Explore the heritage of the Ohio & Erie Canal in the first capital of Ohio this summer.
Tours, presentations, musicians, 5K canal walk – and more – will commemorate this superhighway of a bygone age.
Possibly the greatest revolution in transportation opened in South Central Ohio in 1831, and Chillicothe was changed forever. Produce, people, culture and money flowed through the placid water of the public canal in the Scioto Valley that connected Lake Erie and the Ohio River – and beyond.
Warehouses, taverns, classical homes, and remnants of water-powered industries still mark the route of the canal where it flowed through and across city streets, especially the “port” of Water Street. Bridges, locks, aqueducts, and a secondary canal are gone, but their legacy remains – as do the effects of floods and the “Great Fire” of 1852 that the city suffered around the canal.
Several museums and parks in and around Chillicothe can expand your exploration of history and prehistory for days…and neighboring Waverly, Circleville, and beyond, also offer canal heritage.
Local restaurants and shops are available downtown. Expanded shopping and lodging is nearby in the city. Contact the Ross-Chillicothe CVB for assistance at (740) 702-7677 or (800) 413-4118.

Click the Chillicothe Canal Celebration logo below for the program schedule!