Climb Aboard at the Erie Canal Museum

The Erie Canal put the Finger Lakes region on the map at the beginning of the 19th century, and for 100 years it was the easiest way to travel west, prior to the arrival of the railroad.

The canal was dug from Albany to Buffalo, 4′ deep and 40′ wide. New York City became the primary point of entry (over Boston and New Orleans) to the US for many immigrants.

Syracuse has the sole remaining Canal weighlock building still in existence in the United States. Although the Canal no longer runs through the downtown area, the building remains and is now home to the Erie Canal Museum.

The Erie Canal Museum is rich with 200 years of history.

It took 50 years of collecting tolls to pay off the cost of building the 363 mile canal.

The weigh stations were what determined the amount of the toll collected from barges as they passed through the city. By the late 1800s there was also a railroad to compete with and the tolls were discontinued.

The Erie Canal climbs 570 feet in elevation from the Hudson River to Lake Erie. To navigate the changes in elevation, waterfalls and rapids, canals were built with locks and levels. Locks are elevators for lifting and lowering boats,and levels are long stretches of flat water between the locks. The original canal had 83 locks. Today, there are 35 numbered locks.

The museum houses a life-size barge and once aboard you quickly realize that travelers were packed in tight, and by the way, where is the bathroom? The beds were TINY little hammocks and travelers shared the boat with dry goods, animals of every kind and anything else that was needed upstate.

What was it like traveling across the state by a mule-drawn barge? I think my kids would last about 15 minutes before they were bored to death today, but in the 1800s a boat ride was preferable to slogging through the forested wilderness of upstate New York.

“If you were traveling through Central New York two centuries ago, unless you had a death wish, there is little likelihood you would have spent much time in the dismal, fetid swamp that occupied what is now downtown Syracuse.”

Upstairs you can visit a saloon and a general store.

Erie Canal Museum
318 Erie Boulevard East
Syracuse, NY 13202

315.471.0593

Hours:  Monday through Saturday: 10:00am — 5:00pm Sunday: 10:00am — 3:00pm

Skiing at Highland Forest

At the furthest eastern side of the Finger Lakes is a little slice of the Adirondacks. The oldest county park, Highland Forest is a mini mountain, featuring 20 miles of trails, 11 of which are groomed and track set daily, offering a variety of challenges for many different levels of skiing ability.

Park maps are available at Skyline Lodge. During ski season the Adirondack-Style Skyline Lodge serves food and drink on weekends. Trail Map

Ski lessons are available, weather permitting, Saturdays & Sundays, mid December – mid March and daily during school breaks.

What else can you do at Highland Forest?

Snow Shoe
Highland Forest trails offers all levels of snowshoers a chance to enjoy the forest on 5 trails; a 1 mile loop, 2 mile loop, 3.6 mile loop, 7.75 and a 9 mile loop.

Mountain Biking
In the summer there is no better place to get  a great workout than Highland Forest’s mix of country road, mountain trail and backwoods trails. Mountain Biking trails are open May 1 – October 31.

Visit the Pioneer Museum
One of the park’s most famous attractions is the Pioneer Museum. The museum is run by the Fabius Historical Society and focuses on the historic Skaneateles Turnpike, a tollroad that once brought travelers and settlers from Plainville, in the east near the Cherry Valley Turnpike to Skaneateles.

Open Daily
April – November: 8:30 am – 5:30 pm
December – March: 8:30 am – 4:30 pm
(closed Christmas Day)

Fargo Bar and Grill, Aurora NY

Most people drive through the little town of Aurora while heading south to Watkin’s Glen or north to the Thruway. If you have a little time, and especially if you are hungry, stop at the Fargo Bar & Grill.

They make a great burger and some mean sweet potato fries. They are also famous for their daily soup specials: Creamy Tomato and Bacon, Chipolte Black Bean and Pork, just to name a few.

Take a turn playing pool or throwing horseshoes in the backyard pit.

Open 7 days/week, year-round, with the exceptions of Christmas and Thanksgiving Days. On Christmas Eve, we close at 4 p.m. Wi-Fi available. Check out the daily specials on Facebook.

384 Main Street, Aurora
315.364.8006