Erie Canal Museum, Syracuse: Photos, Reviews & Location

Museum set in the only remaining weighlock building explores impact & history of the canal system.

At a glance

#10 of 13 Tourist attractions in Syracuse #4 of 5 Non-profit organizations in Syracuse

LocalGuideWorld score: 4.60

0.7 km from the center of Syracuse

Rating breakdown

5 ★74%
4 ★21%
3 ★3%
2 ★0%
1 ★2%

318 Erie Blvd E, Syracuse, NY 13202

eriecanalmuseum.org

(315) 471-0593

Photos of Erie Canal Museum (134)

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Quick facts

What is the rating of Erie Canal Museum?: Erie Canal Museum is rated 4.6 out of 5 based on 378 reviews.
How does Erie Canal Museum rank in Syracuse?: Erie Canal Museum is #10 of 13 Tourist attractions in Syracuse by LocalGuideWorld score (rating weighted by number of reviews).
Where is Erie Canal Museum located?: 318 Erie Blvd E, Syracuse, NY 13202 — 0.7 km from the center of Syracuse.
How can I contact Erie Canal Museum?: Phone: (315) 471-0593 · Website: eriecanalmuseum.org

Reviews (12)

Theresa St. John 2024 Mar 28

Great museum if you are interested in learning about the Erie Canal and life of the people who worked/lived there. I loved all of the history and culture, learning about this mode of transportation while gleaning a little insight on Syracuse NY.

Maria 2024 Mar 20

Free entry museum (donations recommended) with a cute gift shop inside. The first floor is mostly for the canal, the second floor is other localized history. Super neat! There's also a canal boat you can walk through. Restrooms are on the second floor.

Riley Roche 2024 Mar 05

Highly recommend! It's located in the original weighlock building from when the canal ran through Syracuse. Free entry (recommended $10 donation). I learned a TON about the region's history and the significance of the canal system. They have a couple of canal boats preserved; you can walk through one. There's a small gift shop. I got through in 2 hours while reading everything.

Veronica Oliver 2024 Jan 24

This place doesn't excellent job at hosting schools for field trips. They do have on hand learning hunts that are available. However, we made our own escape room hunt for our students. It took them just over 2 hours to do for middle school and they absolutely loved that all the exhibits were hands-on for them. The best part was that they could go on to the barge and they really enjoyed being able to complete the activities at different exhibits. Bringing them back next year.

Dennis Chang 2023 Nov 19

Small but interesting museum to show the history of the Erie Canal as well as how it transformed the economic landscape of this part of NY state. Admission is 10 for adult and 4 for children. If you go there on Sunday, there is free parking just on the road outside. There is also a model barge housed in the historic weighing toll station. The videos are quite educational to explain how the weight station and lock work. The photos will transform you back to the early days of canal construction and operation.

Jeremy Willsey 2023 Nov 12

Very awesome piece of NY history! Crazy to see how the Canal went right through downtown in the past. Going on the barge was a definite highlight. There was no actual ticket price, just a suggested donation.

Arindam Paul 2023 Sep 15

This is a hidden gem. It is free (suggested 10 dollar donation). If you are in Syracuse and a history or civil engineering buff, you must come here.

Before there was Hoover Dam, there was the Erie Canal.

Phoenix Merriwether 2023 Aug 11

Great museum, very informative with interactive installations. Two floors with a lot of cool pieces upstairs as well as a children's area. The first floor also includes a line boat to walk through.

This is also the welcome center and has a small gift shop. Definitely worth the visit.

Henrik 2023 Jul 02

A small but very interesting museum. We were just passing through, and decided to check this out. We didn't know anything about the Erie canal prior to our visit.
The museum is in an actual weigh-lock that was part of the canal's system of weighing barges to collect tolls. The museum consists of displays detailing the construction of the canal, and its importance, and you can walk through a barge and look at the old office. Upstairs are a few displays of the interiors of period buildings (not as interesting as downstairs). There is also a small gift shop, with a selection of books on the canal.
Well worth a visit.

Dr. Rosie Ann Riley 2022 Jul 19

This is a wonderful museum with a greatest staff. I went one day about 15 minutes before closing (4pm) then went back today to really tour. Both gentleman who were working were so very kind and inviting. This made my trip to Syracuse worth it!!!

You will need a mask but if you don’t have one they will provide.

There is so much History here! They have a 15-20 minute video on history before and after construction which is very good. It’s in a large room so not a small cramped area.

They have a boat that was used to go down canal that you can walk through and take photos. I also learned that the street (Erie Canal Blvd) is where the canal ran until 1920.

The Erie Canal was 363 miles long and ran from Albany to Buffalo. The grand opening was October 26, 1825. They will celebrate 200 years in 2025. Most of the canal no longer exist but along the canal cities have historical markets etc to keep memory going.

This museum is the last existing Weighlock station. I think there were originally 83.

I really enjoyed everything about this museum and so happy that I went back to enjoy the exhibits etc. I highly recommend that you stop by to visit museum and give yourself at least an hour to tour.

They also have a nice little gift shop with plenty of items to chose from; magnets, t-shirts, candy, wooden pencils, coaster, books about Erie Canal for adults and children, and so much more!!

It’s free but they would like if you donate $10 to museum. I definitely did do and spent quite a bit in gift shop both days!

Kansas Ceasr 2021 Dec 12

Worth the stop if in the area!! The workers there are so friendly, and gave us some information about Syracuse and the surrounding areas! They actually care about the museum, and care about people who visit from out of town! :) We are from the Buffalo,Ny area so this was a first time visit. The cost to visit is cheap around $10, a person but totally worth it! Plenty of exhibits, and even a boat ⛵ inside!! Wow!! Super neat. Also the gingerbread houses were super cute! :) The gift shop is worth a look as well, and is full of awesome things! We picked up some local salt, soap, postcards and a magnet! Will definitely come back in the future.

Marion NYC 2021 Jul 27

The museum is very informative but a bit outdated. They have wonderful historical things to read but nowadays I think needs more interactive ness. Maybe this is due to Covid but who knows. They have a small kids section with a space for the young kids to color. This museum is more for older kids above 10 years old. It’s still worth checking out if you are interested in this piece of history of the area.