Have you ever thought about taking a ride down a canal on a boat being pulled by a couple of mules? Well, I hadn’t either. In fact, I didn’t know that such a thing even existed, but they do.
While my parents were visiting us in the Poconos, I was searching for some outdoor fun that would allow us to take advantage of the beautiful weather we were having. One thing I found that sounded interesting was the National Canal Museum located in Easton, PA. I shared it with my mom to see what she thought, and she agreed that it sounded like something fun we should check out.
Here’s the one, two, punch on what you can expect from a visit to the National Canal Museum in Easton, PA.
One: You will learn something new. Unless you know all things about the United States canal system; specifically Pennsylvania’s canal system, you are going to learn something that you didn’t know when you arrived. All of us in our group learned several new somethings.
Two: The education spreads out farther than just the canal. I got a huge lesson on mules, and realized I didn’t know much about these amazing animals. I know some stuff now though, let me tell ya.
Punch: You’re going to have a good time. I didn’t know what to expect from this little excursion out, but I was more than pleasantly surprised. I only had the two younger nomad sons, as well as my parents, with me for this field trip (Daddy Nomad, and our eldest nomad son were both working), and everyone agreed that this was a fun day out.
Riding the boat being pulled by mules down the canal is the highlight for this attraction, in my opinion, and it lasts roughly 45 minutes. Besides the boat ride, there is a museum with many hands-on activities; as well as a scavenger hunt. We tried our hands at all of the activities, as well as completed the scavenger hunt.
A couple of things worth noting: there are paddle boats that you can rent to take your own ride along the canal; there is a pretty nice playground, and picnic tables to enjoy if your time allows; lastly, part of the 165 miles of the Delaware and Lehigh Trail runs along the canal, too. The hours for the Canal Museum are a little wonky, so double check to make sure they’re open before you plan your trip. Finally, the admission is $12 for 16 years and up, and $9 for kids 3-15.
If you find yourself in Easton, PA, and want to try doing something a little out of the ordinary; give the National Canal Museum a shot.
