Things to do / Travel Guide
Address:1850 Dual Highway, Suite 100
Hagerstown, Maryland
Tel:
(301) 739-4200
The history of America flows forward at the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park, located in the District of Columbia and the states of Maryland and West Virginia. The park preserves the remains of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, originally planned to connect the capital to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, but only reaching Cumberland, Maryland. The park offers a variety of educational experiences, as well as outdoors activities including hiking and boating along the canal.
Construction on the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal began in 1828, starting in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. When it was completed in 1850, the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal had not reached its intended destination of Pittsburg, terminating after 185 miles at Cumberland. The canal was already obsolete eight years before its completion, as a railroad had been established in Cumberland. In 1924, the canal was closed, but 30 years later, in 1954, there was some interest in the site becoming a parkway. However, after an eight-day hike of the towpath from Cumberland to D.C. led by Supreme Court Associate Justice William Douglas, popular opinion turned against the parkway idea, and in 1971 the canal was designated a National Historical Park.
Today, the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park offers fascinating activities, including hiking, boating, and ranger-guided interpretive programs. Hiking trails follow the towpath, and are an excellent way to see the park. Several short and widely separated portions of the park have been re-watered to provide boating opportunities. Ranger-guided programs include mule-drawn canal boating trips, hikes, and demonstrations. After a fun day at the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park, visitors can find plenty of restaurants near the visitor centers along the canal.
To get to the Georgetown Visitor Center at the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park: Take I-270 South to I-495 South, then exit 43 toward Washington, then take US Route 29 North, and turn right onto M Street Northwest, right onto 31st Street Northwest, then left onto K Street Northwest, and left again onto Thomas Jefferson Street Northwest. The Georgetown Visitor Center is at 1057 Thomas Jefferson Street.