Beers, Bikes, and Barges- Thursday evenings, May 25 – Aug. 24, 2023
The Erie Canal Museum has teamed up with cultural sites and breweries across the state to develop a summer long cycling series along the Erie Canal titled “Beers, Bikes, and Barges.” The goal of this series is to showcase the Erie Canal’s diverse history, the Empire State Trail, and the unique breweries that are found throughout the state. Each event in the series will occur on Thursdays at 6pm and will consist of an approximately 90 minute guided cycling tour of that week’s highlighted community followed by a drink at the partner brewery. The first drink will be covered as part of a $25 registration fee that will also provide a donation to the Erie Canal Museum and that week’s partnering cultural organization. Helmets are required.
September 14 – Syracuse – Harvey’s Garden
Join the Erie Canal Museum for a 90-minute guided bike tour through the eastern side of Syracuse looking at canal and brewing history in the city. The ride begins at the Erie Canal Museum and ends with a brew at Harvey’s Garden.
September 21 – Baldwinsville – Beers, Boots, and Barges
Join the Erie Canal Museum for an hour-long historical walking tour in Baldwinsville. This tour will begin at Baldwin Canal Park in Baldwinsville and end at WT Brewing Co. for a beer. This tour will cover approximately half a mile of downtown Baldwinsville and explore historic Lock E 24 among other topics.
Previous Rides
May 25 – Buffalo – Slow Roll Buffalo
Join the Erie Canal Museum and Slow Roll Buffalo to experience Erie Canal history by bike, then enjoy a pint in this statewide summer series along New York’s historic canals! Your ticket includes a SQUAD-led 15-mile ride highlighting our region’s unique canal history, a stop for a refreshing pint of beer and another refreshing pint of beer at our afterparty and more. Part of Slow Roll Buffalo’s Ticket To Roll series, this limited-capacity, ticketed ride is a fundraiser in support of Slow Roll’s nonprofit mission to provide inclusive community experiences that connect people, places, and causes by bicycle.
June 15 – Schenectady – Schenectady County Historical Society – Druthers Brewing CO.
Join the Schenectady County Historical Society and the Erie Canal Museum for this 90 minute cycling tour through Schenectady looking at the city’s Erie Canal and brewing history, as you ride along the historic Mohawk River. The ride begins and ends at Druthers Brewing Company, where you will be treated to a beer as part of your ride as well as a brief history of the brewery itself.
June 22 – Oswego – H. Lee White Maritime Museum
Join the Erie Canal Museum and the H. Lee White Maritime Museum for a guided 90 minute historic cycling tour of the Oswego Canal.
July 6 – Albany – Historic Albany Foundation, Discover Albany – C.H. Evans Brewing Company
Join the Historic Albany Foundation, Discover Albany, and the Erie Canal Museum for this 90 minute cycling tour through Albany looking at the city’s Erie Canal and brewing history. See sites like the location of the enormous John Taylor and Sons Brewery and Lock #1 on the Old Erie. The ride begins and ends at C.H. Evans Brewing Company, where you will be treated to a beer as part of your ride as well as a brief history of the brewery itself.
July 13- Syracuse- Talking Cursive Brewing Company
Join the Erie Canal Museum and Talking Cursive Brewing Company for this 90 minute cycling tour through Syracuse looking at its unique brewing and Canal history, including Greenway’s Brewing, which once occupied the same site as Talking Cursive today! The ride begins at the Erie Canal Museum and ends at Talking Cursive, right down the street, where you will be treated to a beer as part of your ride as well as a brief history of the brewery itself.
July 20- Canastota- Canastota Canal Town Museum- Erie Canal Brewing Company
Join the Erie Canal Museum and Canastota Canal Town Museum for a 90 minute, 4-mile ride from Canastota to Wampsville, where there will be interpreters along the way. The journey back will follow the Oneida Rail Trail, and end at Erie Canal Brewing Company.
Tuesday on the Towpath
Syracuse Ride- August 22nd- 6PM- Free
Join staff of the Erie Canal Museum on this recreational bike ride along the route of the Erie Canal in Syracuse, New York. Learn about the 19th century Canal in downtown Syracuse, and explore some of the city’s historic and contemporary Canal systems, including the Onondaga Creekwalk and the Inner Harbor. Meet at the Erie Canal Museum, 318 Erie Boulevard East, Syracuse. Helmets are required. The bike ride is free and open to the public.
August 17 – Schuylerville – Hudson Crossing Park – Bound by Fate Brewing
Join the Erie Canal Museum and Hudson Crossing Park for a guided 90 minute historic cycling tour of the Erie Canal route in Schuylerville. Participants will be able to enjoy an approximately 4 mile, mostly flat ride from the Champlain Region Gateway Visitor’s Center in downtown Schuylerville following both the Champlain Canal and Hudson River. The route starts as a stone dust trail along the Original Champlain Canal Towpath, which today is also part of the Champlain Canalway and Empire State Trail systems with a very brief on-road stint as we pass over Champlain Canal Lock 5. We will continue through Hudson Crossing Park on a mowed grass trail to what is known as “Eagle Point,” where the Canal and River converge by a unique slackwater dam. If time allows we will cross the historic Dix Bridge on the way back, which overlooks the Hudson River as well as the site of the British Army’s 1777 crossing as they headed to the Battle of Saratoga and their historic defeat during the Revolutionary War. The ride will end at Bound by Fate Brewing.
August 17 – Port Byron – Canal Society of New York – Lunkenheimer Brewing
Join the Erie Canal Museum and Canal Society of New York for a guided 90 minute historic cycling tour of the Erie Canal ending at Lunkenheimer Brewing for a beer. The highlights of the tour include the Samuel Center, Port Byron Heritage Park, and the Centerport Aqueduct.
August 24 – Spencerport – Arrowhead Marina and Golf Course – Rohrbach Brewing Co.
Join the Erie Canal Museum and Arrowhead Marina and Golf Course for a 90 minute cycling tour that will highlight the canal in Adams Basin and Spencerport, and stop at the lift bridge in Adams Basin. Learn about industries in the area and the stories of the people that lived here. Beginning and ending at the golf course, Rohrbach Brewing Co. will be present to serve their brews at the end of the ride.
