Canal Visitors Center050

Canal Visitors Center inside Cuyahoga Valley National Park is a destination in its own right, as well as a good entry point into the larger park. The visitors center is perched alongside The Towpath Trail, and lock demonstrations are performed here regularly by park staff and volunteers - usually, they perform in character, wearing appropriate period costume, and gently impart entertaining history lessons. Flood damage has temporarily closed the lock; call first for availability. Many families choose Canal Visitor Center as their starting point for bike rides, heading either north or south along the crushed limestone surface of the Towpath Trail. National Park Rangers are on duty inside the center, and often make Canal the meeting spot for educational programs, including the Junior Ranger programs for kids from three to twelve years old. Inside Canal Visitor Center, families can find maps and other information about the park, and can view permanent exhibits highlighting 12,000 years of history in the valley and relating to the Ohio & Erie Canal. Canal lock demonstrations are conducted on summer weekends, and three 30-minute videos about the Ohio & Erie Canal are shown on request.