I live a short walk from the Erie Canal and I grew up singing the Erie Canal Song, so old canals have a special place in my heart. I'd so love to take a canal holiday in England! When I read that there was a canal in Georgetown it piqued my interest. To be honest, before this trip I didn't know Georgetown was in D.C. It is so cute and the frou-frou shops made even cheap-ol'-me want to spend a day shopping! We just happened to be in the area one evening and I asked my Sister-in Law if the canal was nearby. Turns out they new exactly where it was and that it went in the direction we were going anyway!
My good friend Wikipedia says:
The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, abbreviated as the C&O Canal, and occasionally referred to as the "Grand Old Ditch,"[1] operated from 1831 until 1924 parallel to the Potomac River in Maryland from Cumberland, Maryland to Washington, D.C. The total length of the canal is about 184.5 miles (296.9 km). The elevation change of 605 ft (184 m) was accommodated with 74 canal locks. To enable the canal to cross relatively small streams, over 150 culverts were built. The crossing of major streams required the construction of 11 aqueducts. The canal also extends through the 3,118 ft (950 m) Paw Paw Tunnel. The principal cargo was coal from the Allegheny Mountains. The canal way is now maintained as a park, with a linear trail following the old towpath, the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park.
It was beautiful and stirred my imagination!
In my next D.C. trip installment, the Marriott puts on a show...of flowers!
Oh, very pretty! Thank you for sharing this!
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