Nestled alongside the Potomac River and spanning throughout 4 Maryland counties and into the District of Columbia, the C&O Canal Nationwide Historic Park is a residing, respiration time capsule relationship again to 1850. For guests right now, the Park is a spot of refuge, the place you may bike, stroll, fish, or paddle throughout 184.5 miles from Cumberland to Georgetown, Maryland.
One of the simplest ways to expertise the wealthy historical past and pure great thing about the C&O Canal? E-book a stick with the C&O Canal Belief’s Canal Quarters program. Staying in a single day in considered one of seven rehabilitated lockhouses permits guests to get up to the sights and sounds of the park, whereas additionally offering them with an immersive expertise of what life was like for lock keepers and their households through the canal’s heyday.
At any given time, as many as 530 or extra canal boats labored their manner forwards and backwards between Georgetown and Cumberland and factors in between. Lock keepers and their households have been chargeable for sustaining the locks and water ranges, working in any respect hours of the day and night time to assist touring boaters traverse the canal.
Every of the seven lockhouses have been rehabilitated to supply customers with a novel expertise, and never all of them are the identical. Every home interprets a unique time interval, weaving a visible story that shows a unique canal period together with the Nice Melancholy, the early twentieth century, and the Civil Struggle.
In these homes, historical past actually comes alive. Time machines is probably not actual, however the Canal Quarters program practically makes that doable. “All of the old-timey furnishings and little ‘displays’ made me really feel like I used to be sleeping in an cute museum. The toys and books upstairs have been a cute addition to the setting that put us again in time,” writes the Lotts Household in one of many guestbooks that may be present in every of the homes.
Guests can even select between a country, hybrid-amenity, or full-amenity choice. The country lockhouses (Lockhouses 22, 25, and 28) are a real step again in time with no trendy facilities, whereas the complete amenity lockhouses (Lockhouses 6,10, and 21) and hybrid (Lockhouse 49) have warmth, A/C, electrical energy, and operating water.
All seven areas sleep as much as eight individuals and supply easy accessibility to the park and the Potomac River the place guests can discover iconic C&O Canal landmarks. With practically 200 miles of park land to discover, a visit to the C&O Canal could be a little daunting. Construct your itinerary earlier than you go together with the Explorer App, curating a customized journey that accommodates the entire household.
“What a splendidly historic but up to date place to remain! Proper on the path! I’ve stayed at three lockhouses, and every of them are so distinctive and quaint with fantastic proximity to the canal,” mentioned visitor Greg.
Since 2009, 1000’s of visitors from everywhere in the nation have traveled again in time with the Canal Quarters program. Staying in one of many lockhouses immediately helps the preservation of canal historical past and the upkeep of those historic buildings. You may sleep soundly realizing that you simply helped contribute to the safety of C&O Canal.
Protect the previous whereas making recollections that may final a lifetime. Go to canalquarters.org to make your reservation, and see for your self the magic of the C&O Canal Nationwide Historic Park!
