A new report by Parks and Trails New York indicates that approximately 165,000 people used the recently completed Empire State Trail through the heart of Downtown Syracuse in 2022 alone. This new pathway offers many unique and exciting possibilities for the city and for Central New York in general, as the Trail mostly follows the historic path of the Erie Canal from Albany to Buffalo.
One organization taking a lead in capitalizing on the many opportunities offered by the trail is Syracuse’s Erie Canal Museum, which has been developing innovative new ways to combine history education with recreation on the Empire State Trail for several years.
“This incredible resource right in our backyards connects us to the rest of the world and to our own history,” said Erie Canal Museum Director of Education Derrick Pratt. “Just last year we know that cyclists from 45 states and 4 different countries rode right past the Museum and over a thousand people took part in our educational bike rides across the state.”
Pratt, who has lived most of his life in Chittenango and began working at the Erie Canal Museum in late 2019, took the lead in the summer of 2020 in exploring how best to tell the story of the Erie Canal outside the Museum’s walls, which was necessary due to pandemic restrictions. The results were many, with one highlight being the museum’s successful Beers, Bikes, and Barges cycling series. This series sees the Museum partner with cultural organizations and craft breweries throughout the state to conduct guided cycling tours of canal towns followed by a stop at a local brewery, where participants receive a complimentary drink as part of their ticket.
On Tuesday, May 2 the third annual Beers, Bikes, and Barges schedule was released with some old favorites, like the Syracuse ride on July 13 featuring Talking Cursive Brewing Company and the Canastota ride in partnership with the Canastota Canal Town Museum and Erie Canal Brewing Company on July 20, as well as…
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