Canal Boats
Places you can cruise on our historic canals
Indiana
Metamora: This is a historic canal village with
lots of shops and exhibits located along a watered section of the Whitewater Canal
in the Whitewater Canal State Historic Site.
Included is a restored lock with a waterwheel used to power a grist mill, the only intact
covered, wooden aqueduct in the US, and the mule drawn, replica canal boat
"Ben
Franklin III"
drawn by two Belgian draft horses though
the covered bridge aqueduct. Web site: http://www.metamoraindiana.com
Ben
Franklin III
The boat is 75' long, 12' wide, holds 80 passengers, with its design based on a
typical line boat of the canal era.. Season: May 1-Oct 31, Tues-Sun, 12:00 noon to 4:00
PM, boats leaving every hour. Closed Mon except holidays. The one-mile ride takes
25-minutes, with a docent lecture of canal history. Rates: adults, $2.50,
students/seniors, $2.00, children under three or over 90, free; School groups $1.50. Phone
(765) 647-6512,
(Revised
6/18/05)
Delphi: A replica canal boat is being planned
for the watered section of the Wabash & Erie Canal at Delphi. Meanwhile, canal
cruises are being given aboard a pontoon boat. A newly opened Canal Information
Center has many interesting exhibits and is highly recommended. (Revised
8/30/06)
Maryland
Great Falls: On September 9, 2006, a new tour
boat, the "Charles F. Mercer", was launched into the Chesapeake &
Ohio Canal at Great Falls, MD. This is a 57 foot long, aluminum hulled replica boat
with a wooden superstructure and two decks. The boat was financed by local
and private donations. Current schedule
is 11 AM - 3 PM, Wed, Thurs, Fri, and 11 Am, 1:30 PM, and 3 PM on weekends.
Rides are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors over 62, and $3 for children 5 - 14. (Updated
9/20/06)
link to web site with
photo & information'
Charles F. Mercer
Cumberland: While not a floating
boat, a full sized replica of a Chesapeake & Ohio Canal freight boat, the
"Cumberland" is on display just east of the restored terminal basin in
Cumberland. There is also a National Park visitors' center with exhibits.
Web Site: http://canalplace.org (Added
9/6/06)
Cumberland
Massachusetts
Lowell: The National Park Service operates a
fleet of outboard powered boats from Swamp Locks, along the upper Pawtucket Canal to the
river beyond. Info from the visitors center.
Link
Onset: Hy-Line Cruises operates cruises through
the Cape Cod Canal from the town pier. For information, see their web site. Link
New York
Camillus: Sunday & dinner cruises are
offered on a restored section of the Enlarged Erie Canal in Camillus, NY, just west of
Syracuse. For information, see their web site.
Link
"Ontario" @ Camillus, NY
Fairport: The "Colonial Belle",
the largest cruise boat on the Erie Canal offers daily cruises. See the web site for
more details. Link
Herkimer: At the Herkimer exit of the thruway
and along the canalized Mohawk River is a gift shop, "Gems along the Mohawk", of
local New York State products. In addition, there is a restaurant and the cruise
boat "Lil' Diamond". See their web site for more details. Link
Lockport: Lockport Locks and Erie Canal Cruises.
During the summer, regular sight-seeing cruises along the canal at Lockport are offered
several times daily (usually at 10A.M., 12:30 P.M., and 3 P.M.). The departure point at 210
Market Street, north of the downtown area at the foot of the hill, is a restored old
warehouse with a most interesting display and reception area. Items of a Lockport nature
are offered for sale. A modest food and refreshment bar is available with plenty of
outside and inside seating. The narrated boat tour is informative and well done. It takes
about 2 hours. $12.50/person; $8 for children 10 and under,. For information call (716)
433-6155. Season opens (on a limited schedule) May 7th. A cruise boat departs daily during
the Spring and Fall at 12:30 and 3:00, (10:00, 12:30 and 3:00 on Saturdays) and during the
summer departures are daily at 10, 12:30, 3 and 7PM. Link
Pittsford: Corn
Hill Navigation operates an Erie Canal packet boat "Sam Patch"
on the historic Erie Canal from Schoen Place in Pittsford, NY. Season: May 1-Nov 15 daily.
One-hour cruises through a lock at 2:00 PM, 3:30 PM and 5:00 PM, Rates: adults $10,
seniors, $8, children under 12, $5. Also noon cruise with lunch, rates: adults $19,
seniors $17, children under 12, $13. Phone (585) 262-5661, website http://www.sampatch.org/ (Revised 6/18/05)
Sam Patch
Rome: West of
Rome is the historic Erie Canal Village with many exhibits of early American life and
buildings. Included is a watered section of the enlarged Erie Canal with the horse drawn
replica of a typical Erie Canal packet boat, The Chief Engineer, named after
the first boat on the original Erie Canal (This boat was originally called the
Independence). It is 70 feet long, mule-drawn,
carries 125 passengers on two decks and has an on-board docent. Cruise is one mile and 40
minutes. Season: Memorial Day through Labor Day, Wed-Sat, 10:00-5:00 PM, Sun, noon to 5:00
PM. September, weekends only, noon to 5:00 PM. General admission to the Village: adults,
$15, students $12, children 5-12, $10, children under 5 free. Boat ride only: $6 ages 5
and up. Phone (888) 374-3226 or (315) 337-3999, website http://www.eriecanalvillage.net/ (Revised 6/18/05)
The Chief Engineer
Schuylerville: On the
Champlain Canal, just above modern Lock 5, Champlain Canal Tours operates two cruise
boats. See their web site for more information. Link
Spencerport: On the Erie Canal at Spencerport,
NY, Low Bridge Charters operates a Lockmaster boat (built by Mid-Lakes) on half week
and one week rentals on the Erie Canal. For more information, see their web site.
Link (Resumed taking reservations for 2007)
Troy, Syracuse, Tonawanda: Mid-Lakes Navigation
Company operates 2 and 3 day cruises on all the canals of New York on the canal boat Emita
II. All meals are on board while nights are spent in hotels ashore.
Mid-Lakes also operates a fleet of Lockmaster rental boats from two bases near
Syracuse
and Rochester. For more information, see their web site. Link (Added
1/2/05)
Waterford: Erie - Champlain Boat Company, Inc
operates five 41 foot, Lockmaster boats (built by Mid-Lakes) on one week rentals on the
Erie & Champlain Canals. For more information, see their web site. Link (Added
4/25/05)
Canvass White
For listings of other rental boats and multi-day cruises in New York, see the
state web site. Link
Ohio
Roscoe Village: This is a restored canal village with hotel, restaurants, and
gift shops. North of the village, the packet-style replica Ohio canal boat Monticello
III cruises the Ohio & Erie Canal daily in summer months. Drawn by two
horses, it is 74' long by 14 ' wide and carries 100 passengers along a 1-1/2
mile, 45-minute ride. Season: Memorial Day to Labor Day, the boat runs
Tues-Sunday on the hour, 1:00 PM-5:00 PM, on the hour, and on weekends only
until mid-Oct. Rates are $6 for adults, ages 5-12, $3, and children under 4,
free. (Rides are free as part of a tour ticket for all attractions in the
village). Phone (800) 877-1830 or (740) 622-7528, website http://www.roscoevillage.com/ (Revised 6/18/05)
Monticello III
Canal Fulton: The
horse- drawn, Ohio freight style replica canal boat, St. Helena III, is operated by
the Canal Fulton Heritage Society on a 1-1/4 mile stretch of the Ohio & Erie Canal
daily June through August, and weekends only in May, Sept, and Oct. It is 60 feet long and
carries about 50 passengers. Ride is about 45 minutes, with a turn-around at restored Lock
#4. Historical information is presented during ride. Season: May and September, weekends
only at 1:00. 2:00 and 3:00 PM; June, July, August, every day except Monday at 1:00, 2:00
and 3:00 PM. Tickets: $6.60 adults, $5:50 seniors, and $4.50, children. Charters and
dinner cruises at other times including evenings may also be arranged. Also on display on
land is the restored wooden replica boat St. Helena II near a small
canal museum (free with boat ride) and gift shop. Phone: (800) helena3,
website:
link (Revised 6/18/05)
St. Helena III
Piqua: Just
north of town, is the historic John Johnson Farm and a museum telling the story of the
Eastern Woodland Indians of Ohio in the Piqua Historical Site. A mule-drawn historic
replica in the style of a typical 1840 Ohio freight boat, the General Harrison of Piqua,
is in operation. It is 70' long and 13 1/2' wide, and can carry 75 passengers on a
40-minute, one-mile ride on a section of the Miami & Erie Canal. Season: Memorial Day
to Labor Day, Wed through Sun, rides at 12:30 PM, 2:30 PM and 4:00 PM, and also Sat-Sun in
Sept and Oct. Rates are $7 for adults, $3 for students. Ages five and under are free.
Phone (800) 752-2619, website, http://www.ohiohistory.org/places/piqua/canalboat.html
(Revised 6/18/05)
General Harrison of Piqua
Providence: A
mule drawn, replica of an Ohio freight canal boat, The Volunteer, is operated as
part of Providence Metropark along the Miami & Erie Canal from a parking area, south
through a working Lock #44 next to the restored and working Ludwig Grist Mill. The boat is
60' long, carries 75, and follows the style of an Ohio freight boat. Trips are 45 minutes,
with a ten-minute stop to travel through a working lock. Season: Memorial Day to Labor Day
and Labor Day through Oct, noon to 4 p.m. weekends and holidays; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Wednesday-Friday. Boat tickets: adults, $5, seniors $4, children 3-12, $3, children under
two, free. Mill tours are free. Phone (419) 407-9700, website http://www.metroparkstoledo.com/metroparks/providence/
(Revised 6/18/05)
Volunteer
Pennsylvania
Easton: The
mule drawn replica of a canal freight barge, Josiah White II operates along section
eight of the Lehigh Canal as part of the Hugh Moore Historical Park and Museums in
conjunction with the National Canal Museum in downtown Easton. Boat is 50 feet long and
carries 120 passengers on two decks for a 1-1/2-mile ride. Season: Opens May 7, rides Sat
& Sun 1:30, 2:20. 3.10 and 4:00 PM. From Memorial Day to Labor day, operates 7 days a
week. Mon-Sat, 11:00 AM, 12:00 noon, 1:15, 2:15, 3:30, and 4:30 PM; Sun, 1:15, 2:15, 3:30
and 4:30 PM. Tickets: $6 adults, $5.50 seniors over 65, children, $4. Boat may be
chartered for special events and groups. Phone 610-5515-8000, Website--http://www.canals.org/ (Revised 6/18/05)
Josiah White II
Lebanon: The Lebanon County
Historical Society owns and operates Union Canal Tunnel Park located just
off of Rte. 72 at the northwest corner of the city. The park includes a
watered section of the canal extending through and on both sides of the
tunnel and the Union Canal Tunnel, the oldest transportation tunnel in
the US and also the only operating canal tunnel. In summer and fall, boat
rides through the tunnel operate every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month from
12:30 PM - 4:30 PM. Link
Added 10/16/06
Lewistown: An outboard powered pontoon boat is
operated on the Pennsylvania Main Line Canal at the Locust Campground west of town.
Prior reservations are needed
New Hope: Steel, mule drawn craft operate along
the Delaware Canal from New Hope northward. The Delaware River Canal
Boat Company is now operating the boats.
Link
Revised
9/16/06
Priscilla Jean Pitcher
Also at
New Hope, the steamboat "Splash"
operates on the Delaware River. There are proposals to operated this boat
nearby on the Delaware & Raritan Canal Feeder.
Virginia / North Carolina
Deep Creek, VA: The passenger yacht,
Bonny Blue, has been witdrawn from service on the Dismal
Swamp Canal and is now a cruise boat on Lake Champlain.
Richmond, VA: Richmond Canal Cruises conducts 35
minute tours along the historic James River & Kanawha Canal in covered boats from a
dock at the Turning Basin between 14th and Virginia Streets. For more information,
see their web site. Link (Added 1/2/05)
Washington, DC
Georgetown: The
National Park Service operates a mule drawn, replica of a C&O canal freight boat, the Georgetown,
along a section of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal from Georgetown west along
the Potomac River and through an operating lock. Boat is 87 feet long and
ride takes one hour. Season: Apr 20-Oct 23 Wed-Fri 11:00 AM, and 3:00 PM;
Sat-Sun, 11:00 AM, 1:30 and 3:00 PM. Tickets: $8 adults, $6 seniors, $5
children. Phone: 202-653-5190, web site---http://www.nps.gov/choh/BoatRides/EducationalBoatRides.html
(Revised 6/18/05)
Georgetown II
(See also
Maryland)
Eastern US
American Canadian Caribbean Cruise Lines operates several "small ships" in
the Caribbean during the winter months. In warmer weather, these ships travel the
Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, the Tenn - Tom Waterway, the Mississippi and Illinois
Rivers, the Great Lakes, the Erie and other New York Canals, the Hudson River, and the St.
Lawrence River. These are multiple day cruises with accommodations and meals on board.
For more information, see their web site. Link
(Added 1/2/05)
Central US
In the central US, original and new steamboats are operated on the Mississippi River
and its tributaries. While some of these cruises are on the lower river below St.
Louis, others travel the upper river and its locks as well was the Ohio and other
tributaries. For more information, see the web site. Link
(Added 1/4/05)
Northwestern US
Several replica steamboats are operated on the Columbia, Snake, and Williamette Rivers
in the northwest. For more information, see the web site. Link (Added
1/4/05)
Ontario, Canada
Trent - Severn and Rideau: Ontario Waterway
Cruises operates the Kawartha Voyageur on five day cruises on the Trent -
Severn Waterway and the Rideau Canal. This is the largest vessel on these
waterways. Accommodations are in two person staterooms with total capacity of 45
passengers. All meals are on board. The boat ties up at night and makes some
stops during the day. For more information, see their web site. Link (Added
1/2/05)
Kawartha Voyageur
St. Lawrence & Ottawa Rivers: St.
Lawrence Cruise Lines operates the Canadian Empress, a replica of a
steamboat on overnight cruises on the St. Lawrence River (Lake Ontario to Montreal) and
the Ottawa River (Montreal to Ottawa) through the Seaway and river locks. For more
information, see their web site. Link
(Added 1/4/05)
Future Sites
Illinois
LaSalle: A canal boat is being
introduced in 2008 for the
watered section of the Illinois & Michigan Canal at LaSalle. See
http://www.lasallecanalboat.org/
(Updated 5/11/08)
Any boat operator not listed above or person knowing of a canal cruise
operation not listed above is encouraged to email the appropriate information to Dave
Barber at dgbarber@cs.com
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