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The James River Company set to work constructing the first towpath canal system in North America. The first section of the canal system to be completed circumvented the seven-mile falls near Richmond. There is so much to learn about Richmond’s history along the Canal Walk. This is an entirely new way to experience downtown Richmond and the Riverfront and its exhilarating to look at the familiar with a new lens, be that historical or just literally being on the historical canal. All things change when you look at them from different points of view. My favorite thing is how different the city looks and sounds from the water.
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The American Civil War Museum is on your left at the 0.2-mile mark. On the right, cross over the Haxall Canal on a pedestrian bridge to Brown’s Island. A brown placard educates on what’s above, behind and in front of you, including Belle Isle, which is just to the right as you look out across the water. This is also the start for the Belle Isle Trail, so this lot can fill very quickly, especially on weekends. Born in a slave cabin, John Jasper became one of the most famous preachers of his time. Freed by emancipation in 1865 at the age of 53, he founded the Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church in one of the buildings that had housed the Confederate Laboratory on Brown's Island.
Directions to Riverfront Canal Cruises
It’s an easy hike and it’s very enjoyable, especially the murals at the one-time hydroelectric plant. At the 2.3-mile mark, you can cross the canal and walk the path along 7th Street and Tredegar Street to the parking area, but it’s not especially scenic. From here, re-trace your steps, but at the 1.3-mile mark, do not cross the pedestrian bridge.
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From many spots on Brown's Island, the remains of the Richmond and Petersburg railroad bridge are visible. This was the railroad that brought Jefferson Davis to the city to be inaugurated as the President of the Confederacy in 1861. When the city fell to the Union army four years later, all of the James River bridges, including the R&P, were burned.
Things to Do in Downtown Richmond, VA
Private charters may be scheduled for any day and time during the season, but must be reserved a minimum of two weeks in advance. Riverfront Canal Cruises launches its 24th season of historic tours and private charters on Friday, April 5, 2024. The 40-minute, historically narrated tours of the James River and Kanawha Canal operate from April to November with varying hours.
Richmond’s historic Riverfront Canal Cruises return for another season
At the 1.2-mile mark, you’ll cross under 14th Street, through a mural-filled underpass. Alternatively, a one-way ride of up to 45 minutes costs $1.75. At the 0.1-mile mark, you’ll reach an opening on the right where you can peek across to see Black Bird Island, which was key to the Haxall Mill Dam.
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History Medallions on the Canal Walk
We do, however, set up the tables and chairs/benches on the boats in advance of your charter. Gary L. Flowers provides walking tours of Historic Jackson Ward featuring 20 stops in the downtown neighborhood of his hometown of Richmond, Virginia. Tours include historic, educational, economic, religious and social institutions that inspired the name "Black Wall Street" and "The Harlem of the South." The Downtown Sampler, Shockoe Bottom and Capitol Square tours are acclaimed by locals and visitors who discover fun stories and ways to experience the city like they never have before; exploring and seeing Richmond through new eyes. In a few more steps, you’ll reach the flood wall and the end of the 52-mile Virginia Capital Trail, a paved multi-use trail that starts in Williamsburg.
The Tidewater Connection was completed in 1822, and boats could enter the canal below the falls. Wooden locks and the Richmond Dock connected the lower James to the Great Basin via canal to the upper James. Only six passenger boats — called packets — ran on a regular basis during this busy time. Packets could carry 30 to 40 people and took approximately 33 hours to reach Lynchburg via canal. From the packet office in the Great Basin, the boats were poled out to 7th Street where they were hitched up to a horse or mule. The animals pulled the boats along the towpath while a boatman steered from the rear.
All this came to an end as flooding, Civil War damage and competition from the expanding railroads took a huge toll on the Richmond canals. By 1880, the Richmond and Allegheny Railroad was laying tracks along the towpath of the canal. Canal construction never reached the Kanawha River as George Washington envisioned. Richmond, lying on the fall line of the James River, was destined for a history steeped in canal navigation.
It would also be so exciting to see a Canal Walk that is even more connective to the natural environment, the various trail systems, and the city. Also, A canal walk that has increased commercial activity without sacrificing its unique charm. The boats can be outfitted with tables of various sizes that can accommodate light refreshments or a more formal, catered meal (catering is not provided by Riverfront Canal Cruises).
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A stop in Colón, Panama, lets you lay on the sand at serene Maria Chiquita beach or hike your way through Portobelo National Park to reach the 17th-century San Lorenzo Fort. And if you're in the mood for the city life, head to Panama City, the Caribbean's most urban cluster that's only an hour away by car. First Freedom Center was founded in 1984 to celebrate the bicentennial of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, adopted in 1786 by the Virginia General Assembly. Free to visit, the First Freedom Center celebrates this important history by exploring the past, present and future of religious freedom in America. Along the route, you’ll see several restaurants, including Southern Railway Taphouse and Casa Del Barco, both of which make nice pit stops on the way.
The Canal Walk is used for walking and biking by visitors, residents and people enjoying a break from working downtown. You may hire your own caterer or bring your own food and beverages on your private charter. Riverfront Canal Cruises requires compliance with all applicable Virginia ABC laws and regulations for all private charters that bring alcohol. Unless you have hired a caterer to provide alcoholic beverages, this is likely to include obtaining your own banquet license. Information about the laws and the banquet license application are available on the Virginia ABC website. We do not hire caterers, serve or set up food and beverage service for private charters.
She holds a degree in English Literature and one of her short stories has been featured in the Shenandoah Review. Other interests include hiking, songwriting, and spending time in the mountains. The Tredegar Iron Works, along with the Armory that once stood beside it, was the greatest industrial complex in the Civil War-era South. Run by Joseph Reid Anderson, the Iron Works, with a force of immigrants and free and enslaved blacks, produced up to half of all of the armaments used in the Confederate war effort. A cruise to the Panama Canal is a chance to land on amazing destinations during the same trip.
As many as 195 boats regularly traversed the waters, bringing goods such as tobacco and wheat from western Virginia to market, and returning home with finished goods from the city. The Valentine has been collecting, preserving and interpreting Richmond’s 400-year history for over a century. Located in the heart of historic downtown Richmond in the Court End neighborhood, the Valentine is a place for residents and tourists to discover the diverse stories that tell the broader history of our city. The tours will continue now through November with varying hours.
Stops in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; Puntarenas, Costa Rica; and Colón, Panama, means appreciating countless natural landscapes on top of traversing through the famous shortcut itself.
I took this route, but honestly, I think your best bet is to re-trace your steps across Brown’s Island and back to the parking area. In April, October and November, 40-minute cruises are offered Thursday through Sunday. Tickets are $12 for adults ( ages 12+) and $8 for seniors and children. From here, walk up the red-brick path on Byrd Street and turn right for the Tidewater Locks. The route gets a touch confusing here, at least it did for me. The Pipeline Trail is more or less a catwalk that runs over an old pipeline and under the railroad bridge.
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