River District Canal Cruises
Join Richmond Canal Cruises for an informative 40-minute historically narrated tour or private charter of the James River and Kanawha Canal along Richmond’s Historic Canal Walk in one of our covered boats, which accommodates up to 38 passengers and departs on the hour from the Turning Basin, between 14th and Dock streets on Virginia Street. Richmond’s canal system first started in 1789 after George Washington lobbied the General Assembly to proceed with his vision of a canal and turnpike system that would connect the harbors of the east to the trade and market opportunities west, all the way to the Rocky Mountains.
For reservations and information, contact (804) 649-2800 or (804) 788-6466.
Hours of Operation
2008 Season
April 4 through June 8
Friday and Saturday: Noon to 7 p.m.
Sunday: Noon to 5 p.m.
June 11 through Aug. 31
Wednesday through Saturday: Noon to 7 p.m.
Sunday: Noon to 5 p.m.
Sept. 4 through Sept. 28
Thursday through Saturday: Noon to 7 p.m.
Sunday: Noon to 5 p.m.
Oct. 3 through Nov. 16
Friday and Saturday: Noon to 7 p.m.
Sunday: Noon to 5 p.m.
Note: All tours are weather dependent.
Pricing Information
Historic tours
Historic tours leave every hour on the hour and run on the seasonal schedule listed above.
Adults: $5
Children (5 to 12 years old): $4
Seniors (65 years and up): $4
Children 4 and under: Free
Private charters and onboard dining
Canal boats may be chartered for $95 for a one-hour charter. This fee is discounted to $85 for educational and seniors groups. A 15 percent gratuity for your boat driver is suggested, but not obligatory. Additional boats and hours may be added. The boats are handicap accessible.
Charters may be scheduled for any day and time you wish during the tour season, but they are dependent on weather conditions. Charters are scheduled on an individual basis, subject to boat and driver availability. You must call two weeks in advance to schedule a charter.
Your charter boat(s) may be set up in one of three configurations:
- Excursion style has chairs and benches, seating a maximum of 38 passengers.
- Dining style has tables and chairs, seating a maximum of 17-20 passengers (depending on the table size).
- Cocktail style has chairs, benches and a small table, seating a maximum of 25 passengers.
We can provide a list of experienced caterers or you may bring your own food and drink. Our drivers provide a historical narration if you request, or play your CDs over the boat’s sound system.
All of the boats in our fleet are covered, which provides shelter from sun or light rain.
Directions
From the south
Take I-95N to Richmond. Exit onto the Downtown Expressway (195). Take the Canal Street to Route 60 exit ($.25). Turn right onto 10th Street, then right on East Cary Street. Continue on East Cary Street to Virginia Street (just before 14th Street). Turn right onto Virginia Street, continue straight over Canal Street and in half a block the Turning Basin is on your left.
From the north
Take I-95S to Richmond. Take Exit 74B (Franklin Street). Go straight through the light at the end of the ramp. At the next light, East Main Street, take a right. Then turn left at 14th Street (first light). At second light, turn right onto Canal Street. Take an immediate left at Virginia Street (no street sign). The Turning Basin under the bridge on Virginia Street is just one block down.
From the east
Take I-64W to Richmond. Take Exit 190, 5th Street, Downtown. Follow 5th Street to East Cary Street and turn left. Continue on East Cary Street to Virginia Street (just before 14th Street ). Turn right onto Virginia Street, continue straight over Canal Street and in half a block the Turning Basin is on your left.
From the west
Take I-64E to Richmond. Exit onto the Downtown Expressway (I-195). After the toll booth, take the 7th and 9th Street exit. Take a left onto 9th Street. Take a right on East Cary Street and continue to Virginia Street (just before 14th Street). Turn right onto Virginia Street and go straight, continue straight over Canal Street and in half a block the Turning Basin is on your left.
Parking garage/lot locations
East Cary and Virginia Street parking deck (fronting Virginia Street)
Public parking: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Fee: $2 flat rate for entry from 3-11 p.m.; free from 11 p.m.-6:30 a.m. Free on Sundays.
Central Parking System; (804) 648-2155
14th and East Cary Street surface parking lot
Public parking
Fee: $4.50/per hour (max $17) before 5 p.m.; $5 honor box from 5 p.m.-7:30 a.m.
Standard Parking; (804) 343-1557
14th and East Cary Street Parking Deck
Public parking
Fee: $5 flat rate Monday-Saturday evenings from 5 p.m.-2 a.m.
Standard Parking; (804) 343-1557
12th and Canal Street Parking Deck
Public parking
Daytime fee: Monday-Saturday; 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
$3 per hour (max $15)
Evening fee: Monday-Saturday; 4:30 p.m. – 2 a.m.
$2 flat rate
Lanier Parking; (804) 225-1336
Omni/James Center parking deck (underground, limited space) at 12th and East Cary streets
Public parking: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Fee: $3 per hour (max $18); $3 flat rate 4 p.m.-3 a.m.
Lanier Parking; (804) 225-1336
15th and East Cary Street surface lots
Public parking: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Fee: $5 flat rate (honor box) after 5 p.m.
Standard Parking; (804) 343-1557
Canal Walk
Richmond’s Canal Walk features four centuries of our state capitol’s history depicted through fascinating history medallions, statues and exhibits. Did you know that in 1888 Richmond built the first commercially successful electric streetcar system in the world? And that Richmond is the only city in the world with a triple main-line railroad crossing still in operation? Look for all of this along the Canal Walk. Don’t forget about the Richmond National Battlefield Park Visitors Center or the American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar, and be sure to visit Box Brown Plaza on the Canal Walk, an exhibit chronicling African Americans’ contribution to Richmond’s Riverfront.
Richmond, lying on the fall line of the James River, was destined for a history steeped in canal navigation. George Washington, a staunch proponent of canal transportation, appeared before the Virginia General Assembly in 1784 to support legislation to create a waterway to bypass the falls. By linking the James River with the Kanawha River in western Virginia, which in turn flowed into Ohio, he hoped to improve transportation and trade with the west. In 1785, the state incorporated the James River Company with Washington as the honorary president. 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.
By 1800, the Great Basin was situated in the heart of the city. Located partially under the present-day James Center, the basin was a hub of activity surrounded by mills and warehouses. In 1822, the Tidewater Connection was complete 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. The locks, however, were soon going to decay and later had to be replaced.
In 1820, the James River Company signed their charter over to the state, which controlled the company until 1835, when the James River and Kanawha Company took over the canal effort. By 1840 canal construction was complete from Richmond to Lynchburg and, by 1851 had reached what would be its final destination - Buchanan, in Botetourt County. At this point the canal system spanned 197 miles west. Finally, 1854 brought improvements to the Tidewater Connection: five granite locks (4 and 5 remain at Alcoa) and turning basins between 9th and 14th Streets; the Richmond Docks, located between 14th and Pear Streets; and the Great Ship Lock near Dock and Pear Streets.
These improvements ushered in the heyday of the James River and Kanawha Canal. During the 1850s, and peaking in 1860, canal traffic was at its busiest. Up to 195 boats regularly traversed the waters, bringing goods from western Virginia to market — such as tobacco and wheat — and returning home with finished goods from the city.
Passenger voyages made up a small percentage of boat traffic. Only six passenger boats, called packets, ran on a regular basis during this busy time. Packets could carry up to 30 or 40 people and took approximately 33 hours to reach Lynchburg via canal. From the packet office in the Great Basin, the boats poled out to 7th Street where they hitched up to a horse or mule. The animals pulled the boats along the towpath while a boatman steered from the rear. On nice days passengers sat on the deck of the boat and enjoyed the leisurely journey.
All this came to an end as flooding, Civil War damage, and competition from the expanding railroads eventually took a huge toll on the canals. By 1880, the Richmond and Allegheny Railroad was laying its tracks along the towpath of the canal. Canal construction never reached the Kanawha River.
Completed in 1999 the current canal system on the north side of the river was constructed in conjunction with a Department of Public Utilities CSO project. Pipe measure 1.3 miles and up to eight feet in diameter were installed in the beds of the Haxall and Kanawha canals from west of the Lee Bridge eastward to 16th Street. The pipeline collects wastewater that has overwhelmed the sewers and routes it to a 50-million gallon Shockoe retention basin until it can be treated at the wastewater treatment plant. Above the pipeline, the city of Richmond worked with private corporations to create what we experience today, the Canal Walk. Along the Canal Walk, interpretations of Richmond’s 400 years of history can be found in 13 exhibits and 23 medallions.
Stretching 1.25 miles along the James River and the Kanawha and Haxall Canals, the Canal Walk has multiple access points at nearly every block between 5th and 17th Streets in Richmond’s River District. There are handicapped-accessible entrances at 5th, 10th, 12th, 14th and 16th Streets.
For More Information
For details or to schedule a charter call (804) 649-2800 or (804) 788-6466.