Upstate New York’s Erie Canal offers countless ways to explore its scenic beauty and history. Whether you prefer to walk, bike, drive, or even pilot your own boat, there’s something for every kind of traveler.
The entire 300-mile route is dotted with interesting things to see, places to visit, interesting restaurants to experience and museums of all kinds to explore. You might stumble upon a lively festival, spot a soaring bald eagle, or navigate one of the canal’s iconic locks.
Here’s a list of 12 must-see stops along the canal, traveling east to west. All are within a mile of the water, perfect for docking your boat, parking your car, or taking a break from your walk.
Tip: Many canal attractions are seasonal, so check ahead before visiting.
Hurst Harbor Visitor Center (Waterford)
An old building filled with canal information, staffed by friendly and knowledgeable personnel. For boaters on the canal, this will be stop No. 1. where they’ll find a 1,000-foot free-floating dock. Waterford, incorporated in 1793, is just a 10-minute walk away. Visit in September for Canal Fest, the largest tugboat festival in the Northeast, drawing over 30,000 attendees.
Mabee Farm Historic Site (Rotterdam Junction)
The oldest house in the Mohawk Valley, Mabee Farm offers engaging tours of about an hour. Located on the Mohawk River, near the Rotterdam canal lock (E9) and along the bike/walking path. The large, modern building on the property houses the Schenectady County Historical Society.
2nd place Canal Communities category: “Mohawk Valley Gateway Overlook Bridge “(Amsterdam) by Frank Forte, Little Falls, NYAmsterdam
Explore Lock 11 in this historic village, which demonstrates the canal’s engineering, giving you the full scope of the canal and how it works. Don’t miss the Mohawk Valley Gateway Overlook Pedestrian Bridge. Completed in 2016, the 500-foot walkway over the Mohawk River offers a unique vantage point to view the landscape of the river, mountains and the city of Amsterdam.
Gems Along the Mohawk (Herkimer)
This is a wonderful place to visit or to recharge your batteries on your trek along the canal. Gems offers full comfort facilities, two great restaurants overlooking the waterway and one of the best gift shops in Upstate New York, offering regional items from maple syrup to toys to local history books. Canal tours depart from here all summer, including the popular 90-minute narrated ride along the canal and Lock 18’s “liquid elevator.”
Sculpture and plaque commemorating the Erie Canal is across the street from the Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse. David Lassman | dlassman@syracuse.comErie Canal Museum
The Erie Canal played a key role in the growth and development of the city of Syracuse. Dive into canal history at the original 1850 Weighlock Building, where tolls were assessed by weight. It is the last one of its kind.
This museum has a trove of historical artifacts, memorabilia, ephemera and video presentations. Get a selfie with the mule named Sal, immortalized in song and in bronze. Nearby restaurants, pubs, and cafés make it easy to grab a bite at this stop.
Note: West of Syracuse to Buffalo, canal communities are often located right on the waterway, with historical sites just steps from your path or dock.
600 cyclists stopped at Erie Canal Park in Camillus on July 16, the midway point of the 27th annual Cycle the Erie Canal bike ride. Cyclists camped overnight in Burnet Park before riding to Rome the next day.Steve FeatherstoneErie Canal Park (Camillus)
Just 10 miles west of Syracuse, this park in Camillus preserves a seven-mile stretch of the canal. The Nine-Mile Creek Aqueduct, restored for $2 million, showcases 1841 stone and wood engineering with four 30-foot arches. Don’t miss Sim’s General Store, a recreation of an actual dry goods and supply store which would have been found all along the canal when it was first opened for travel. Look for an amazing, huge mural depicting activity along the aqueduct.
Cute and historic village on the canal, many featuring colorful murals on their exterior walls depicting snapshots of the village’s history. Must-see sites include the Ohmann Theatre, one of the oldest operating movie house in Upstate New York. and the Peppermint Museum. Lyons was once known as the “Peppermint Capital of America” for producing some of the best peppermint oils in the world. This is a busy canal community. A recent survey showed boaters from more than 30 states and four different countries stopped here during one summer.
Clock displays at the Hoffman Clock Museum in Newark, N.Y. A group of vintage tall case clocks at the left.
David Lassman | syracuse.comDavid Lassman | syracuse.comNewark
A charming village of about 9,000 with scenic public spaces along the canal. Many fine homes boast beautiful architecture. Be sure and visit the Newark Public Library which houses one of the great little “unknown museums of Upstate New York.” The Hoffman Clock Museum is a free museum showcasing dozens of antique clocks, big and small, that form the basis of a 30-year collection of Mr. Augustus Hoffman.
For canal enthusiasts, Lock 29 will take you up and down 16 feet in height. You can see old mechanical objects used during the lock’s history, as well as view an abandoned aqueduct and a “change bridge.” A change bridge is a rare sight these days. It was a bridge for the mules to utilize. After pulling a boat in one direction, the mules would be crossed over a change bridge, be re-hitched and then begin pulling the boats in a reverse direction.
Palmyra has many little shops, cafes and specialty stores. The Alling Coverlet Museum displays the largest collection of American handwoven coverlets. Palmyra is also recognized as the birthplace of the Mormon religion, marked throughout the village.
Fairport, New York, USA – June 15, 2022: Patrons enjoy dinner and drinks while dining outdoors as dusk falls over the quaint Village of Fairport, a historic town located on the Erie Canal popular with locals and tourists alike.Getty ImagesFairport
Known as “The Crown Jewel of the Erie Canal.” Like so many of the other 100-plus communities along the Erie Canal, this village started as a company town inhabited by canal-diggers, builders and businessmen. Today, much of the commerce and social focus of the village centers around the canal. You can take boat rides, eat a fine meal, visit quaint shops and relax in a shady spot along the waterway. Fairport has a busy calendar of festivals, community events, parties and concerts, which make it one of the most popular canal towns of them all. In June, they host Canal Days, one of the largest outdoor festivals in the state. More than 200 artisans set up stands to sell their wares, many food and beverage tents pop up all over town, and top name entertainers from the nearby Rochester metro area come to entertain. Attendance can run over 100,000.
Historic canal town. Walk just five minutes up from the canal to visit the village and all its amenities. There are two things to put on your Medina itinerary. The Medina Railroad Museum is certainly a must, especially if you have young children in your traveling party. This museum holds one of the largest electric train layouts in the United States. Fascinating to watch all the trains traversing the tiny landscape. Located in the original Medina Train Depot. Also, here is one for the history books. In Medina, you will see a tunnel go under the Erie Canal. It is the only one of its kind, and it is fun to drive your car underneath the canal, as this is the only place from Albany to Buffalo where you can do so. The culvert was built in 1823 and was featured in Ripley’s Believe It or Not.
Lockport Cave, a manmade passage carved out of rock in the late 19th century, was used to carry extra water from the Erie Canal to power businesses alongside the waterway. Today, it’s a tourist attraction in Lockport, N.Y. with an underground boat ride. (Katrina Tulloch)Lockport Caves
Perhaps the most popular spot along the whole distance of the Erie Canal. You could easily make a day-long visit to Lockport. Here you will see the famous “Flight of Five.” During the construction of the original Erie Canal, engineers were flummoxed when they reached Lockport and were faced with overcoming an 80-foot wall of limestone known as the Niagara Escarpment. They did what they had to do: They went over it. You can still see the five canal locks stacked one on top of the other, which carried boats up and over and on their way. You can take a tour of the underground caves along the lock site, too. There is also a museum here. This is one of the best places to walk up, over, around and down to see the Erie Canal up close and personal.