Take a Cruise on the Erie Canal
by Eleanor S. Morris

The historic Erie Canal in upper New York State is something to see. Opening in 1825, this pre-Civil War waterway was a marvel of both engineering and human labor. Almost all of its 363-mile length was dug by the muscle power of men and horses. Running from Albany on the upper Hudson River to Buffalo on the eastern shore of Lake Erie, it opened up the first great westward movement of American settlers. In fact, they claim more settlers passed through here than through Ellis Island!

Today the importance of the Erie Canal has shifted from commerce to recreation. While it still connects the Great Lakes to the Hudson River and on to the Atlantic Ocean, nowadays barges make up very little of the traffic. Instead, pleasure craft, dinner cruises and even canoes keep the canal and its many locks busy.

There are all sorts of exciting canal excursions: daily dinner cruises, two- and three-day cruises, and you can even be the captain for a week-long vacation aboard a comfortable, easy to operate canalboat.

If you captain your own boat, you'll find the canal waters are calm and channel markers keep you on course. You set the pace at no more than 7 m.p.h. Each town along the canal has its own history and personality--enjoy farmers' markets, canalside shops and taverns. Visit museums, swim, fish, relax.
You'll pass quite a few historic small towns along the way, towns that were called into being by the reality of the canal. If you take the Rochester/Macedon cruise, you'll head west to Fairport and Pittsford for shopping and dining. Then on to Brockport, with its two lift bridges. (A lift bridge is where one side lifts straight up in the air from hinges on the opposite side.)

Historic towns along the way offer diversions. In Medina, Main Street and Center Street offer a mix of specialty shops and restaurants. In Albion, the flash of silver welcoming visitors is the dome of the town's 1858 County Courthouse. The Village of Holley is an historic canal village settled in 1812. Boaters are greeted by a boardwalk, playground, gazebo and nature trails to Waterfall Park and village square. The depot Museum celebrates the Erie Canal fruit belt, Medina sandstone, and local lore.

Sightseeing Cruises

Mid-Lakes Navigation Co. Ltd. has been cruising the canal since 1968, and you can cruise and dine on a sightseeing cruise from May to September.

Cruises depart from Dutchman's Landing, Syracuse, and offer lunch, sightseeing and dinner. The Dinner Cruise Menu includes: Fresh Baked Bread, Green Salad, New England Clam Chowder, and choice of Prime Ribs of Beef au Jus, Artichoke Chicken, or Baked Fillet of Salmon, with Baked Potato & Sour Cream, Garden Vegetables, Pecan Pie of Cheesecake, Coffee or Tea, and a Glass of Champagne.

Their fleet consists of the Emita II, with a capacity of 66 passengers; the Judge Ben Wiles, which evokes the steamboats that plied the waters in the 1800s and seats 102 for dinner, and the 36-passenger Barbara S. Wiles, built in 1937.

Or take a two- or three-day overnight voyage with daytime cruising, meals on board, and lodging ashore.

Captaining Your Own Boat

More adventurous still, be the captain aboard a Lockmaster canalboat. While some boating experience is helpful, a little common sense is your most useful asset. The boats are easy to operate and the canal system is very boater-friendly. And you'll receive a very thorough orientation and driving lesson before you cast off.

Nearing Medina, you'll cruise on a aqueduct high above a creek. And at Lockport, two big modern locks carry the Erie Canal up the great Niagara Escarpment right beside five of the original locks.

Lockport Locks & Erie Canal offers "Life in the Past Lane" with cruises departing daily in Spring, Summer and Fall. They offer two-hour narrated cruises, with snacks and licensed beverages available on board.

In the "Past Lane" you'll cruise under the "Upside-down Railroad Bridge," experience being lowered and raised 49 feet in Locks 34 and 35, travel under the widest bridge in the U.S., and pass under 2 lift bridges, learning the accompanying song "Low Bridge, Everybody Down."

Originally 83 locks were used to raise and lower boats. In Lockport, you'll see the famous "Flight of Five," double locks that allow boats to travel up one set while boats traveled down the other.

The Sam Patch Tour Boat operates out of Rochester, and offers day trips up the Genessee River as well as the Erie Canal. The Sam Patchis 54-foot-long and patterned after an old Canal Boat Packet. Trips run from May through October and there are lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch cruises.

For More Information:

Mid-Lakes Navigation, www.midlakesnav.com
Lockport Locks & Erie Canal Cruises, www.lockportlocks.com
Sam Packet Tour Boat, 716-262-5661