Hudson River Scenic and Historic Walking Tours

The Hudson Valley extends 150 miles above the tip of Manhattan. Designated as a National Heritage Area, the valley is steeped in history, natural beauty, culture, food and farmers’ markets.

Colonial Era The first Dutch settlement was established at Fort Nassau, a trading post south of modern day Albany, in the early 17^th century, with the purpose of exchanging European goods for beaver pelts. The valley also became one of the major regions of conflict during the American Revolution.

19^th Century following the building of the Erie Canal, the area became an important industrial center as the canal opened the Hudson Valley and New York to commerce with the Midwest and the Great Lakes.

The natural beauty of the Hudson Valley has earned the Hudson River the nickname "America's Rhineland" a comparison to the famous 40 mile (65 km) stretch of Germany's Rhine River valley.

Navigation the Hudson is navigable for a great distance above mile 0 off Battery Park. The original Erie Canal connected it with Lake Erie enabling shipping between cities on the Great Lakes and Europe via the Atlantic Ocean. The Hudson Valley also proved attractive for railroads, once technology progressed to the point where it was feasible to construct the required bridges over tributaries.

The Erie Canal Cruise or Walk through Historic Villages and Natural Landscapes

Biking, Walking Driving Itineraries and outdoor adventures in the Hudson River Valley includes biking, hiking, horseback riding, golf, kayaking, parasailing, archery and skeet shooting.

Dutchess County is 800 square miles of natural scenic beauty, historic and cultural landmarks, and outdoor recreation. Stroll the Walkway Over the Hudson. Tour and taste along the Dutchess Wine Trail. Explore the homes of FDR and Vanderbilt. Taste new creations at The Culinary Institute of America. Fill the pantry at farm markets. Cruise the Hudson River. 

Hudson River Valley Scenic and Historic Walking Tours

Rockland County is located just 30 miles north of New York City and is known for its quaint villages, spectacular river views and outdoor recreation with 32,000 acres of parklands dotted with sparkling lakes and streams rushing down to the Hudson. Miles marked trails lead right to the foothills of the Ramapo Mountains.

The Village of Piermont formerly Tappan Landing it is is located by a navigable tidal creek linking the Hudson River with Orangetown and the interior. In the 1830s, a pier and a rail link made it the southern terminus connection to Lake Erie. Following the Civil War and the launching of the Nyack and Northern passenger rail line, the Village of Piermont started attracting tourism from nearby New York City.

Upstate New York is home to City and Country Settings and High-tech Industries

Finger Lakes and Watkins Glen State Park is the site of 19 waterfalls and a gorge. Seneca Lake is a long slender lake with wineries along both sides. From Geneva, on the north shore of the lake, you can head east towards Syracuse and visit Destiny USA, sixth largest shopping destination in the United States.

Genesee County Village and Museum is the largest living history museum in the state; a restored 19^th century village with historic buildings, craftspeople in authentic dress, a nature center, wildlife gallery and a vintage baseball park.

Navigable Canals in America

American Navigable Canal Itineraries

Illinois and Michigan, Wabash and Erie, Erie Canal, Delaware and Hudson, Chesapeake and Ohio, Chesapeake and Delaware

European and English canal systems proved the feasibility of inland waterway transport and provided fine examples to be improved upon. As the need for improved inland transportation became obvious for westward expansion, America plunged into an era of canal building activity.

The Illinois and Michigan Canal connected the Mississippi and Great Lakes Basins. making
agriculture in northern Illinois profitable by opening-up connections to eastern markets and leading to the creation of Chicago. Chicago was the eastern and LaSalle the western terminus with the latter becoming a transshipment point from canal boats originating in Chicago to steamboats heading for St Louis and New Orleans.

A Cultural Meeting Point between North and South

Canal and Steamboat basins were located at locks 14 and 15 with New Orleans steamboats unloading molasses, sugar, coffee, fresh oranges and lemons whereas the Chicago cargo included lumber, stoves, wagons, and the latest clothing styles from the east.

Mastery of the American Mid-Continent

The Wabash and Erie Canal provided traders with access from the Great Lakes to the Ohio River; 460 miles long, it was the longest canal ever built in North America. The waterway was a combination of four canals: the Miami and Erie, the original Wabash and Erie from Junction to Terre Haute, Indiana, the Cross-Cut Canal from Terre Haute to Point Commerce, and the Central Canal from Worthington to Evansville.  

The Wabash & Erie Canal Association is dedicated to Indiana's canal heritage. The center serves as a physical focus of a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) segment of the canal that has been rebuilt and reopened as a waterway and parallel towpath.

Syracuse New York and the Erie Canal Museum Syracuse stands at the northeast corner of the Finger Lakes region and is a city comprised of many neighborhoods which were originally villages that joined the city over the years. Land to the north of town is generally flat while land to the south is hilly.

A major Crossroads for two Centuries with the Erie Canal and a Rail Network

The Erie Canal Museum is dedicated to preserving the 1850 National Register Weigh Lock Building, the last remaining structure of its kind, and to telling the incredible adventure story of the Erie Canal. The collections of the Erie Canal Museum consist of nearly 60,000 artifacts, covering a wide variety of items reflecting the culture of the 19th and early 20th centuries in upstate New York.

The Delaware and Hudson Canal a British blockade preceding the War of 1812, which cut off the supply of imported bituminous coal, led to the commercial development of Pennsylvania’s anthracite coal fields. The 108-mile 108-lock waterway operated from 1828 until 1898 transforming the economic landscape, as towns and villages sprang up along its route, and industries developed to exploit local resources such as lumber, agricultural products, and bluestone.  

The D&H Canal Historical Society maintains a Canal Museum and Five Locks Walk trail to preserve canal-era artifacts, and document the canal’s creation, operation, and importance as an engine of economic development in the region and beyond.

The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal operated from 1831 until 1924 along the Potomac from Washington, D.C., to Cumberland, Maryland. Construction on the 184.5-mile (296.9 km) course began in 1828 and ended in 1850 with the completion of a 50-mile stretch to Cumberland, rising and falling over an
elevation change of 605 feet (184 meters) that required 74 locks. In 1938, the abandoned canal was obtained by the United States and is now the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal national historic park.

Boatmen and their families were an independent lot often intermarrying within their own group. They frequently fought amongst each other and with lockkeepers over company rules. During winter when the boats were tied up, they lived in their own communities away from others. One boat captain observed that on the canal, women and children were as good as the men.

The Chesapeake & Delaware Canal is 14 miles long, 450 feet wide and 35 feet deep across Maryland and Delaware, connecting the Delaware River with Chesapeake Bay. The C&D Canal is owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia District, and is the sole major commercial navigation waterway in the United States built during the early 1800s still in use.

The C&D Canal Museum in Chesapeake City provides visitors with a glimpse of the canal’s early days. The steam engines are the oldest of their type in America still on their original foundations.

The Delaware City Historic District is significant for its architecture, for its beginnings as a planned settlement, and for its importance as a nineteenth century canal-oriented transportation center. The town was envisioned by its backers as a place that would develop into a major shipping and trading point for traffic that passed along this trans-peninsular trade route, and so, its early plans were based on the completion of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal.

Upstate New York Travel

The Finger Lakes Rochester the Catskill Mountains the Erie Canal and Niagara Falls

Upstate New York is home to city and country settings, high-tech industries and natural wonders. 

Corning drive through the Catskill Mountains and reach the Corning Museum, the world’s largest glass museum featuring a contemporary art and design wing; experience live hot glass demonstrations of glass objects made by artists and hands-on exhibits highlighting science and technology.

Finger Lakes and Watkins Glen State Park is the site of 19 waterfalls and a gorge. Seneca Lake is a long slender lake with wineries along both sides. From Geneva, on the north shore of the lake, you can head east towards Syracuse and visit Destiny USA, sixth largest shopping destination in the United States.

Rochester is a world renowned American city and home to George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film inside the home of Kodak’s founder.

The Erie Canal is an Active Waterway Cruise or Walk through Historic Villages and Natural Landscapes

Genesee County Village and Museum is the largest living history museum in the state; a restored 19^th century village with historic buildings, craftspeople in authentic dress, a nature center, wildlife gallery and a vintage baseball park.

The National Museum of Play is the only collections-based museum in the world devoted solely to play, blending the best features of history and children’s museums.

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The Susan B Anthony House stand in the front parlor where she was arrested for voting in 1872 and experience her amazing story of courage and determination at this National Historic Landmark.

Dutchess County New York     Rockland and Piermont on the Hudson

Niagara Falls ride aboard the Maid of the Mist and get close to the falls throughout the Niagara Falls State Park. The Cave of the Winds brings you face to face with the pounding waters of Niagara Falls. 

Follow the wooden walkways to the Hurricane Deck, less than 20 feet from the base of the Bridal Veil Falls. 

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