Arrive Early, Stay Late, and Have Fun!

Come for the Conference, Stay for New York.

WCC 2025 attendees, along with their family and friends, gain access to exclusive guided tours in the days leading up to and following the conference. Book now to reserve your spot!

Pre-Conference Tour

America’s Gateway Tour

September 16-20, 2025

Explore the extraordinary impact of the Erie Canal from New York City to Buffalo on this exciting, guided tour. Follow in the footsteps of waves of immigrants who came to America, expanding its cultural diversity, sparking social change, and building the Empire State and nation. As you travel across the state, you’ll visit four national historic parks, two state historic sites, and other significant destinations along New York’s canal system.

This tour is open to all, including conference attendees, their guests, and the general public.

Highlights

  • Cruise New York Harbor for an amazing view of the Statue of Liberty and visit the Ellis Island Museum, where the journey to America began for many immigrants.
  • Stroll along the Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park, the world’s longest elevated pedestrian bridge, for sweeping, majestic views of the Hudson River.
  • Enjoy a relaxing boat ride and pass through a lock on the picturesque Cayuga-Seneca Canal.
  • Deepen your understanding of the impact of canal building on Native American communities at the original site of a 17th century Seneca town.
  • Savor the flavors of the region with curated dining and craft beverage experiences and learn about the Erie Canal’s influence on regional cuisine and beverages.

DAY-BY-DAY

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Tuesday, September 16, 2025New York City

Arrive and settle in. The Edison Hotel is an excellent four-star, art-deco hotel, conveniently located in Times Square, near theaters, Rockefeller Center, and many famous sites.

ARRIVAL

Individual arrival to your hotel.  No airport transfers included.

HOTEL

Edison Hotel NYC

DINNER

Dinner on your own, with many wonderful options nearby.

Wednesday, September 17, 2025 New York City

Meet the group and step on board our luxury coach for a day of exploring the role of the canals in New York State’s development as the nation’s dominant port and as a center of national wealth.

Breakfast

Breakfast included at your hotel.

Morning

Meet your guide and board a luxury coach for touring New York City. We’ll cruise New York Harbor to see the Statue of Liberty and visit the Ellis Island Museum, the beginning of the immigrant journey for millions to America.

Lunch

Lunch on your own downtown.

Afternoon

Guided coach will tour throughout Manhattan and include the National 9/11 Memorial, Wall Street, and a walk in the High Line, a public park built on a historic freight rail line elevated above the streets on Manhattan’s West Side.

Dinner

Dinner on your own

Hotel

Edison Hotel NYC

Thursday, September 18, 2025Hudson River Valley

Take in sweeping, majestic views of the Hudson River, enjoy lunch and shopping in the quaint village of Rhinebeck, and see the home and library of Franklin D. Roosevelt. End your day with a craft beverage and relaxing meal in Albany.

Breakfast

Breakfast included at the hotel before checking out and meeting our luxury coach for the next three days.

Morning

Travel north through the Hudson River Valley to Walkway Over the Hudson State Park for sweeping, majestic views of the Hudson River. This steel cantilever bridge was built in 1889 and served as a railroad bridge before being transformed into the world’s longest elevated pedestrian bridge.

Lunch

Lunch will be on your own in the quaint Village of Rhinebeck, with plenty of options for dining and shopping.

Afternoon

Tour the Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site in Hyde Park, the home, library, archives, gardens and grounds of the 32nd and longest-serving president of the United States. Like his cousin Theodore, FDR was a big booster of the canal system when he was governor of New York. He toured the Erie Canal in 1930 on board the state boat Inspector II.

Hotel

The Hampton Inn Downtown Albany

Dinner

Check out one of Albany’s craft breweries located in the city’s former Lumber District where canal barges stacked with lumber unloaded or prepared for the journey down the Hudson River.

 

Friday, September 19, 2025Rome and Syracuse

Discover why all roads lead to Rome when it comes to water, transportation, and settlement in this part of New York State. Then explore the Erie Canal Museum’s extensive collection and exhibits on all facets of the Erie Canal before sampling local flavor in Syracuse.

Breakfast

Breakfast is included at the hotel before checking out.

Morning

Travel to Rome where water has played a central role in shaping the area for centuries. We’ll visit Fort Stanwix National Monument, a 1777 frontier fort that tells stories of the nations that fought for control of the Oneida Carrying Place, Mohawk Valley, homelands of the Six Nations Confederacy, and the rich resources of North America. Digging for the Erie Canal began in the same location in 1817.

Lunch

Lunch on your own at Salt City Market, where regional and international food and culture come together with a mix of vendors sharing a common space with a casual, urban vibe.

Afternoon

Explore the Erie Canal Museum’s extensive collection and exhibits on all facets of the Erie Canal. Housed in the only remaining Weighlock Building (1850) where canal boats were weighed during the days when they traveled through the center of Syracuse on the Erie Canal.

We’ll top off the day with a craft beverage at one of Syracuse’s breweries.

Hotel

Doubletree Hotel, Syracuse

Dinner

Pheobe’s Restaurant

 

Saturday, September 20, 2025Seneca Falls to Buffalo

New York’s canals carried and connected people and ideas, serving as an agent of social and cultural change in the 1800s that was as vital and influential in its time as the internet is today. Witness the impact of those changes and learn about the legacy of social justice and cultural diversity. We’ll also experience a canal firsthand and get a glimpse of fall colors on a boat ride on the Cayuga-Seneca Canal.

Breakfast

Breakfast is included at the hotel before checking out.

Morning

Visit the birthplace of the women’s rights movement in the historic canal town of Seneca Falls. Tour Women’s Right’s National Historical Park and other area attractions and stroll along the canal promenade.

Lunch

Lunch on your own in Seneca Falls.

Afternoon

Get on the water for a sightseeing cruise and experience going through a lock on the Cayuga-Seneca Canal.

We’ll then head to Ganondagan State Historic Site, the original site of a 17th century Native American town. Spanning 569 acres, Ganondagan (Gah-nun-dah-gan) features culture, art, agriculture, and government of the Seneca nation and how they influenced our modern understanding of equality, democratic government, women’s rights, and ecology.

Tour End

The tour concludes in Buffalo at our conference hotel, the Hyatt Regency Buffalo.

Book the tour directly with our partners at Twin Travel Concepts.

Single: $2,109 | Double: $1,576 | Triple: $1,399
Book Now!

included:

  • Two nights Edison Hotel, NYC (Times Square)
  • One night Hampton Inn, Downtown Albany NY
  • One night Doubletree Syracuse
  • Breakfast daily
  • Two dinners
  • Beer flight, and beer tasting
  • All guides, tours, and inclusions as described
  • Transportation from New York City to Buffalo
  • Transportation from Buffalo back to New York City can be arranged for an additional fee.

Deposit/Cancellation:

  • $200 per person due upon registration
  • $100 non-refundable if canceled by April 15
  • Full payment due June 7

Post-Conference

Buffalo, Welland Canal, and Niagara Falls Sampler
September 25 & 26

There’s so much more to explore in Buffalo than you’ll see during the conference. Let us share more of the city’s arts, culture, and specialty food and beverages with you. Then spend a day exploring points of interest on the Welland Canal and see Niagara Falls from the Canadian side.

Highlights

  • Experience Frank Lloyd Wright’s Darwin Martin House, the architect’s quintessential Prairie house and one of the great achievements of his career.
  • Be inspired by the art and architecture of the AKG, a vibrant art museum in the heart of Buffalo’s cultural district.
  • Savor Buffalo’s distinct local specialties, like beef on weck, beer battered fish fry, and world-famous chicken wings.
  • Explore the abandoned locks of the Second Welland Canal, built from 1840-1845, then enjoy a guided walk through the Welland’s historic northern terminus.
  • Take in awe inspiring views of Niagara Falls.

DAY-BY-DAY

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Thursday, September 25, 2025Buffalo

Afternoon, 2pm

Our afternoon will be filled with art, architecture, and culture as we tour Frank Lloyd Wright’s Darwin Martin House and visit the Buffalo AKG Art Museum’s unforgettable art collection.

Dinner

You’ll return to the Hyatt around 6:30 for dinner on your own

Friday, September 26, 2025St. Catharines, Canada

Morning

Depart the Hyatt at 8:30am for travel to St. Catharines, Canada. Hike at Mountain Locks to view abandoned locks of the Second Welland Canal, built from 1840-1845.

Lunch

Lunch in Merriton

Afternoon

Walking tour of Port Dalhousie followed by spectacular views of Niagara Falls from the Canadian side and dinner in Niagara Falls.

Hotel

Hyatt Regency Buffalo

Post-Conference Tour Cost

$425
Book Now!

Registration Includes:

Thursday

  • Transportation
  • Museum Tickets

Friday

  • Transportation
  • All Tours & Activities
  • Lunch
  • Dinner

 

NOTE: This tour is crossing the USA/Canada border. Please bring your required documents. 

US https://www.cbp.gov/travel

Canadian Customs https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/menu-eng.html

 

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World Canals
Conference 2025

September 21-25

Erie Canal
Buffalo, NY