When it was completed between the Hudson River and Lake Erie in 1823, the Erie Canal was the wonder of the world. Over 300 miles long, the canal featured "flights" of locks, graceful aqueducts and remarkable fills that allowed canal boats to soar over valleys and streams. Immediately, the canal transformed upstate New York from a remote wilderness area to a thriving center of commerce, farming and trade. The great success of the canal triggered a canal-building "rush" in the United States. By the 1850s, thousands of miles of canals criss-crossed the eastern states.

Yet ironically, almost as soon as the canal era reached its peak, it began a long decline due to the coming of the railroads. A profane and ruthless steamboat captain, "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, hammered together the mighty New York Central Railroad almost directly parallel to the Erie Canal all the way to the Great Lakes. Very quickly most of the passenger traffic disembarked from the slow canal boats (which moved at the pace of a mule on the tow-path) to Vanderbilt's fast trains. Yet unlike most canal networks, the Erie Canal never closed. Always owned by the state of New York, the canal survived by providing much less expensive transportation for heavy goods and, in the 20th and 21st centuries, for countless pleasure boats.

From Albany to Syracuse, the canal was repeatedly widened between the 1860s and the 1890s and largely shifted into the bed of the Mohawk River. West of Syracuse, however, the canal widening was never fully completed. Here the canal retains its traditional feeling, with its tow-path intact and lovely narrow "reaches" through pretty towns long-since by-passed by freeways and modern high-speed commerce. Your program focuses on this beautiful and rarely visited stretch between Lockport and Syracuse, which you experience on a three-day, all-daylight voyage with Mid Lakes Navigation on their comfortable packet-boat the M/V Emita II. For contrast, you cruise a portion of the original 1823 canal on a mule-drawn canal boat at the Erie Canal Village near Rome.

You ride the New York Central's "Scenic Water-level Route" directly along the shores of the Mohawk River from Albany to Utica. Your tour provides an in-depth look at the stately towns, vineyards and prosperous farms of the beautiful Finger Lakes region of central New York. Explore the magnificent villages of Skaneateles, Geneva, Seneca Falls and Penn Yan, showcasing grand Victorian mansions and elegant lake-side cottages. Enjoy a dinner cruise on Keuka Lake; dine at America's most remarkable stagecoach-inn, the Krebs; and explore the National Women's Rights Museum in Seneca Falls. You also see the waterfalls of the Grand Canyon of the Genesee in Letchworth State Park and marvel at the stupendous cascades and rapids of Niagara Falls, with a voyage on the "Maid of the Mist" to the base of the torrent.

• View Prices and Dates
• View Tour Highlights and Inclusions
• View Itinerary
• Tour Images

Call 877-929-7245 for air and rail fares and schedules
from your city to and from Albany.

• Experience Amtrak's magnificent Empire Service, one of the most beautiful rail trips in North America.
• Cruise a portion of the original 1823 canal on a mule-drawn canal boat at the Erie Canal Village near Rome
• Ride the the steam-powered Chehalis-Centralia Railway and the steam-powered Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad.
• Ride the New York Central's "Scenic Water-Level Route" directly along the shores of the Mohawk River
• Explore the stately towns, vineyards and prosperous farms of the beautiful Finger Lakes region
• Enjoy a dinner cruise on Keuka Lake
• Marvel at the waterfalls of the Grand Canyon of the Genesee in Letchworth State Park
• See Niagara Falls and take a voyage on the "Maid of the Mist"

• Roundtrip Rail and Coach Fares from Albany
• 9 Nights Lodging
• 3-day Erie Canal Cruise
• Sightseeing Passes (boat, ferry and train rides)
• 21 Meals
• Services of a Professional Tour Director
• All transfers during the Escorted Portion of the Tour
• Luggage Handling during the Escorted Portion of the Tour

Day One, Tuesday, June 2 Arrive Albany
The tour begins with independent arrivals into Albany today. The downtown hotel, the Albany Crowne Plaza, is located just a block from the State Capital Building and provides free Amtrak and airport transfers.

Day Two, Wednesday, June 3 (B,L)
Tour Cooperstown: National Baseball Hall of Fame; Fenimore Art Museum; Farmers Museum: Cooperstown & Charlotte Valley RR. Drive southwest this morning through the western folds of the Catskill Mountains into New York’s beautiful “Leatherstocking” region. At Milford you board a specially-chartered train on the Cooperstown and Charlotte Valley RR for a pretty ride along the headwaters of the Susquehanna River to Cooperstown.

Cooperstown is one of the most beautiful villages in the country. It was home to James Fenimore Cooper, America’s first great novelist. The village is the reputed birthplace of baseball and is the location of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, which you visit this morning. Lunch is a grand buffet at the stately Otesaga Hotel. Later you visit the Fenimore House Art Museum, containing a superb collection of Hudson River School landscapes, American “primitive” art, Native American art and artifacts, and an American furniture collection. Across the road is the Farmers Museum, which re-creates an upstate 1850s village. It illustrates how central New York evolved from a nearly complete wilderness in 1800 to the richest farming region in the country by the 1850s. Late this afternoon you have a pretty drive through the rolling hills to Utica, where you overnight at the landmark Clarion Hotel Utica.

Day Three, Thursday, June 4 (L)
Chittenango Falls; cruise Skaneateles Lake; Willard Memorial Chapel in Auburn. Head west on historic US Highway 20, the first paved road completely crossing the Empire State. The route rolls over hill and dale, with sweeping vistas of verdant farms and picture-perfect villages. The first stop is at beautiful Chittenango Falls State Park, where we see the cascades and narrow gorge.

At mid-day you enter the Finger Lakes area, arriving at the stately village of Skaneateles. Here you take a luncheon cruise on lovely Skaneateles Lake. You then continue a few miles further to Auburn and visit a very unique church. The Willard Memorial Chapel, completed in 1892, is an example of the interior design work of Louis Comfort Tiffany. In addition to glorious Tiffany stained-glass windows, the entire interior of the church was conceived by Tiffany as a work of art. This Romanesque Revival chapel has carved wooden pews, leaded glass chandeliers, mosaic floors, and oak wainscoting in addition to Tiffany’s evocative windows. You stay two-nights in Auburn at the very nice Holiday Inn Auburn.

Day Four, Friday, June 5 (L)
National Women’s Rights Museum; Watkins Glen; Seneca Lake cruise; Glenora Winery. This morning you continue west past the outlet of Cayuga Lake to the beautiful village of Seneca Falls. Here, in 1848, Elizabeth Cady Stanton convened the Women’s Rights Convention which issued the initial call for women’s suffrage. The new museum at the Women’s Rights National Historic Park commemorates this historic event and chronicles the long struggle for women’s equality.

Drive south above the waters of Seneca Lake to Watkins Glen, a narrow defile which is a true natural wonder. Walk down the glen on a stone path, entering a narrow canyon lined with 19 waterfalls and cascades. At one point you actually walk behind a waterfall! (You need to be able to walk at least a mile and descend multiple flights of stone steps to best enjoy this beautiful place. Only the lower falls can be seen without walking through the gorge).

Lunch is on the shores of Seneca Lake in Watkins Glen’s former Pennsylvania RR depot, which now serves as the Seneca Harbor Station restaurant. After lunch you have an hour’s cruise on the lake, then drive a few miles north to taste the distinguished New York State wines of the Glenora Winery. Return to Auburn through Geneva, the handsome village at the north end of the lake.

Day Five, Saturday, June 6 (L)
Sonnenberg Estate and Gardens; New York State Museum of Transportation. Continuing west through the Finger Lakes, you pause in the Victorian resort village of Canandaigua to explore the Sonnenberg Estate and its glorious formal gardens. This 1887 Queen Anne-style mansion was the summer retreat of Frederic Ferris, who founded the First National City Bank of New York (today known as Citibank). The interior reflects the Victorian taste for a variety of architectural styles ranging from Tudor to the “arts and crafts” period. The 50-acre estate overlooks Canandaigua Lake. More than a dozen formal garden areas have been preserved here, including fountains, streams, ponds and greenhouses. The flowers should be at their spring peak. Lunch is included here.

This afternoon we drive northwest to Rush, site of the New York State Museum of Transportation. The collection highlights the stories of both the vast network of interurban electric (trolley) lines that once blanketed western New York and the unique (abandoned) Rochester Subway system. You will ride their restored interurban line and also enjoy a ride on open-air “speeders” (weather permitting) to the near-by restored former Erie Railroad Martisco Station. Spend two nights at the Doubletree Hotel on the southern edge of Rochester.

Day Six, Sunday, June 7 (L)
Letchworth State Park and Grand Canyon of the Genesee River; ride Arcade and Attica (steam) RR. Today’s highlight is a visit to the Grand Canyon of the Genesee River in Letchworth State Park, including its beautiful waterfalls and towering cliffs. Enjoy a fine lunch at the historic Glen Iris Inn, located in a lovely setting overlooking the Upper Falls. Here the Genesee River has carved a deep gorge 17 miles long and reaching depths of nearly 600 feet.

This afternoon you continue west to Arcade and ride the steam-powered Arcade and Attica Railroad on a 14-mile round-trip through lovely rural countryside to Curriers. You travel behind newly restored 2-8-0 steam engine Number 18. This historic 1920 Alco-built steamer has just been returned to service after a six-year rebuilding effort.

Day Seven, Monday, June 8 (CB,L,D)
All-day cruise on the Erie Canal from Macedon through Rochester to Brockport. Our two-day voyage on the western reaches of the Erie Canal on the comfortable packet-boat M/V Emita II begins with embarkation at Macedon this morning. All meals are prepared on-board and served in the main cabin. There also are open decks for sightseeing. The boat never sails at night, so we miss none of the canal.

We begin our cruise by sailing across the Grand Embankment, a high fill that takes the canal directly over a valley. When the Canal opened, this was an engineering wonder of the continent. We see the pretty canal-side village of Fairport and enjoy the first of many chances to “lock through” as we begin our gently-paced voyage west. Later today, we pass through the outskirts of the great city of Rochester. Here the canal had to bypass the last falls of the Genesee River with an ingenious use of locks and the artificial Bushnell’s Basin. We overnight at the Holiday Inn Express in Brockport.

Day Eight, Tuesday, June 9 (B,L,D)
All-day Erie Canal cruise from Brockport to Lockport. This is the quietest and most “authentic” stretch of the Erie Canal. Here the tow-path still traces the canal; and we pass under what are truly “low bridges, everybody down”. At several points today, the height of bridges over the Erie Canal is low enough to require our vessel to lower the pilot-house in order to float under these spans! We cross the Medina Aqueduct and have a short stop at Albion before continuing to Lockport. Here the builders of the canal encountered one of their greatest challenges: the bluffs of the Niagara Escarpment. We cruise through Locks 34 and 35 here, which supplanted a “flight” of five locks in the first canal alignment. The original locks are clearly visible beside the current canal.

After dinner we board our motorcoach for the short drive to the stunning cascades of Niagara Falls, the mightiest cataract in North America. You have a two-night stay at the closest hotel to the falls, the Comfort Inn “The Pointe”.

Day Nine, Wednesday, June 10 (B, D)
Niagara Falls; Old Fort Niagara. Most of the day is devoted to the spectacle of Niagara Falls. The state of New York has completed a wonderful renovation of the state park that hugs the lip of the falls. You have all-day tickets on the Park Trolley, which can be used to access all three cascades as well as sightseeing towers and viewpoints. You also cruise to the base of the falls on the “Maid of the Mist”. Later you visit historic Old Fort Niagara, which controlled the outlet of the Niagara Gorge into Lake Ontario and was bitterly contested in the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War, and the War of 1812. This evening we enjoy a Farewell Dinner in Niagara Falls.

Day Ten, Thursday, June 11 (CB)
Amtrak on the former New York Central RR “Scenic Water-level Route” from Niagara Falls to Albany. This morning you transfer to the Amtrak station and board an Empire Service streamliner. Our train rolls east through pretty farmland and the great cities of Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse. At Utica we encounter the Mohawk River, which will be followed through the gap separating the Adirondack Mountains from the Catskill and Helderberg ranges into Schenectady. This stretch of the river is shared with the Erie Canal. You see the stone arches of the partially destroyed Schoharie Creek Aqueduct, which was part of the original canal of 1823. It was by-passed when the canal bed was shifted into the course of the Mohawk River. Just before 1:00 PM we arrive in Albany, where the tour ends. Same-day rail and air connections are available throughout the country.

   

   

   

 Departure Dates:

• June 2 - 11, 2009

 Per Person Rates:

• $2,699 per person (double occupancy)
• $3,299 per person (single occupancy)