WASHINGTON — October is the last month visitors can take a boat tour in Georgetown before the canals are drained for major restoration.
Georgetown Heritage boat tours will resume in spring 2025 after a $28 million Canal restoration project, funded by the National Park Service, is complete. Officials say the Georgetown section of the C&O Canal will be drained for approximately 30 months to allow for a major restoration of Locks 1, 2, and 5, as well as critical valve and wall repairs.
This project will enable the Canal to continue to hold water and host the boat program for generations to come.
Tickets starting at $15 per adult are available for purchase here.
April 2022 was the first time in 10 years that visitors could tour the C&O Canal in Georgetown by boat.
“We’ve had an incredibly successful inaugural season for our new C&O Canal boat,” said S. Rex Carnegie, Director of Education and Partnerships for Georgetown Heritage. “Ridership was twice as high as projected, and the feedback has been wonderful.”
Boat rides offer one-hour guided historical tours of the first mile of the Canal.
The Canal boat boarding area is located at C&O Canal Lock 3, along the Canal towpath between Thomas Jefferson and 30th Streets NW (near 1057 Thomas Jefferson St). The nearest parking garages are located at 1055 Thomas Jefferson St NW and 1101 30th St NW less than a 5-minute walk to the Canal boat boarding area.
Boat tours are set to return in April 2025.
In the meantime, Georgetown Heritage will partner with NPS to host an interpretive program while the boat is in dry dock near Lock 4 of the Canal, offering visitors a unique way to experience the boat.
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