The Erie Canal Museum offers both in person and virtual field trips. See below for more information about both. You can also contact ed_coordinator@eriecanalmuseum.org or call (315)-471-0593.
In Person Field Trips
A student field trip to the Erie Canal Museum includes a docent-led tour of the Museum (45mins.), an architectural walking tour of the canalway area of downtown Syracuse (45 mins), and time for students to explore the Museum on their own (30 mins). Field trips are available year round, Monday through Friday between 9:30 AM and 3:00 PM. Field trip visits can accommodate up to 60 people, with a minimum of 10 people.
Docent-Led Tour
(45 mins)
Erie Canal Museum docents will guide students through the Museum, highlighting the important role the Erie Canal played in the development of our country. Tours focus on the history of the Erie Canal, the 1850 National Register Weighlock Building, the Frank Buchanan Thomson full size replica line boat, and education galleries.
Architectural Walking Tour
(45 mins)
Additionally, school groups can choose to add on an architectural walking tour of downtown Syracuse, which highlights the buildings and industry that grew up around the canal. Students will experience first hand the evolution of Syracuse and the impact of the Erie Canal.
Lunch Accommodations
Weighlock Gallery
Space is usually available for student groups to eat their lunch, should it be needed. Groups interested in utilizing this option should specify when making their reservation. This is a carry-in, carry-out location.
Self-Guided Tour
(45-60 mins)
Schools can choose a teacher led field trip, for which Museum docents would not be available. The clear markings on the Museum path give educators the opportunity to follow the historical journey through the various stages of planning, building, and use of the Erie Canal, but allows them the freedom to discuss topics relevant to their current curriculum of study.
Schedule A Tour
For more information or to schedule a tour, contact ed_coordinator@eriecanalmuseum.org or call (315)-471-0593. Tours should be scheduled a minimum of three weeks in advance.
If you are looking for information about group tours, please click here.
Field Trip Fees
Guided tours are $7 per person.
The Museum requests a $5 per person donation for teacher led field trips.
Tour leaders, chaperones, and bus drivers are admitted free.
The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor’s Ticket to Ride Program provides funding for field trip admission and transportation costs to the Erie Canal Museum. Apply here.
Post Visit Evaluations
Following your visit to the Erie Canal Museum please fill out and return these evaluations with your class. These will greatly help us in ensuring that students and teachers get the best possible experience on their field trips. Thank you!
Virtual Field Trips
The Erie Canal Museum is now offering a virtual field trip experience. These field trips are geared towards addressing the New York State Social Studies curriculum for 4th and 7th grade, though they can be modified for other grade levels. The field trips will consist of a mixture of prerecorded material, virtual interactions with a museum educator, and accompanying printable lesson plan materials.
All virtual field trip experiences take between 45 minutes and an hour to complete.Each field trip session costs $75. For more information or to schedule a tour, contact ed_coordinator@eriecanalmuseum.org or call (315)-471-0593.
At present, the virtual experiences being offered are:
Mapping the Erie Canal
Explore the unique geography of New York and discover why the Erie Canal was perfectly positioned to transform New York into the “Empire State” as well as how the Canal changed the day to day lives of New Yorkers along its banks.
Primary Source Workshop
Investigate and analyze a variety of primary sources from the canal era to discover how the transportation, the economy, the communities, and the lives of people living in New York were dramatically changed throughout the 19th century.
