Erie Canalway - Get Involved - Heritage Tourism

Get Involved: Heritage Tourism
Working with a wide range of partners, the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor seeks to raise the profile of the entire region as a tourist destination. Our efforts aim to make more strategic use of the region’s heritage resources in order to fill gaps and increase the reach and effectiveness of existing tourism development and marketing efforts.

Current Projects

Erie Canalway Underground Railroad Initiative
New York's canal system served as one of the routes of the Underground Railroad, providing a critical pathway for freedom seekers. The UGRR Initiative aims to develop and promote a strong network of UGRR sites and programs in the Corridor.
information, criteria for sites, and application (pdf) >
Passport to Your National Parks

Visitors can now record their experiences at designated cultural heritage sites throughout the Erie Canalway with free stamps collected in a special spiral-bound National Park Service Passport. more>

Events
We co-sponsor several statewide canal related events each year to promote and celebrate the history, beauty, and recreational appeal of the Corridor. Events include: Canal Splash!, Cycling the Erie Canal, and the Erie Canalway Trail Celebration. more >

Visitor Center at Peebles Island State Park
In cooperation with the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, we maintain a visitor center at the eastern gateway to the canal system. Interpretive programs are offered throughout the summer. more>
Amtrak and National Park Service Trails and Rails Program
NPS Ranger-guided interpretive talks are offered on weekends on Amtrak trains traveling through the Corridor. more >
Pier A in New York City
Preliminary plans to extend awareness and appreciation of the Corridor beyond the boundaries of the region are underway. Pier A represents a singular opportunity to re-establish the historical relationship between the Erie Canal and the city it transformed into the nation’s gateway to the world.
Champlain Canal Trail Project
Partnering with state and local agencies and organizations to develop a bike trail from Waterford to Whitehall.

Past Projects

2009 Quadricentenial Legacy Tour of the Day Peckinpaugh
The historic canal motor ship Day Peckinpaugh traveled the Hudson-Champlain Corridor in August and September as part of the 2009 Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial. The vessel welcomed 8,000 visitors at ports from Burlington, Vt, to New York City. more >
Educational Travel Guide
A guide to the canals of New York combines educational information with tourism resources targeted to adult learners, as well as primary and secondary schools, and travel planners. The guide has been made possible thanks to a partnership among Canal New York, Canal Society of New York State, Visit Rochester, and the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. visit site >>
2007 Lois McClure Grand Canal Journey
More than 30,000 people from 40 states and 10 countries toured the 1862 replica canal schooner Lois McClure during the summer of 2007, as part of our grand celebration of the National Heritage Corridor.
more >
PBS Film on New York's Canals
Erie Canalway collaborated with PBS station WCNY-TV on the production of a one-hour travel documentary on New York's canals, which aired in 2007.



	Each community has a different role to play, is at a different stage of development, and will participate in the Corridor tourism effort at the level it chooses.