Afternoon: 3 p.m.: Hotel Check-In; 3-5 p.m.: Program Registration. 5:30 p.m.: Orientation and Welcome.

Dinner: 6:30 p.m.: Dinner in the hotel.

Evening: Orientation continues.

Lodging: Adam's Mark Hotel

Meals Included: Dinner

Breakfast: In the hotel.

Morning: Buffalo is home to some of the best architectural examples in America. Explore Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House Complex, then the newly restored Erie Canal Basin, the original end location of the Erie Canal.

Lunch: In a local restaurant.

Afternoon: An excursion to Niagara Falls takes in views of the falls and provides insight to the Niagara escarpment, an important consideration in the construction of the Erie Canal.

Dinner: Your choice to explore local fare.

Evening: At leisure.

Lodging: Adam's Mark Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Breakfast: Full American breakfast buffet in the hotel restaurant.

Morning: The Erie Canal is the most successful waterway in North America. It shaped the course of settlement and commerce between the Atlantic Seaboard and the interior of our country. The Erie not only made New York the “Empire State” and New York City the world’s leading seaport, but also contributed to the creation of the United States as a Superpower and the leader of the world’s economy. Set off on a journey of more than 800 miles that spans the entire 365 mile canal, as well as parts of the Cayuga-Seneca and the Champlain canals. Depart to Lockport, for the first of our canal cruise experiences. “Lock through” the only double set of locks on the Erie Canal, as the boat raises 49 feet over the Niagara Escarpment. Witness the water cascading over Lockport’s famous “Flight of Five” 1825 locks and catch a glimpse of the original canal towpath.

Lunch: A box lunch is provided.

Afternoon: Continue to the Medina Railroad Museum to view one of the largest freight depot museums in the country. In Spencerport, visit the Adams Basin House. Situated on the towpath, the tavern has changed little since the completion of the Erie Canal in the early 1800's. Continue to Geneva, in the nearby Finger Lakes Region.

Dinner: Your choice to explore local fare.

Evening: At leisure to enjoy a walk along the shores of Seneca Lake.

Lodging: Ramada Geneva Lakefront

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Women’s Rights and Cruise the Cayuga-Seneca Canal Through Montezuma Wildlife Reserve

Breakfast: In the hotel.

Morning: In Seneca Falls, learn about the Women’s Rights Movement. Then board the Rose Lummis for a cruise on the Cayuga-Seneca Canal through Montezuma Wildlife Reserve, where over 300 bird species are found, including Blue and Green Herons, Bald Eagles, Ospreys and Peregrine Falcon.

Lunch: Aboard Rose Lummis.

Afternoon: Continue the cruise. View the intersection of the Erie Canal and Cayuga- Seneca Canal, clearly visible sections of original Clintons Ditch from the 1825 canal as the 1860’s enlarged Erie Canal, Lock #25, and the remains of Richmond Aqueduct, visible only from the Canal or original towpath.

Dinner: Your choice to explore local fare.

Evening: At leisure.

Lodging: Ramada Geneva Lakefront

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Breakfast: In the hotel.

Morning: Continue the Erie Canal journey at Camillus, for a cruise on the only restored portion of the Erie Canal that travels over an aqueduct. Continue to Rome, New York and Fort Stanwix, to learn of the importance of this location. For centuries, the Oneida Carrying Place, a six mile portage connecting the Mohawk River and Wood Creek, served as a vital link for those traveling by water from the ocean to the Great Lakes. When Europeans arrived, nations fought for control of the carry, the homelands of the Six Nations Confederacy, and the rich resources of North America. In this struggle, Fort Stanwix would play a vital role.

Lunch: Box lunch at Erie Canal Village.

Afternoon: At the Erie Canal Village living history museum, view the site where the first shovelful of earth was turned for the construction of the original Erie Canal on July 4, 1817. Continue to Utica.

Dinner: In the hotel.

Evening: Screen a movie about the region in the hotel.

Lodging: Hotel Utica

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: The nature walk consists of a half mile walk with climbing over rugged terrain. The paths and rocks will be slippery when wet, thus appropriate foot wear is recommended. The most rigorous portion of the walk will be in and around the pot holes themselves so participants may choose not to venture into the pot holes. The majority of the hike is along a paved roadway and on well traveled trails.

Breakfast: In the hotel.

Morning: Travel along the Mohawk River. Today the channelized Mohawk River is the Erie “barge” Canal. The canal turned this region into America’s industrial powerhouse and original “tech valley” in the 1800’s. Today’s field trip travels to Little Falls, to explore Lock 17 on the Erie Canal and the Mohawk River, the world’s deepest lock at the time of the canal construction. Take a guided walk with a naturalist to learn about Moss Island, designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service. Gaze upon the enigmatic “Pot Hole” formations of Moss Island and the sheer cliffs that surround you.

Lunch: In Little Falls.

Afternoon: Take some time at leisure to explore the re-purposed mill buildings or stroll the footpath. Return to Utica.

Dinner: In the hotel.

Evening: A movie about the canal or local area will be screened in the hotel.

Lodging: Hotel Utica

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: In the hotel.

Morning: Schoharie Crossing is the site where all three stages of the Erie Canal development can be seen side by side. Lock 20 is the only intact lift lock from the 1825 original Erie Canal. The Schoharie Creek Aqueduct, built in 1841, was one of the canal’s largest aqueducts. Schoharie Crossing is also home to two preserved locks from the Enlarged Erie Canal. Take a guided walk of the East Guard Lock, Schoharie Creek and Schoharie Aqueduct, Empire Lock and Yankee Hill. A lecture describes the business and industries along the Erie Canal in small towns and big cities.

Lunch: Box lunch at Schoharie Crossing.

Afternoon: Continue to Albany, the Eastern terminus of the Erie Canal.

Dinner: In a local restaurant.

Evening: At leisure.

Lodging: Hampton Inn and Suites Albany Downtown

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: In the hotel.

Morning: This region played a critical role in the battles of European exploration, conquest and imperial conflict. A field trip explores the pivotal Battle of Saratoga on a visit of the National Historical Park with a historian. Board the M/V Caldwell Belle, a sternwheel riverboat, for cruise on the Champlain Canal. The Champlain Canal offered a path for waterborne commerce from the Adirondacks, Vermont and eastern Canada.

Lunch: Box lunch on board the canal cruise.

Afternoon: Cruise through Lock C5, one of the deepest on the Champlain Canal. Return to Albany.

Dinner: Your choice to explore local fare.

Evening: At leisure.

Lodging: Hampton Inn and Suites Albany Downtown

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Breakfast: In the hotel.

Morning: A field trip visits Cohoes Falls and the Waterford Locks, in Troy.This is the home of the “Waterford Flight”, the highest set of lift locks in the world.

Lunch: In a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Return to Albany.

Dinner: Your choice to explore local fare.

Evening: At leisure.

Lodging: Hampton Inn and Suites Albany Downtown

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Breakfast: In the hotel.

Morning: Embark on the return journey along the Erie Canal. In Schenectady, a lecture details the city’s role in the canal construction. Drive through the historic Stockade District. Continue to Chittenango.

Lunch: Box lunch in the museum.

Afternoon: At the Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum, view the unearthed three-bay drydock where boat builders and craftsmen built and repaired the 96-foot long cargo boats used on the canal in the late 19th century. Learn about the life and times of the canal boat builder and walk the historic towpath. Continue to Syracuse.

Dinner: Enjoy the local flavors of one of the city’s most famous restaurants, the Dinosaur Barbecue.

Evening: At leisure.

Lodging: The ParkView Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: In the hotel.

Morning: The Erie Canal Museum is housed in the National Register 1850 Syracuse Weighlock Building, where canal boats were once weighed to assess a toll. It is the only remaining structure of its kind in America. Examine the museums collection of artifacts, maps and images that tell the story of Erie Canal construction and canal life.

Lunch: In a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Discover the industry that created the city of Syracuse and supplied the nation with salt, at the Salt Museum.

Dinner: Your choice to explore local fare.

Evening: At leisure.

Lodging: The ParkView Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Breakfast: In the hotel.

Morning: Head to Palmyra, “Queen of the Canal” to envision daily life in a canal town. Visit the William Phelps Store and home, unchanged from 1940, the Palmyra Historical Museum and the Alling Coverlet Museum – the largest collection of American hand-woven coverlets. Board the m/v Mary Jemison.

Lunch: Box lunch on board.

Afternoon: View the iconic Western canal towns as the original passengers did, from the deck of a boat as it cruises along the canal. This part of the canal still follows its original path and retains its historic relationship to communities along its banks. Pass by Fairport and disembark in Pittsford.

Dinner: In a local restaurant.

Evening: Continue to Rochester and arrive at the hotel.

Lodging: Radisson Hotel Rochester Riverside

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: In the hotel.

Morning: Walk in the footsteps of the freedom-seekers who traveled the Underground Railroad en route to a new life. View the High Falls area and learn Rochester’s historic beginnings as a mill town.

Lunch: In a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Examine the lifestyle and inventions of George Eastman, the father of popular photography and an example of the Eire Canal’s legacy of culture, arts, academics and architecture.

Dinner: Celebrate your journey with a farewell dinner.

Evening: Exchange memories and reflections with your fellow participants.

Lodging: Radisson Hotel Rochester Riverside

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast:

Morning: The circuit of the Erie Canal, spanning 365 miles from Albany to Buffalo is complete. Transfer from Rochester to Buffalo Niagara International Airport and the program start hotel. Please do not schedule flights prior to 1 p.m.

Meals Included: Breakfast