Erie Canal Activities for Kids
The Erie Canal provides a navigable water route between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes. It is 363 miles long and runs from Albany to Buffalo, New York at Lake Erie. It took eight years to construct and opened in 1825, and provided the first transportation system between the eastern seaboard and western interior. There are plenty of fun and educational activities for kids to enjoy along the route of the Canal.
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Erie Canal Museum
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Located in Syracuse, the Erie Canal Museum is open daily. It is housed within the only weighlock building in the U.S., which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Its mission is to conserve canal-related documents, materials and exhibits and promote awareness of the canal's important role in the nation's development and economy.
Heritage Trail
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Kids can enjoy hiking, biking and even cross-country skiing on the Erie Canal Heritage Trail. The trail, which stretches 70 miles between Lockport and Palmyra has numerous access points, and passes villages that developed because of the activities on the canal. The trail itself is parts stone dust, gravel and asphalt.
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Erie Canal Village
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The Erie Canal Village is an outdoor living history museum, located in Rome, NY, on the site where the first shovelful of earth was turned for the original Erie Canal construction in 1817. It is a reconstruction of a settlement of that period and provides plenty of activities for kids. Three museums are onsite: The Erie Canal Museum, detailing the history of the waterway; the The Harden Museum, which exhibits a collection of horse drawn vehicles; and the New York State Museum of Cheese building, which once housed the Merry and Weeks cheese factory and explores the history of cheesemaking. In addition to the museums, the village also features Bennett's Tavern, a blacksmith shop, railway station, ice house, a school, church and varying houses.
Buffalo
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Adventurous kids can have fun on the water and explore the historic Buffalo Harbor waterfront by hiring canoes and kayaks from Central Wharf. They can also explore the area's rich maritime past at the Buffalo Maritime Center, which features a boat museum and a boat building center. The boat building center offers boat courses, workshops, outreach programs, and historic conservation and restoration projects, according to the website.
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