You can schedule docent led group tours of the Erie Canal Museum year round between 10:00 am and 3:30 pm. Tours can accommodate up to 60 people with a minimum of 10.
If you are looking for information about scheduling a school group or field trip, click here.
Private Tour Options:
Self-Guided Museum Tour- $5 per person
Visitors can explore the Erie Canal Museum’s two floors of exhibits at their own pace.
Guided Museum Tour- $7 per person
Visitors will learn the history of Erie Canal from a trained Museum docent, who will lead them on an approximately hour long tour.
Downtown Bus Tour- $7 per person
A trained Erie Canal Museum docent will hop on your tour bus to give visitors a detailed description of Downtown Syracuse’s history and connections to the Erie Canal.
Erie Canal Walking Tour- $7 per person
A trained Erie Canal Museum docent will lead visitors on a half mile long walking tour of Downtown Syracuse looking specifically at how the Erie Canal transformed the city.
Pathways of Resistance- $10 per person
The Erie Canal had profound impacts on Black history in Upstate New York and the United States. This half mile walking tour examines this history over the course of an hour and a half.
Tour leaders, chaperones, and bus drivers are free. There is free bus parking on Erie Boulevard.
Please note that all Museum tours occurring during the Museum’s Gingerbread Gallery cost an additional $3 and include admission to the Gallery.
For more information or to schedule a tour, contact educator@eriecanalmuseum.org or call (315)-471-0593.
Tours should be scheduled a minimum of three weeks in advance.
Summer Guided Walking Tours
Downtown Syracuse Canal Architecture Walking Tours
Join us for a guided walking tour of historic Downtown Syracuse, exploring the same path where the famous waterway once ran. The tour begins at the entrance to the Erie Canal Museum. A trained docent leads you along the route of the 19th century Canal to Clinton Square, discussing the square’s Canal history and some of the city’s most important sites. The walk continues through Hanover Square, and ends back at the Museum and the 1850 National Register Weighlock Building. You will learn how the Erie Canal shaped all aspects of the community, and see how the neighborhood has changed since the days when the waterway was its centerpiece.
Space is limited, so please try to reserve a space in advance. Registration is free, but we have a $10 suggested donation. This tour will occur at 1:00 PM on one Saturday per month on June 8, July 6, and August 3.
The tour begins at the entrance to the Erie Canal Museum, 318 Erie Boulevard East, Syracuse. Free parking is available in the lot across from the Museum, under routes 81 and 690.
Women on the Water Walking Tours
This walking tour of Downtown Syracuse is centered around the history of women and the women’s rights movement along the Erie Canal. The tour begins at the entrance of the Erie Canal Museum and a trained tour guide will lead you on a 1 mile-long walk between Clinton Square and Fayette Park, stopping at many sites of significant events in the fight for women’s rights, with a special focus on Syracuse’s contributions to the fight
Space is limited, so please try to reserve a space in advance. Registration is free, but we have a $10 suggested donation. This tour will occur at 1:00 on one Saturday per month on June 15, July 13, and August 10.
The tour begins at the entrance to the Erie Canal Museum, located at 318 Erie Boulevard East in Syracuse. Free parking is available in the lot across from the Museum, under routes 81 and 690.
Pathway of Resistance Walking Tours
We are pleased to announce the return of the Pathway of Resistance walking tour, examining African-American experiences on and along the banks of the Erie Canal, from the waterway’s beginnings to contemporary times. While the legacies of slavery and systemic racism can be uncomfortable to discuss, it is crucial for these issues to be be addressed and to understand how these legacies continue to impact our society today.
Space is limited, so please try to reserve a space in advance. Registration is free, but we have a $10 suggested donation. This tour will occur at 1:00 PM on one Saturday per month on June 22, July 20, and August 17.
The tour in the lobby of the Erie Canal Museum located at 318 Erie Boulevard East in downtown Syracuse. Free parking is available in the lot across from the Museum, under routes 81 and 690.
Lock E24 Baldwinsville Infrastructure Tour
Included in our summer Infrastructure Tours program, supported by On the Canals, we are offering tours of Lock E24 in Baldwinsville. These free tours will focus on the history of Baldwinsville before the canal, the Seneca river, the infrastructure of the lock and the barge canal, and social history.
Space is limited, so please try to reserve a space in advance. Registration is free, but we have a $10 suggested donation. These hour-long tours will occur on one Saturday per month at 1:00 PM on June 29, July 27, and August 24.
The tour will begin at the Baldwin Canal Square AKA the Village Square in Baldwinsville, located between the B’ville Diner and the Seneca River.
Museum Indoor Tours
We also offer self-guided and guided tours of the exhibits inside of our museum space.
