The Erie Canal Museum offers both in person and virtual field trips. See below for more information about both. You can also contact fieldtrips@eriecanalmuseum.org or call (315)-471-0593 x 14.
In-Person Field Trips
A field trip to the Erie Canal Museum is an opportunity for teachers to choose the best options for their students. Field trips are available year round, Monday through Friday between 9:30 AM and 3:00 PM. Field trip visits can be tailored to your educational needs. Reservations are required. Reach out to discuss available options and schedule your field trip: fieldtrips@eriecanalmuseum.org or call (315) 471-0593 x 14.
Docent-Led Indoor Tour
(45-60 mins)
Erie Canal Museum docents will guide students through the Museum, highlighting the important role the Erie Canal played in the development of the United States. 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.
Downtown Walking Tour
(45-60 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.
Pathways of Resistance Walking Tour
(75-90 mins)
* Grade 7 & above
Our Pathways of Resistance tour examines African-American experiences on and along the banks of the Erie Canal, from the waterway’s beginnings to contemporary times. We dive into the history of the Underground Railroad and Abolition movement along the Erie Canal on this tour. While the legacies of slavery and systemic racism can be uncomfortable to discuss, it is crucial for these issues to be addressed and to understand how these legacies continue to impact our society today.
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.
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. There is no space available for lunch from 10/21/2024 to 2/3/25.
Schedule A Tour
Field Trip reservations are required. Fill out this form to request a field trip date: https://forms.gle/ZM71DkXqos5fmpd39
To get more information or ask any questions, please contact fieldtrips@eriecanalmuseum.org or call (315) 471-0593 x 14.
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. You can learn more and register for that funding here.
To inquire about other sources of funding available for field trips, contact fieldtrips@eriecanalmuseum.org or call (315) 471-0593 x 14.
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 $100. For more information or to schedule a tour, contact fieldtrips@eriecanalmuseum.org or call (315) 471-0593 x 14.
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.
Basics of the Erie Canal
Discuss the Basics of the Erie Canal with an educator who will take students through images of the Erie Canal Museum’s galleries and artifacts. Why was the Erie Canal built? How was it built? How was it used once it was built? Where is it now? All these questions and more will be answered in this crash course on “Clinton’s Ditch.”
