Begin at America's Most Historic Point of Entry

Start your journey with a Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island cruise. See Lady Liberty from the water and explore the Ellis Island Museum, where millions of immigrants began their new life in America. New York grew as America’s largest port and economic center after the Erie Canal opened in 1825, drawing people from around the world. Many continued their journey up the Hudson River, along the Erie Canal, and to the American Midwest, shaping the destiny and culture of the nation as they settled. You'll follow in their footsteps on your journey from New York to Buffalo.

Getting There: The National Park Service strongly encourages you to purchase ferry tickets in advance of the day you plan to visit. Statue City Cruises is the ONLY AUTHORIZED ticket seller for Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island and the only ferries that bring visitors to the islands. Cruises depart from Battery Park.

Note: The time listed on the ferry ticket is the time you need to join the queue for the security screening facility. It is not a reservation time for a ferry departure. Wait time can be an hour or more during peak times, including summer, weekends, and holidays.

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Explore the High Line

In the afternoon, walk the High Line, a 1.45-mile public park built on a historic freight rail line elevated 30 feet above the streets on Manhattan’s West Side. Enjoy river and city views, gardens, and pathways as you stroll. Opened in 2014, the High Line is celebrated for reenvisioning and reclaiming industrial infrastructure as a public space for recreation, enjoyment, and reconnection with nature.

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Continue the Immigrant Story

If you'd like to continue the immigrant story instead of walking the High Line, head to The Tenement Museum on the city's Lower East Side. Here, immerse yourself in the lives of working-class tenement residents who moved to New York City from other countries and helped build the city and nation.

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Walk Over the Hudson

Travel north through the Hudson River Valley to Walkway Over the Hudson State Park to take in majestic views from 212 feet above the Hudson River. The Walkway is a 1.28-mile linear park atop a steel cantilever railroad bridge built in 1889. The span has been transformed into the world's longest elevated pedestrian bridge. Imagine yourself as an immigrant coming to America in the 1800s, taking in the scenery of your new country.

Drive time from NYC: 2 hours; 81 miles. Take the Taconic State Parkway on the east side of the Hudson River to the Poughkeepsie entrance of the Walkway; GPS Address: 61 Parker Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

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Visit Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site

Spend the afternoon on an inspiring tour of the Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site in Hyde Park. The park includes the home, library, archives, gardens and grounds of the 32nd and longest-serving president of the United States. Start by seeing the film in the visitor center, where you'll also sign up for a house tour. Like his cousin Theodore, FDR was a big booster of the canal system when he was governor of New York. He toured the Erie Canal in 1930 on board the state boat Inspector II.

Drive time from CIA: 2.4 miles; 8 minutes

Optional Stop: Explore the quaint Village of Rhinebeck on your way north to Albany. There are plenty of options for shopping and dining.

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Enjoy Dinner & Craft Brews

Check into your hotel (see suggestions below) to unwind and then head to the city’s former Lumber District to enjoy dinner and drinks at one of Albany’s craft breweries. In the 1800s, canal barges stacked with lumber were unloaded or prepared for the journey down the Hudson River here. The District is now a mecca for craft brew lovers. Nearby options include: Nine Pin Cider Works and Druthers Brewing Company.

Drive time from FDR Site: 69 miles; 1.5 hours

Explore the Charming Canal Town of Little Falls

Today begins your journey along the Erie Canal. Your driving route along the NYS Thruway west of Schenectady closely parallels the Erie Canal/Mohawk River and you’ll see the water in many locations. In fact, parts of the original canal were paved over to make room for the cross-state roadway. Your first stop is Little Falls, a charming canal town.

Visit Canal Place, a cluster of beautifully restored former textile mills now home to shops, antiques, the Mohawk Valley Arts Center, and dining options overlooking the Erie Canal. Stop at The Café at Stone Mill for coffee or a snack. Visit nearby Lock 17, the highest lock on the Erie and once the highest in the world. The lock sits next to Moss Island National Natural Landmark, where a short hike leads to impressive glacial-era rock formation.

Drive time from downtown Albany: 1 hour and 15 minutes; 74 miles

Recreational Option: Rent a kayak at the Little Falls Canal Harbor and Rotary Park. Paddle upstream as far as you like and return with the current. If you choose this option, you’ll need to eliminate one of the stops on the afternoon itinerary.

Discover Why All Roads Lead to Rome

Travel to Rome where water has played a central role in shaping the area for centuries. Fort Stanwix National Monument is a 1777 frontier fort that tells stories of the nations that fought for control of the Oneida Carrying Place, Mohawk Valley, homelands of the Six Nations Confederacy, and the rich resources of North America. Digging for the Erie Canal began in the same location in 1817. Allow 1.5 hours to explore the visitor center and fort.

Drive time from Little Falls: 44 minutes; 39 miles

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When in Rome…

Eat Italian food! Italian stone masons and workmen who emigrated to New York in the early 20^th century were hired to build the Erie “Barge” Canal. Many settled in the Utica/Rome area where Italian culture and cuisine remain strong. Try Vescio Franklin Hotel or DeSalvo’s Catering and Restaurant for a delicious lunch.

Deepen Your Understanding at the Erie Canal Museum

Complete your day in Syracuse at the Erie Canal Museum, which showcase’s a comprehensive collection and exhibits on all facets of the Erie Canal. The museum is housed in the only remaining Weighlock Building (1850) where canal boats were weighed during the days when they traveled through the center of Syracuse on the Erie Canal.

Drive time from Rome: 50 minutes; 46 miles

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Discover the Old Erie Canal

Head to the Camillus Erie Canal Park located along the Old Erie Canal. Visit the replica canal side store circa 1856, then walk along a 2-mile section of the Erie Canalway Trail or take a boat ride in summer to experience the canal as travelers did during the 1800s. The boat ride will take you over the award-winning 1842 Nine Mile Creek Aqueduct. Volunteers established the park in 1972 and accomplished the herculean task of restoring and rewatering the aqueduct in 2009.

Drive time from Syracuse: 17 minutes, 10 miles

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Take the Path of Visionaries (optional excursion)

The Erie Canal carried more than goods and people. It also served as a conduit for spreading ideas and strengthening social movements in the 1800s. Visit the birthplace of the women’s rights movement in the historic canal town of Seneca Falls. Tour Women’s Right’s National Historical Park, the National Women’s Halls of Fame, and other area attractions and stroll along the canal promenade.

Drive Time from Camillus: 46 minutes; 30 miles

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Visit the Seneca Nation

The lands and waterways along the Erie Canal the ancestral homelands of many First Nations, including the Nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and the Mohican Nation. European-American settlement, canal construction and subsequent development had a profound impact on Indigenous communities. Ganondagan State Historic Site is the original site of a 17th century Native American town. Spanning 569 acres, Ganondagan (Gah-nun-dah-gan) features culture, art, agriculture, and government of the Seneca nation and how they influenced our modern understanding of equality, democratic government, women's rights, and ecology.

Drive time from Camillus: 1 hr 15 minutes; 70 miles

Drive time from Seneca Falls: 44 minutes; 38 miles

Cruise This Fair Port

Though enlarged over the years, the Erie Canal still runs through the Village of Fairport as it has since 1825. The community got its name for being a “fair port” and it still is a bustling canal village, where you’ll find boats, special events, dining and shopping options, and the village’s famous lift bridge all within easy walking distance. This is a great place to get on the water. You can rent a kayak, canoe or bike from the Erie Canal Boat Company or get onboard the Colonial Belle tour boat or Captain JJ's Duffy Electric Boat Tours.

Drive time from Ganondagan: 23 min; 11 miles; parking is available at The Box Factory, 6 N Main St.

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Marvel at Lockport’s Flight of Five

Digging the Erie Canal west from Lockport presented canal builders a monumental challenge. To surmount the Niagara Escarpment, they built a staircase of locks, known as the Flight of Five, which you can still see today. Start at the Erie Canal Discovery Center for a terrific orientation to Lockport’s famous locks. From there, walk one block to Canal Street to see the Lockport Flight of Five historic locks and the massive double Locks 34 and 35 which are used by boats today. You’ll get a great view from street level, which is above the locks, but stroll down the paved pathway to see them up close. Take a photo with the locktenders at the Locktenders Tribute Monument.

Plenty of dining options are also within walking distance, including local favorites: Scripts Café, Lake Effect Ice Cream, Big Ditch Brewing, and Shamus Restaurant. Boat tours are available at Lockport Locks and Erie Canal Cruises.

Drive time from Fairport/Bushnell’s Basin: 1 hour 30 minutes; 70 miles; Parking available at the Erie Canal Discovery Center, Ontario Street parking lot

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Experience Niagara Falls

America’s most famous waterfall is just 40 minutes from Lockport. Get close to the wonder at Niagara Falls State Park. Attractions include spectacular overlooks, hiking trails, Maid of the Mist boat tour, Cave of the Winds, and more.

Drive time from Lockport: 40 minutes; 21.5 miles

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From the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes

Complete your journey at Buffalo’s vibrant waterfront at Canalside, the historic juncture between the Erie Canal and the Great Lakes. Stroll the boardwalk to see remains of the former Commercial Slip, which are preserved alongside recreated canals that serve as a gathering place for year-round activities, tours, museums, and events. Be sure to stop in at the Waterway of Change, a free interactive exhibit with experiences designed for visitors of all ages that takes you through 200 years of Erie Canal history.

Extend your stay in Buffalo to experience more of the city’s vibrant arts, culture and food scene. Visit Buffalo will help you find your way to top attractions like the Frank Lloyd Wright’s Darwin Martin House, the AKG art museum, Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site, and local food specialties, like beef on weck, beer battered fish fry, and world-famous chicken wings.

Drive time from Niagara Falls: 30 minutes; 22 miles

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