erie canal boat cruise

The Historic Erie Canal awaits you.

Welcome to Knothin’s Easy Yacht Cruises Cruise the Erie Canal & beyond.

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Your perfect  Erie Canal cruise may be one of our tours featuring stops in Fairport, Bushnell Basin, or Pittsford.  Enjoy some shopping or a variety of events throughout our beautiful boating season.  Have a light lunch or celebrate a special day at one of the restaurants right on the Erie or within a short walking distance.  Unsure if you should buy the boat you’re looking at?  Dreaming of doing the Great Loop ?  Not sure if you know what’s involved or if you can handle it?  Spend some time with us & we can walk you through what you need to know.  We can customize a private charter to fit your needs. Let us be your private captains for the day, night, or weekend while you take in all the beauty & experiences the Erie Canal offers. Contact us today.

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Erie Canal Cruise Tour

The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east-west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, vastly reducing the costs of transporting people and goods across the Appalachians. On this tour, we will be taking three different canal cruises traveling from east to west, while enjoying beautiful views and visiting historical and interesting sites.

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• Tour Itinerary
• Pick-up Points
• Departure Dates
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National Baseball Hall of Fame

Lil Diamond II Erie Canal Cruise

The Stanley Theatre

New York Kitchen Dinner with Chef Demonstration

George Eastman Museum

Artisan Works

Colonial Belle Erie Canal Boat Tour

Vidler’s Five & Dime

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House

Lockport Locks & Erie Canal Cruise

Niagara Falls Illumination

Seneca Spirit Cruise on Seneca Lake

10 Meals Included

Motorcoach Transportation

Hotel Accommodations

Requires Extended Walking

This morning we depart for our 5-day tour along the historic Erie Canal. We will stop for rest and lunch enroute to Cooperstown, NY, where we will visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Here we will enjoy a self-guided visit of the baseball-related artifacts and exhibits honoring those who have excelled in playing, managing and serving the sport. The Hall's motto is "Preserving History, Honoring Excellence, Connecting Generations". We will then check-in to our Utica, NY lodging. Dinner will be included at a nearby restaurant.

After breakfast we will enjoy a 90-minute, narrated journey through history on the calm waters of the Erie Canal while enjoying the spectacular scenery of New York's beautiful Mohawk Valley. Join your United States Coast Guard licensed captain aboard Lil Diamond II and enjoy a few entertaining tales of the canal. The thrill of our voyage is being raised and lowered over 20 feet in an Erie Canal Lock! Lunch will be included in Utica followed by a guided tour of The Stanley Theatre. Originally built to be a movie palace, this theatre opened on September 10, 1928 with 2,963 seats. Designed by famous architect Thomas Lamb, this baroque theater is a stunning cornerstone of this region. This evening dinner is included at New York Kitchen. The chef will demonstrate making some of the food we will enjoy for dinner. Televisions give everyone a perfect view of the process. Our lodging for the next three evenings will be located in Batavia, NY.

This morning, after breakfast at the hotel, we will have a self-guided visit at the George Eastman Museum, the world's oldest museum dedicated to photography and one of the world's oldest film archives. World-renowned for its collections in the fields of photography and cinema, the museum is also a leader in film preservation and photograph conservation, educating archivists and conservators from around the world. Next, we will stroll through Artisan Works, a fantastic world of art, with nearly 500,000 pieces of artwork, antiques, automobiles, and memorabilia. It's not like anything you've ever seen! After lunch on our own in Rochester, we will enjoy a narrated 3-hour cruise along the Erie Canal aboard Colonial Belle. This cruise departs from Fairport, travels up and down through Lock E32 in Pittsford, then returns to Fairport. Dinner will be included at a local restaurant this evening.

Today after breakfast, we will enjoy a full-day guided tour of Buffalo and the surrounding region. First, we will visit Vidler's Five & Dime, the largest in the world! Here you can enjoy time strolling through the past. Next, we will have a guided tour of Frank Lloyd Wright's Martin House, the architect's quintessential Prairie house and one of the great achievements of his career. Lunch will be included at Anchor Bar, where Buffalo Chicken Wings were invented. This afternoon we will enjoy a 2-hour Lockport Locks & Erie Canal cruise. Three million gallons of water will fill Locks 34 & 35, the only double set on the Erie Canal, and will raise the boat 50 feet. You'll pass under Lockport's "Upside Down Bridge", Lockport's "Big Bridge", through the "deep rock cut" and under lift bridges. The lively narration by the Coast-Guard-licensed Captain is also accompanied by crowd-pleasing canal music, popular during the 1800's. Dinner tonight is at Hard Rock Café in downtown Niagara Falls, NY. Each evening Niagara Falls is illuminated in a fantastic display of color. After dinner, a nearby stroll will allow us to enjoy this unique event. We will then return to our lodging.

After breakfast at the hotel, we will check-out and depart for home. We will stop in Watkins Glen, NY where we will enjoy a 50-minute cruise along the stunning shores of Seneca Lake aboard The Seneca Spirit. After lunch on our own at Seneca Harbor Station, we will continue home. Arrival home is scheduled for early evening.

Please note

Our intention is to run each tour as originally planned and published. However, if deemed necessary to do so, Perkiomen Tours reserves the right to make changes to tour components, schedules or itineraries without prior notification. Tips for Perkiomen motorcoach drivers and tour escorts are not included in the price of this tour. We feel that these gratuities should be extended on an individual basis and dictated by the level of service provided. Motorcoach seating is assigned at the time of reservation but cannot be guaranteed. Although we do our best to keep each traveler in the seat assigned at the time of reservation, there are times that it is necessary to move seat locations. Please be sure to verify your final seat number(s) with your driver at the time of boarding. Historically, daily seat rotation was practiced on most multi-day tours. We have suspended this practice for a period of time. Seat rotation will be explained by your driver or tour escort if reinstated. Perkiomen Tours recommends that you consider purchasing Travel Insurance for your tour. Travel Insurance is purchased directly by you from a third-party of your choice. One option is Travel Safe Insurance. You can purchase insurance directly from Travel Safe through our website. www.perkiomentours.com To fully participate in this tour may require extended amounts of walking. There may be steps, inclines, uneven surfaces or extended periods of standing. Participants with physical limitation should take this into consideration.

B=Full Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner

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Canal Boat Rentals

Canal Boat / House Boat Rental

The ultimate Erie Canal Adventure.  Our excursions include piloting a self-chartered Lockmaster Canal Boat for 3, 4, or 7 nights.

Our boats are fully equipped for a comfortable liveaboard adventure.

Use the links below to learn more and book your trip.

Erie Canal Boat Cruise With Lunch

Duration:  3-4 Hours Tour Times:   Upon Request Availability:   April – November   

Take a cruise down the historic Erie Canal and through the Lockport Locks. Be mesmorized as you elevate 49ft to the top of the Niagara Escarpment with a Coast Guard Licensed captain. After your cruise, enjoy a tasty buffet canal side that included a variety of foods from roast beef and turkey to salads and pasta.

Tour Prices

Special Group Pricing for Groups of 10 or more!

Duration:  3 – 4 Hours Tour Times:   Upon Request Availability:     April –  November

Tour Itinerary

• Take a cruise down the historic Erie Canal and through the Lockport Locks and Experience a unique 2-hour cruise which includes “locking through” and being raised the 49 ft. elevation of the Niagara Escarpment (the same one that creates Niagara Falls) in the only double set of locks on the Erie Canal. You will pass under bridges that raise straight up, see water cascade over Lockport’s famous “Flight of Five” 1840’s locks, and travel through the solid walls of the “rock cut” as your Coast Guard licensed captain describes the architecture, sights, and folklore along the way.
• Enjoy a delicious Buffet Luncheon Canal side after your boat cruise. Includes: Salad, mashed potatoes, Pasta Station, Roast Beef, Turkey, Corn Beef, gravy, apple sauce, cranberry sauce, hot buttered bread sticks, tea, coffee and dessert.
• Transportation to and from Niagara Falls to Lockport
• Erie Canal Cruise with Luncheon All Inclusive of taxes and gratuity
• All Tolls/Bridge Tolls/Parking Fees

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2024 Erie Canal Themed & Event Cruises

Full-service bar on-board – cash & credit cards accepted.

Sunset Lock Tours with LIVE Music Fridays 6:30-9:30pm (Boarding: 6:15pm. *6-9pm for some fall dates) • Cruise w/ live music: Adults $48, Children 10 & under $38 • Cruise w/ live music & served Dinner Package: Adults $71, Children 10/under $61 Package includes: 3hr cruise, meal, live music, tax & service charge. Chicken Parmigiana, Pasta Marinara w/ homemade meatball & sauce, Salad, Bread & Butter & a cookie Catered by Fairport B-side

CLICK HERE to see the fabulous musicians we have on-board

Book Online Now

Murder Mystery Dinner Cruises Tuesdays 6:30-9:00pm: June 11th, July 9th, Aug. 13th, Sept. 10th, Oct. 8th (Boarding: 6:15pm)

$83 per person

Package Includes: 2.5-hour cruise, served chicken/pulled pork dinner with sides, salad & a cookie, live interactive entertainment, tax, and service charge. Catered by Spinelli's Catering and Events

Fairport Canal Days Festival June 1st & 2nd

40-45 Minute Boat Rides On the hour 12:00-3:00pm , $13 per person, Ages 3 & under FREE.

The Thigh Masters Music & Lock Cruise Saturday, June 22nd 7:00-10:00pm (Boarding 6:45pm)

Cruise Only: Adults $52, Children 10 & under $42

Package Includes: 3hr cruise w/ lock passage, pizza, live music, tax & service charge.

Beatles Lock Tour with LIVE Music by “Da Vines” (Fred & Alex Vine) Thursday, June 27th 6:30-9:30pm (Boarding: 6:15pm)

Cruise with served DiBella's SUBMARINE Dinner box: $74 Package Includes: 3hr cruise w/ lock passage, dinner box, live music, tax & service charge.

JunkYard FieldTrip Band Music Cruise Saturdays, June 29th & Aug. 10th - 7:00-9:00pm (Boarding 6:45pm)

Adults: $64 per person

Package Includes: 2hr cruise, pizza, live music, service charge & tax

Margarita-Belle Sunset Cruise With LIVE themed Music by "Da Vines," Fred & Alex Vine

Wednesday, July 10th 7:00-9:00pm (Boarding 6:45pm) $52 per person

Package Includes: 2-hour cruise, pizza, live music, tax, and service charge.

Smoke on the Water

Dinner & Music Cruise with live music by the Tommy Brunett Band

Thursday, July 11th 7-10pm (Boarding 6:45pm)

$89 per person

Package Includes: 3-hour lock cruise w/ lock passage, live music, Iron Smoke Whiskey Tastings, Dinner, tax and service charge. Dinner: Sticky Lips BBQ Ribs & Chicken Dinner with 2 sides, salad, corn bread & a cookie.

Lyin’ Eyes (Eagles Cover Band) Music & Dinner Cruise Wednesday, July 17th 6:30-9:00pm (Boarding: 6:15pm)

2.5hr Cruise with lock passage and live music: $59 2.5hr Cruise with lock passage, served Dinner & live music package: $82

Dinner: served chicken/pulled pork dinner with sides, salad & a cookie Catered by Spinelli's Catering and Events

Cool Club and the Lipker Sisters LIVE Music Evening Cocktail Cruise

Thursday, July 18th 7:00-9:00pm (boarding at 6:45pm) $59 per person

Package Includes: 2hr cruise w/ live music & service charge. Drink specials available at the bar.

Adult PROM" CRUISES (ages 21+) Reminisce and make NEW fun memories! Dress to impress!

7:00-9:30pm (boarding at 6:45pm) $59 per person

July 20th with DJ Rob Linton OR August 3rd with DJ Mikey V

Package Includes: 2hr cruise w/ live DJ entertainment, dancing, charcuterie, tax & service charge.

Me and the BOYZ" LIVE Music Cruise

Sunday, July 21st 7:30-9:30pm (boarding at 7:15pm)

$64 per person

Package Includes: 2hr cruise w/ live music, pizza, tax & service charge.

The Skycoasters (Full Band) Music Cruise

Monday, July 22nd 7:00-9:00pm  (Boarding 6:45pm)

$59 per person

Package Includes:  2hr cruise, live music & service charge. Drink specials available at the bar.

Caribbean Sunset Dinner & Music Cruise LIVE music by Panloco Steel Drum Trio Tuesday, July 23rd 7:00-9:00pm (boarding at 6:45pm)

$79 per person

Package Includes: 2-hour cruise, Caribbean style dinner, live steel drum music, tax, and service charge.

Dinner: Jerk Chicken, rice, roasted plantains, salad & a cookie catered by Fairport B-Side

Blues, Booze & BBQ July 24th & August 22nd, 6:30-9:30pm (Boarding: 6:15pm)

$84 per person

July 24th - "Steve Grills and the Roadmasters" OR August 22nd - "Da Vines" Fred & Alex Vine

Package includes: 3hr cruise w/ lock passage, dinner, live Blues Music, tax & service charge. Dinner: Sticky Lips BBQ - Ribs & Chicken Dinner w/ 2 sides, salad, Cornbread & a cookie

Christmas in July Thursday, July 25th, 6:30-8:30pm (Boarding: 6:15pm)

Adults $62, Children 10 & under $52, Children 3 & under FREE

Package Includes: 2hr cruise, Holiday buffet dinner, Christmas cookies, cruising with "SANTA," Carol Singing & activities with Spotlight Performing Arts "Elves," tax, and service charge.

Family Pirate Lock Tour Saturdays: July 27th 2:30–5:30pm (Boarding: 2:15pm)

Wear your Pirate Attire! Entertainment provided by The Happy Pirates

Adults: $47, Children 10 & under: $37, Children 3 & under FREE

Annie in the Water (Full Band) Acoustic Music Cruise – American Indie Rock Sunday, July 28th 7:00-9:00pm (Boarding 6:45pm)

Package Includes: 2hr cruise, pizza, live music, service charge & tax.

Miller and the Other Sinners Trio Music & Lock Cruise Friday, Tuesday July 30th 7:00–10:00pm (boarding 6:45pm) Sponsored by Three Chord Bourbon with Tastings & Drink Specials aboard.

3hr Cruise with lock passage and live music: $59

3hr Cruise with lock passage, served Dinner & live music package: $82

The Brian Lindsay Band" LIVE Music Cruise Wednesday, July 31st 7:00-9:00pm (boarding: 6:45pm)

$47 per person

Package Includes : 2hr cruise, pizza, live music, tax and service charge.

Inside Out ('60s Cover Band) Music Cruise Thursday, August 1st- 6:30-9:00pm (Boarding: 6:15pm)

Package Includes: 2.5hr cruise, pizza, live '60s music, tax and service charge.

'90s Music Cruise with live music by Stephens & Sparkles of Dial Up Tuesday, August 6th 7-9pm (Boarding: 6:45pm)

$54 per person

Package Includes: 2hr cruise, pizza, live '90s music, LOTS OF FUN, tax and service charge. '90s Drink Specials available at the bar

Mud Creek Grateful Dead Cover Band Music Cruise

Wednesday, August 7th 6:30-9:30pm (Boarding: 6:15pm) • 3hr Cruise with lock passage and live GD music: $49 • 3hr Cruise with lock passage, served Dinner & live GD music package: $69

Fee Brothers Dinner & Cocktail Pairing Cruise Wednesday, August 14th, 6:30-9:00pm  (Boarding: 6:15pm)  Adults 21+ only  $117 per person 

Please bring a valid photo ID

Package Includes:  2.5hr cruise, 3-course dinner with a cocktail including Fee Brothers Bitters with each course, plus a live presentation by Jon Spacher 5th Generation Owner of Fee Brothers, tax, and service charge.

David M. Miller's Bourbon Birthday Bash Music Cruise w/ live music by Miller & the Other Sinners

Saturday, August 17th 7-9pm (Boarding 6:45pm)

Adults: $65 per person

Package Includes : 2hr cruise, pizza, Birthday Cake, live music, service charge & tax. Sponsored by Three Chord Bourbon with Tastings & Drink Specials aboard.

Fornieri Brothers Band Music Cruise Tuesday, August 20th 7-10pm (Boarding: 6:45pm)

• 3hr Cruise with lock passage & live music: $63 • 3hr Cruise with lock passage, served Dinner & live music package: $86

Dinner: Chicken Parmigiana, Pasta Marinara w/ homemade meatball & sauce, Salad, Bread & Butter & a cookie Catered by Fairport B-side

Claudia Hoyser with Ryan Hurley LIVE Music Cruise

Wednesday, August 21st 7:00-9:00pm (boarding at 6:45pm) • 2hr Cruise with live country music: $59 • 2hr Cruise, served Dinner & live country music package: $82

Chicken Parmigiana, Pasta Marinara w/ homemade meatball & sauce, Salad, Bread & Butter & a cookie Catered by Fairport B-side

Sunset JAZZ Music Dinner Cruise with LIVE music performed by Nyerges, Smith & Lake Jazz Trio + Bill Tiberio

Tuesday, August 29th, 6:30-9:00pm (Boarding: 6:15pm)

$72 per person

Package Includes: 2.5-hour cruise, dinner, live entertainment tax and service charge

Dinner: Chicken Parmigiana, Pasta Marinara w/ homemade meatball & sauce, Salad, Bread & Butter & a cookie

Pittsford Fireworks Cruise

Saturday, September 14th 7:45-10:15pm (Boarding at 7:30pm)

Cruise from Fairport, watch the fireworks over the canal in Pittsford by boat & then return to Fairport.

Adults $39, Children 10/Under $29, Ages 3/under FREE

Fairport Oktoberfest & Fairport Scarecrow Fest Leaf Peeping Cruise Saturday, September 28th 11:15am-12:00pm (Boarding: 11:15am)

Adults: $15, Children 10/under $13, Children 3/under FREE

Fall Foliage Cruises to Downtown Rochester Sun, Oct 6th AND Sun, Oct 13th 12:30-4:30pm (Boarding: 12:15pm) Departing and returning to Schoen Place Pittsford.

$121 per person

Package Includes: Served Seasonal meal with sides & soup, 4-hour cruise on the Erie Canal & Genesee River w/ passage through 2 locks, LIVE music by 'Da Vines," tax & service charge.

Dinner: Corn chowder, apple stuffed chicken w/ lemon sauce, squash, rice, cornbread & apple crisp by Spinelli's Catering & Events

Halloween Family Brunch Cruise Sunday, October 27th 11:30am-1:30pm (boarding at 11:15am)

$66 Adults, $56 ages 10/under, FREE 3/under

Package Includes: 2hr Cruise with Brunch & activities lead by "characters" from Spotlight Performing Arts.

Wear your Halloween Costume!

Brunch: Boneless Breast of Chicken Bruschetta, Scrambled Eggs with Cheddar Cheese on the side, French Toast Served with pure maple syrup, Breakfast Potato, Fresh Fruit Salad, Chef Made Muffins + a Coffee & Hot Tea Station Catered by Spinelli's Catering & Events

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I Explored Upstate New York on a Canal Boat — and It Was the Perfect Way to Slow Down

On a narrow-boat journey down New York’s Erie Canal, one writer finds a waterway steeped in history — one that offers a welcome escape from modern-day worries.

Paul Brady is the news director at Travel + Leisure and the brand's expert on cruise travel. He has been covering the travel industry for more than 15 years for outlets including Condé Nast Traveler , Skift , and The Huffington Post .

"The Erie Canal used to be all about speed, but today it's about slowing down," said Marye Lobb, a singer-songwriter I met one evening in Spencerport, New York. Lobb had been playing in the village's canal-side gazebo while my wife, Jetty-Jane, and I watched from the top deck of our boat, a bottle of Finger Lakes Riesling between us.

"There's just something calming about being by the water," Lobb said. In the 19th century, she explained, this storied waterway was an artery of commerce, but these days it's a place for wildlife spotting and unplugging from whatever worries you left onshore — just what Jetty-Jane and I were looking for in the summer of 2020.

Our vessel was the Seneca, a 42-foot liveaboard that we chartered — with the help of quirky travel website Atlas Obscura — from Erie Canal Adventures, a family-run outfitter with a fleet of canal boats purpose-built for touring the waterways between Syracuse and Buffalo. The plan was to take one of those vessels and spend a few days exploring the canal. Niche? Absolutely. The perfect escape from the strangest year of our lives? Definitely.

Soon enough, we were in a marina-side classroom in Macedon, getting a tutorial on propane heaters, diesel engines, and marine toilets — all the parts that make a liveaboard tick. After a few educational videos, we were aboard the Seneca with Erie Canal Adventures owner Brian Keenan, who had come to give us some hands-on training. He watched as we took our boat — sporting the company's signature red and green color scheme — through the gates of Lock 30, practiced our knots, fiddled with our radio, and spun around with a whoosh of our bow thrusters.

An hour later, Keenan stepped back onto the dock and wished us a good trip. With just my wife and me on board — and the $100,000 insurance policy stashed belowdecks — I had a moment of panic. We'd been socially distancing for months, but suddenly felt very alone.

Before Zoom calls, before jets, even before Model Ts and railroads, travel was all about boats. They were the fastest, easiest, and most comfortable way to get anywhere, which is why the founding fathers spent considerable time — not to mention money — trying to gin up canal systems in America to rival those transforming Europe. As Peter L. Bernstein writes in Wedding of the Waters, a history of the Erie Canal, the waterway would "knit the sinews of the Industrial Revolution, propel globalization…and revolutionize the production and supply of food for the entire world."

Today, the canal is almost exclusively used for recreation, but it's no exaggeration to say that the 363-mile-long link between the Atlantic and the Great Lakes cemented the country's economic primacy and crowned New York City its financial capital. (That many of these gains were extracted, directly or indirectly, from land stolen or swindled from Indigenous peoples, particularly those of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, often goes unmentioned.)

Yet for all its economic benefit, the canal provided something far more valuable: it gave rise to a network for ideas. Among the freethinkers living and working along the canal was Joseph Smith, who published the Book of Mormon in 1830 in Palmyra. In 1848, Frederick Douglass moved to Rochester, where he founded his abolitionist newspaper. That same year, Elizabeth Cady Stanton helped organize the Women's Rights Convention held in Seneca Falls, now home to the Women's Rights National Historical Park.

All of which is to say that a trip on the canal takes you through not only western New York but also hundreds of years of American history. Not that you're thinking about any of that when you're waking up in Pittsford in the middle of a chilly thunderstorm. Canal trivia takes a back seat when everything's wet, a cold wind is blowing, and the only person around to untie the lines is you. Whose idea was this anyway?

We chugged west toward Rochester, where we tied up at Corn Hill Landing, in the heart of the city. Despite the heavy rain, we made the short walk to Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, which lives up to the hype with pit-smoked wings and decadent mac and cheese. We walked through Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Park, painted with messages of protest against police violence in Rochester and across the United States. By late afternoon, the sun had returned, and we celebrated with pilsners and onion rings at Roc Brewing Co. before heading back to the boat and pressing on toward Spencerport to catch Lobb's gazebo concert, one of several such experiences Atlas Obscura had arranged along our route.

After a couple of days aboard, we were getting the hang of the Seneca . The hardest part was passing through the locks, which involved gingerly maneuvering our 30,000-pound boat into a narrow space and grabbing onto fixed cables or ropes covered in gunk. We started to feel a tiny bit like boat people. Could we live on the Seneca ? I wondered aloud one morning. Not likely, my wife deadpanned.

On our third morning, we turned back east to Fairport, a quintessential canal town we'd skipped on our way out. We grabbed a sunny spot on the patio of Lulu Taqueria & Bar for a Pacifico and a margarita as kayakers paddled past. We rummaged through gift shops like Main Street Mercantile and marveled at the imported pastas, olives, meats, and cheeses at Lombardi's Gourmet Imports & Specialties. After months of not doing much at all, we relished the simple pleasure of walking down some new streets and seeing some new things.

That evening, we approached another red-and-green boat docked at a bend in the channel called Bushnell's Basin. We were tying our lines when a stranger bounded over and, through her mask, started telling us about the great hard cider selection in the dockside store.

Diane Baker and her husband, Mark, had, like us, been on the canal for a few days, she said. They, too, figured the trip would be the perfect antidote to months cooped up at home in New York City. For them, it was less about boating than about exploring a stretch of the state they'd never considered vacation-worthy.

A few days later, back on land, we bumped into Diane and Mark at the Cascadilla Gorge trailhead in Ithaca. Though we'd met only briefly, it felt like a reunion with old friends. Amazing what can happen when you take a moment and just slow down.

How to Plan a Canal Trip

Erie Canal Adventures (trips from $1,950) offers three-, four-, and seven-day charters out of Macedon. Boats come fully fueled and equipped with linens, kitchen gear, and water. There's a learning curve for piloting the vessels, but even landlubbers can quickly get the hang of it.

Book through Atlas Obscura for more perks, plus a concierge who can make restaurant reservations and provide hyper-specific sightseeing tips. Charters start around noon and end early on the final day, so it's best to bookend a cruise with hotel stays.

About 30 minutes from Macedon, the new Lake House on Canandaigua (doubles from $265) is a resort-style property with soothing, nautically inspired interiors by Studio Tack. An hour away, the Inns of Aurora (doubles from $440) is a collection of historic buildings, all beautifully restored and filled with quirky yet tasteful décor. A new 15,000-square-foot spa opened in June.

A version of this story first appeared in the June 2021 issue of Travel + Leisure under the headline At Your Own Pace . Atlas Obscura and Erie Canal Adventures provided support for the reporting of this story.

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Our 2024 Season is Open Now – Book Your Cruise Today

Sam Patch – Erie Canal Lock 32 Cruise

Quick Details

• User Ages: All Ages
• Hour Glass Duration: 1.25-2 hours

Join us on a journey along the historic routes of America’s early settlers and experience an authentic canal cruising adventure! While onboard, learn about the historical significance of the Erie Canal, and witness how Lock 32 operates with a live narrative. Sit back and relax as you enjoy the natural beauty of the surroundings.

Our dock is located at 12 Schoen Place in the picturesque Village of Pittsford, NY . We offer a selection of beer, wine, soft drinks, and snacks for purchase onboard. Join us for an unforgettable experience and book your cruise today!

Per current U.S. Coast Guard regulations, infants ages three and under are free, but must be ticketed.

In addition to our traditional Lock 32 Cruise, for our 2024 season, we also have exciting special cruises available while going through Lock 32, including:

Sunset Cruises

A relaxing experience as you glide down the canal at sunset, enjoying refreshments against a picturesque backdrop.

Lunch Cruises

Boxed lunch provided by Neutral Ground Coffeehouse will be available for pre-order on select afternoon cruises

Kids Cruises

New for 2024, Kids Cruises are a 75-minute morning boat ride on  Sam   Patch , with special activities designed for young passengers.

Please see more special programming on these cruises:

Related Activities

• Users Up to 30 People
• Hour Glass 2 Hours
• User All Ages

Sam Patch - Live Music Sunset Cruise

Join us aboard the Sam Patch as we cruise along the canal taking in the sunset while listening to some live music, enjoying a refreshing drink. Come get your feet tapping with us.

• Hour Glass 1.5 Hours

Sam Patch Arts & Culture Series

Join us for our new Arts & Culture Series! Throughout the operating season, we will have special guests come on board to give in depth presentations and teach art classes.

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We are observing New York State's Covid-19 requirements. Our rates for the 2021 season will remain the same as last year.

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Plan Your Memorable Wedding...

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Daily Narrated Sightseeing Cruises

Local history is still very alive at Lockport Locks & Erie Canal Cruises, and has been experienced by almost million people since its inception. Come aboard for a relaxing & informative ride on the 19th-century engineering marvel which opened up the American Frontier.

View Our Live Web Cam!

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For more about our cruises, click on the Daily Cruises links above. Call us at 716-433-6155, or toll-free at 1-800-378-0352.

Group Cruises, Cruise & Food Packages, Canalside Banquets

Our unique and versatile facility is perfect for a variety of activities - Casual Parties, Weddings, Meetings, Reunions, Memorials, Company Picnics, or any time you want a unique memorable event. You can arrange special private charter times for your groups of 25 or more.

Our Party Menu Options

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For more about Lockport Locks Group Cruises, call 716-433-6155, or toll-free at 1-800-378-0352.

Wedding Packages and Reception Cruise

Lockport Canalside offers a one-of-a-kind year round location committed to providing you with a casual yet elegant experience.

We have a highly qualified chef, experienced staff and the flexibility to meet your needs. An experienced wedding advisor will help with planning and organizing your ceremony and reception.

Our Wedding Menu Options

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We invite you to plan your special event with us. Call 716-433-6155, or toll-free 1-800-378-0352.

Back to Top Lockport Locks & Erie Canal Cruises 210 Market Street, Lockport, NY 14094 716-433-6155 or 800-378-0352 [email protected]

© Lockport Locks and Erie Canal Cruises. All Rights Reserved

Eager for tourism dollars, Great Lakes states are pouring money into ports

Editor's note: This piece was originally published at Stateline.org .

DULUTH, Minn. — The Viking Polaris sliced through the dawn June fog, entering the harbor without fanfare. No horn blasts to this Midwestern port city’s landmark lift bridge. Onboard, all but a handful of cabins were dark as the 666-foot cruise ship ended its maiden Great Lakes voyage.

Cruise ships, which once thrived on these lakes before all but disappearing in the 1970s, are making a remarkable comeback on this inland sea, wooed by competing states. Marketed as “expedition cruising,” the ships deliver tourists and their spending money to ports that for decades primarily served global markets with iron ore and wheat.

“The [global] cruise industry is fairly mature,’’ said Dave Gutheil, chief commercial officer of the Port of Cleveland. “There aren’t a lot of new places to go.”

States and Canadian provinces worked together to change that. After drawing major industry players to the world’s largest freshwater ecosystem in recent years, states now must balance that cooperation with competition as they seek port calls and the economic benefits they bring. But for some ports, especially the small ones, even the smaller expedition ships may be too big to handle.

For cruise fans these have been, if not uncharted, at least long neglected waters. In the heart of North America and separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the St. Lawrence Seaway, more than a dozen Great Lakes ports in five U.S. states and a similar number in the Canadian province of Ontario offer expeditions as wild as kayaking sea caves along Minnesota’s rugged North Shore or as urban as touring the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

Attracting the cruise industry took regional and international coordination, Gutheil said. “This really has been a Great Lakes team effort.”

Now some states along the lakes — Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin — are competing for a tourism bounty by making their ports more attractive and accessible to cruise lines. In 2022, the cruises drew nearly 150,000 passenger visits to Great Lakes ports in the United States and Canada, a record, according to the industry group Cruise the Great Lakes. It forecasts nearly 170,000 visits in 2023 with an economic impact of $180 million.

Passenger cruises were once a major industry of the Great Lakes, with more than 30 lines operating in the upper lakes alone, according to a 2011 study by Richard Stewart of the University of Wisconsin-Superior. With the growth of the U.S. highway system and regional airlines, all were gone by 1970.

For decades, ventures to revive the industry struggled, hindered by regulations such as the 1896 Passenger Vessel Services Act, which limited access to U.S. ports. Gambling restrictions also discouraged cruise lines from offering service.

Combining U.S. and Canada stops allowed foreign-built ships to avoid the port restrictions, however. The current surge started in the 2015 season, including the arrival of the Pearl Mist, a 210-passenger ship.

These new ships are not the 6,000-passenger floating resorts that ply the Caribbean. With fewer than 400 passengers, most serve a more affluent and adventurous clientele. Viking entered the region in 2022, bringing a global reputation and two new ships designed specifically for the Great Lakes. Yet those ships, the Polaris and Octantis, are clearly ocean-capable vessels. Strengthened to withstand polar ice, they serve Viking’s Antarctic routes during the North American offseason.

Ponant, a French line, offers a seven-night cruise from Milwaukee to Toronto that starts at $5,790 per person, about $800 per night. A typical Caribbean cruise often can be booked for $100 per person per night. Other major players in the Great Lakes are Hapag-Lloyd, a German line that challenges Viking with state-of-the-art polar expedition ships, and Pearl Seas, which runs routes from deep in the Great Lakes to the Canadian Maritimes. Ten ships are working the lakes this season.

On shore, cruise passengers spend an average of $111 per port stop, according to a 2021 report by the University of Minnesota Duluth. That number increases to $188 in “turnaround” ports, where one tour ends and another begins.

State tourism agencies and port cities tout each port’s unique attractions. In Duluth, it’s the mix of outdoor activities and urban amenities. Michigan’s Mackinac Island boasts the car-less charm of its old-time seafront resorts, while Cleveland’s cultural attractions and strategic location in the middle of the lakes offers cruise options to the east and west.

Necessary infrastructure

For cruise lines, though, infrastructure matters. Cruise ships require docks and handling facilities in ports for decades dominated by cargo ships. That’s where state support matters.

“What keeps me up at night is if we don’t build South Shore correctly, Duluth is building a fantastic dock that will include all of these features,” Adam Tindall-Schlicht, the Port of Milwaukee director at the time, told the city’s harbor commissioners in 2022, according to  Urban Milwaukee.

“Chicago coming online at Navy Pier keeps me up. Duluth and their investment in their downtown dock keeps me up,” said Tindall-Schlicht, who is now administrator of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, a leading federal advocate for the cruise industry.

Milwaukee is meeting that challenge with a $7.3 million cruise facility. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, allocated $3.5 million of federal American Rescue Plan Act funds to the project.

Similar projects are underway up and down the lakes.

Duluth, which is more than 2,000 nautical miles from the Atlantic, is the world’s most inland port with access to the world’s oceans. The city, with 11 scheduled cruise stops this season and 15 expected in 2024, is rebuilding a seawall, expanding dredging and adding Lake Superior’s only U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility at its downtown convention center. When completed in 2025, the projects will allow passengers to disembark steps from the Great Lakes Aquarium, a former ore carrier-turned-museum, and the lively Canal Park tourist district. Currently some ships dock at an industrial area or use tenders to ferry passengers to shore.

Tourism officials hope the projects will help the port land more turnaround stops, which can double the number of visitors.

“With the day stops, they have around eight hours to spend in Duluth, and they have already pre-booked tours and so they get off, they get on a bus and they go to a tour, which is phenomenal for our tourist locations, but our active restaurants and hotels don’t get the use out of that,” said Belle Wanke of the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center.

“But when we have these turnarounds, they’re able to come in,” Wanke said. “Honestly, most of them come in the night before and stay in our hotels, and then they’ll come down later this morning and get on the ship, and then a good number of the people that get off today will spend the night in Duluth and fly out tomorrow.”

Michigan, which has multiple ports with cruise stops, has supported cruise ships through the Michigan Strategic Fund, a business development resource. The former Upper Peninsula copper mining town of Houghton has attracted visits with a new $5 million pier built with $4 million from the state fund.

In New York, Buffalo wants a piece of the market: The state’s Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation has commissioned a feasibility study, scheduled to be finished later this year, on making the city a cruise ship destination.

In Cleveland, state funds and the city’s central lakes location have helped make the city a regular stop for cruise lines, according to Gutheil. Ohio’s Maritime Assistance Program provides $10 million annually for the state’s lake and river ports. Cleveland expects 49 port calls this season, up from 37 in 2022. The aid is vital because the industry is growing and competitive, he said.

“Some of our neighboring states have more of a bucket to pull from,” Gutheil said.

Some markets have had less success. A cruise boat terminal built in 2002 in Erie County, Pennsylvania, has never hosted a visit. County Executive Brenton Davis is pushing to change that, GoErie.com reported.

More: Cruise ships are sailing the Great Lakes in growing numbers, but will they dock in Erie?

Community resistance

Not all port cities are so eager to see a cruise ship at their docks.

Traverse City, Michigan, a popular tourist town of 15,000 people on Lake Michigan, had been scheduled for Viking stops. But in 2020, two years before the first stop, the Discovery Center & Pier announced it would no longer accept Viking or other small cruise lines it had served.

Three years later, the city has reversed course. In 2024, the Pearl Mist, which carries 168 fewer passengers than the Viking ships, is scheduled for at least two visits. It will anchor offshore and use tenders to shuttle passengers ashore. The process will reduce some of the congestion caused by an onshore docking.

For Discovery Center CEO Matt McDonough, concerns from the community were a driving force. Traverse City, which promotes itself as the “Cherry Capital of the World,” already has a bustling tourism industry that overfills the town during the cruise season. Plus, he said, the town is looking to diversify its economic base beyond tourism.

“It was something a lot of folks around the community were not supportive of,” McDonough said.

For the center, which looks to connect people with all the Great Lakes, the cruises did not mesh with its mission, he said. Viking, he said, was more interested in having a place to disembark passengers to buses.

In the wake of its decision, the Discovery Center has developed features more true to its mission, including a new freshwater research center, McDonough said.

Even larger cities now say there is a limit to the number of boats they can handle. Duluth senior economic developer Tricia Hobbs, for example, told Minnesota Public Radio that the city would like to see just 10-20 visits per season.

Erie County Executive Davis: County has cleared a hurdle to welcome cruise ships

Environmental opposition has been limited. In part that’s because the cruise companies tout the expedition ships’ environmental records. The U.S. Coast Guard and Canadian regulators enforce rules that are stricter than on the open seas.

According to Coast Guard Lt. Phillip Gurtler, graywater from baths, kitchen prep and laundry uses, is treated the same as sewage, which is banned from Great Lakes waters. A 2006 agreement on ballast water, which is used to stabilize ships, has substantially reduced the transfer of invasive species from outside the ecosystem.

More: What are the most, least expensive cabins on a cruise? Here's what to know.

Some states require additional permits. Michigan, for example, requires ocean-going ships to obtain a ballast permit before they “begin port operations,” according to Jeff Johnson, a spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.

Tourism officials say they see a young market evolving, and more expedition-style ships are under production.

“Right now there aren’t a ton of ships that are small enough to fit all the way through [the St. Lawrence Seaway], but expedition cruising is becoming a thing and being more promoted by the smaller cruise lines. Expedition and luxury cruising is growing,” Duluth’s Wanke said. “And when those [demands] grow and they build more ships, there’ll be more opportunities.”

Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott Greenberger for questions: [email protected] . Follow Stateline on Facebook and Twitter .

Erie Canal Historic Trail Bike/Hike

Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum

• June 29 – Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum
• July 27 – Camillus Erie Canal Park
• October 5 – Salt Museum/Onondaga Park, Syracuse

Join this fun and educational hike/bike along the Erie Canalway Trail in three different locations. All miles count toward the Canalway Challenge and kids ages 10 to 18 qualify for the new Erie Canal Historic Trails Award.

Event Details

The Erie Canal Experience

Quick Details

• User Ages: All ages welcome
• Hour Glass Duration: 2.5 Hours

Land and Sea Tour of Lock 18 on the Erie Canal!

The Erie Canal Experience begins with passengers boarding a bus at Gems Along the Mohawk and traveling to Lock 18 in Jacksonburg for a guided land tour of the lock and the original/enlarged Erie Canal prism. The land tour would observe the operational components of Lock 18 with an overview regarding the various components of the Lock.

The tour continues with a visit to the historic power house featuring the original equipment used to generate power that operated the lock in 1918, one of very few remaining on the Erie Canal. The land tour will then conclude with a short walk on the Canalway Trail to the original Erie Canal prism that is still visible.

After a discussion on the original Erie Canal, visitors would board the bus and return to Gems Along the Mohawk for the Sea portion of the tour; a cruise on the Erie Canal through Lock 18. Upon boarding the vessel, visitors would receive a “Taste of NY Snack Pack” to enjoy on the cruise to the lock.

Passengers will enjoy a special narration and discussion about the original Erie Canal and the components of the lock, a trip through Lock 18 and then return to Gems Along the Mohawk. The Erie Canal Experience will depart on select days over the summer season.

This excursion includes some walking, steps and variable/uneven surfaces, it is not recommended for mobility impaired individuals.

Related Activities

• Departs Daily!
• Tags Daily Cruise

ERIE CANAL SIGHTSEEING CRUISE

Our sight seeing cruises depart daily! Enjoy the scenery of the Mohawk Valley as you cruise the calm waters of the Erie Canal, learning about the history of the area and locks.

GROUP ERIE CANAL SIGHTSEEING CRUISE

Group tours on the Erie Canal are perfect for groups of 25+ adults. One complimentary ticket will be given when the minimum is met.