Erie Canal & Great Lakes

About Erie Canal & Great Lakes

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Cruise the Erie Canal and Great Lakes

Ports-of-Call on the Erie Canal & Great Lakes

Here you can find a list of some of the more common river cruise ports along the Erie Canal and Great Lakes of the United States and Canada. These may be the most common, but there may be others that can be found on select river cruises. Your River Cruise Artist can provide you with the full itinerary and all ports for any river cruise that you may be interested in, on any river cruise operator. Explore the Erie Canal and Great Lakes further and learn more about it’s ports-of-call.

Amsterdam

New York

Amsterdam is a city in Montgomery County, New York, that was named for Amsterdam, Netherlands. The first Europeans to settle here were Dutch immigrants about 1710. They called the community Veeders Mills and Veedersburgh after Albert Veeder, an early mill owner. The completion of the Erie Canal in 1825 was an economic boon to the city, which became an important manufacturing center known for carpet making. The Amsterdam Riverfront is a popular spot for an afternoon stroll just outside the city center where shops and restaurants abound.

Buffalo

New York

Buffalo, the second-largest city in New York, is building a new identity as a city of great nightlife, cultural attractions and indigenous cuisine, as well as tight-knit neighborhoods and community spirit. Buffalo was named one of the Dozen Distinctive Destinations for 2009 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, whose 2011 National Preservation Conference was held there. Buffalo was originally settled by the Iroquois prior to the French fur trappers of the 17th century. In 1804 Joseph Ellicott purchased land in the area that laid the foundation for the birth of Buffalo. Buffalo is home to numerous museums and art galleries as well as the popular Historic District featuring period architecture.

Chicago

Illinois

Chicago is the third largest city in the United States and lies on the shores of Lake Michigan of the Great Lakes chain. Chicago is a very large and very vibrant travel destination and offers something for everyone. Chicago has a storied history from its Potawatomi Tribe native residents to the Great Chicago Fire and its place in Prohibition history. The windy city now boasts a thriving public transportation system to take you to world-class museums, famous buildings, ethnic neighborhoods, and historical sites. Don’t miss the Shedd Aquarium or a stroll through one of many peaceful parks. Sports fans will also find thrills in Chicago!

Cleveland

Ohio

Cleveland is a diverse and vibrant city on the shores of Lake Erie in northeast Ohio. The city of Cleveland bears its name from General Moses Cleaveland, an investor and lead surveyor in the Connecticut Land Company, which first settled the area. Visit the popular West Side Market with its local farmers and artisan goods. Enjoy a visit to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or take in a major league sports activity. Whatever your interest you will find something to do in Cleveland.

Erie

Pennsylvania

Erie was founded in 1795 after the purchase of the regional territory from New York. It made its mark on history during the early 19th century, when Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry’s small fleet of warships used Misery Bay to regroup and repair between skirmishes with the British fleet on Lake Erie. While you are in Erie you can visit the Erie Art Museum, the Erie Zoo, the Erie Maritime Museum and Brig Niagara, or the Bicentennial Tower. Shopping and strolling parks like Presque Isle State Park are also popular past times in Erie.

Kingston

New York

Located 90 miles north of New York City and 50 miles south of Albany, Kingston is a small town in the Hudson River Valley of New York state. Ransacked and burned by the British during the American Revolution Kingston is now a quaint stop along the American Waterways cruise route. Here you can visit the Hudson River Maritime Museum or the Trolley Museum of New York. This town and area ports are very popular spots during the fall foliage season throughout the Northeast USA.

Manistee

Michigan

Manistee, Michigan, lies on the shores of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Manistee River. Manistee offers small-town Victorian charm with beautiful beaches, great fishing, and the Manistee National Forest. In its late 19th century heyday, Manistee was home to a booming logging industry and had more millionaires per capita than anywhere else in the United States. Enjoy this popular tourist town with a tour of the historic downtown, visit the Ramsdell Theater or the Manistee County Historical Museum, or take in some history at the WaterWorks Museum. The Riverwalk and City Marina are nice for a walk and don’t forget to do some shopping and dining at the many popular spots throughout town.

Manitowoc

Wisconsin

Purported to mean dwelling of the great spirit, Manitowoc derived its name from either the Anishinaabe language word manidoowaak. In the Menominee language, it is called Manetōwak which means “place of the spirits.” The Menominee ceded this land to the United States in the 1836 Treaty of the Cedars, following years of negotiations over how to accommodate the Oneida, Stockbridge-Munsee, and Brothertown peoples who had been removed from New York to Wisconsin. Manitowoc is home to the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, the Lincoln Park Zoo, and the Rahr West Art Museum.

Niagara Falls

New York & Ontario

The Niagara Falls consist of three sections: Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side with their distinctive curved shape; American Falls separated from the Canadian side by Goat Island; and the narrow Bridal Veil Falls at the south end. Each side of the falls offers a different perspective, and it is always best to visit both sides to maximize your experience. The American side gives a side-on view of the American Falls, and an observation point only 20 yards from the top of the falls. Although the Canadian side is touted for having the best view, the American side is a State Park, the oldest in the nation, so efforts have been made to preserve the natural beauty of the area and prevent the kind of commercialization that you’ll find on the Canadian side. You can cruise right up to the falls with Maid of the Mist boat excursions and also visit museums and attractions on both sides of the border.

Sault Saint Marie

Michigan

Sault Saint Marie is located on the northeastern end of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, on the Canada–US border, and separated from its twin city of Sault Saint Marie, Ontario, by the St. Marys River connecting Lakes Superior & Huron. Sault Ste. Marie had been settled by Native Americans more than 12,000 years ago, and was long a crossroads of fishing and trading of tribes around the Great Lakes. It developed as the first European settlement in the region. For more than 140 years, the settlement was a single community under French colonial and, later British colonial rule. Today both sides of the Soo Locks are popular with river cruisers that find their way onto the Great Lakes.

Toronto

Ontario

Toronto is the biggest and most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of the province of Ontario. It is located on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. It is a city with a vibrant energy that invites visitors to explore. While in Toronto you should try to visit the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Royal Ontario Museum, the Ontario Science Centre, or any one of more than a dozen other museums around the city. Toronto Zoo is also popular to visit. Toronto has very good public transportation but perhaps the best way to see the sites is a walking tour. Explore the Botanical Gardens or the Lakefront district on foot to enjoy shopping and dining galore! Don’t forget to take in a show at night with a plethora of Broadway based shows available in the city’s fine theaters.

Troy

New York

The city of Troy, New York, is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. The area had long been occupied by the Mahican Indian tribe, but Dutch settlement began in the mid-17th century. This now Dutch colony was conquered by the English in 1664, and in 1707 Derick Van der Heyden purchased a farm near today’s downtown area. Today, Troy is home to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the oldest private engineering and technical university in the USA, founded in 1824. Due to the confluence of major waterways that supported water power, the American industrial revolution took hold here making Troy the fourth wealthiest city in America around the turn of the 20th century. Troy boasts a wealth of Victorian architecture. Several churches boast a collection of stained-glass windows by Louis Comfort Tiffany.

West Point

New York

West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located along the Hudson River in New York, West Point was noted by General George Washington as the most important strategic position in America during the American Revolution. On January 27, 1778, Brigadier General Samuel Holden Parsons and his brigade of men crossed the ice on the Hudson River and climbed to the plain on West Point and from that day to the present, West Point has been occupied by the United States Army. It comprises approximately 16,000 acres including the campus of the United States Military Academy, established in 1802, which is commonly called “West Point”.

Wyandotte

Michigan

Wyandotte is a familiar port stop for river and great lakes cruisers through this region. It is a small city in southeastern Michigan just south of Detroit on the Detroit River and is part of a collection of communities known as Downriver. The site where Wyandotte sits today in the 18th century was a small village called by the native Indians ‘Maquaqua’ and by the local French ‘Monguagon’. This Native American tribe was known as the Wyandot or Wendat, and were part of the Huron nation originally from the Georgian Bay area of Canada. Today you can explore Wyandotte and visit its quaint shops and eateries as you stroll tree-lined parks throughout the city center.

Your Erie Canal & Great Lakes Cruise Awaits!

Are you ready to start planning your Erie Canal & Great Lakes Cruise Vacation Your Way? A River Cruise Artist at River Cruise Your Way is ready to be your vacation concierge. Contact us today at 1-800-259-7612 or use the form below and let us know when it is most convenient to call you, we will confirm via e-mail, and then reach out at the agreed upon time and date.