falls in his movie. After a 2026 multimillion-dollar investment in downtown areas, the public park along the canal known as People’s Park (35 Water St., 315-568-6933, senecafalls.gov) and the art walk and sculpture trail that run along the south side of the canal known as Ludovico Sculpture Trail, have been gussied up.
OVERNIGHT STAY
The downtown boutiquey Gould Hotel (108 Fall St., 315-712-4000, thegouldhotel.com; room rates starting at $140 per night), on the Historic Register, places you just steps from museums, restaurants and the canal front in style.
PittsfordÂ
DRIVING DISTANCE FROM MELVILLE:Â About six hours awayÂ
Jump aboard the Sam Patch Canal Boat — a replica 1800s Packet Boat — in Pittsford (20 minutes from Rochester) for a 90-minute cruise through Lock 32 of the Erie Canal (12 Schoen Pl., Pittsford, 585-662-5748, rochesterbywater.org; $30). Travel a portion of the originally 40-foot-wide, 4-foot-deep, 363-mile-long canal — and into one of the locks that allowed early freighters to navigate these waters while learning about its origins and importance.
Embark on a journey aboard the Sam Patch Canal Boat, a replica of an 1800s Packet Boat. Credit: Rochester By Water
Before or after your cruise, peruse some of theindependent coffee, brewing, food and gift shops at Schoen Place within steps of the canal path. Book a Schoen Place & Pittsford Village Food Tour featuring seven stops for bites, and a deep dive into Pittsford’s past (10 Schoen Pl., 585-363-2340, flowercityfoodtours.com, $72 per person).
OVERNIGHT STAY
You can’t get any closer to the waterfront than the high-end Del Monte Lodge Renaissance Rochester Hotel & Spa, (41 N. Main St., 585-381-9900, marriott.com; room rates starting at $315 per night) located right on the Erie Canal Heritage Trail in Pittsford.
Medina
DRIVING DISTANCE FROM MELVILLE: About seven hours away
Discover a tapestry of shopping and dining experiences along the charming Main Street in Medina. Credit: Alamy Stock Photo/Peter Steiner / Alamy Stock Photo
The Erie Canal runs through Orleans County — an area of Western New York just 40 minutes from Rochester, Buffalo, Niagara Falls and the Canadian border. Medina is, relatively speaking, the most “boisterous” of the three Orleans County towns right on the Canal itself. There, you can walk quite a bit of the paved Erie Canal Path at Mile 303 just a block from Main Street. While there, chat up boat captains who’ve tied their vessels up in the Medina Canal Basin — or get ideas from canal-path bikers for a future trip. Some compare Medina to a “Hallmark village” — thanks to conservationists who resisted demolishing the famed Medina Sandstone structures that house cool indie shops along Main Street. Medina is also known for being the only place where you can drive under the Erie Canal: the Medina Culvert. Yes, the waterway is perched atop the tunnel, and where the best photos would include a boat above and your car below.
OVERNIGHT STAY
The stately circa 1865 Bent’s Opera House (444 Main St., 585-318-2110, bentsoperahouse.com; room rates starting at $200 per night) anchors one corner of downtown Medina’s main street intersection: right in the center of everything. Constructed as a venue for prestige acts of the day, it’s now a knockout of a boutique hotel, with a highly touted in-house restaurant, Harvest.
BuffaloÂ
DRIVING DISTANCE FROM MELVILLE: About seven hours away
The year 2025 marked the 200th anniversary of the Erie Canal and the city of Buffalo pulled out all the stops to celebrate, with exhibits and programming that are still ongoing. The Longshed at Canalside presents the Waterway of Change exhibit (free timed ticket online at buffalowaterfront.com), tracing how the Erie Canal helped turn Buffalo into a bustling port and shipping hub by the late 19th century. Take a 90-minute narrated Buffalo History Boat Tour (44 Prime St., 716-235-8782, buffaloriverhistorytours.com; $32), to hear the story of the Erie Canal and Buffalo’s bygone days as the predominant grain port in the world (from 1850-1959) as you glide on the manmade river that snakes between the nation’s largest collection of standing grain elevators.
Doc Sullivan’s serves buffalo wings, part of Buffalo’s Buffalo Wing Trail. Friends eat wings at Buffalo’s Anchor Bar. Credit: Drew Brown; Eric Frick
Chicken wing fans will have a field day (or days) here, as “Buffalo wings” originated at the city’s Anchor Bar in 1964. Nowadays, you can take a self-guided tour of 14 fan-favorite wing spots on the Buffalo Wing Trail (visitbuffalo.com) and pick your own No. 1.
OVERNIGHT STAY
If you want to stay on the waterfront, choose the Buffalo Marriott at LECOM Harbor (95 Main St., marriott.com, 716-852-0049; room rates start at $450 per night). Boutique Hotel aficionados will love the swanky, Richardson Hotel, (444 Forest Ave., 716-493-2610 therichardsonhotelbuffalo.com; room rates starting at $200 per night) originally constructed as the Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane in 1871. The only thing insane now about this hotel is how gorgeous the guest rooms are.