About the Sampler

• Estimated Time: 4–5 hours — start early to catch a 1 or 2:30 p.m. boat ride

• Travel Components: Towpath Trail, Byway

• Special Interest: History Buffs

• Starting Point: Stark County

• Ending Point: Stark County

• Cost: Quests: Free; Canal Boat ride: max $9 per person

• Submitted By: Nancy Desmond, Ohio & Erie Canalway Interpretive Coordinator

Step by Step

Orient yourself!

Start at the Canal Fulton Canalway Center, located just off the America’s Byway in this section, along the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail in St. Helena Heritage Park. At the center, you’ll find background and orientation to the city, along with plenty of parking.

Walking tour

Next, embark on the Historic Canal Fulton Quest for an overview of this bustling little city. While you explore the downtown, stop in one of the many shops or perhaps grab ice cream or a meal. There are lots of options in Canal Fulton.

Don’t forget the tickets!

Before or after this Quest, head back to the Canalway Visitor Center where you can pick up tickets for the public canal boat rides (view the schedule here). No trip to Canal Fulton is complete without a historic canal boat ride pulled by the draft horses!

A mule’s point of view

While you wait for the boat ride, try A Canal Mules View Quest to get the mule’s point of view on canal life. Canal boats were once pulled by mules or horses along the Towpath. It’s fun for kids to imagine they are a mule back in time while doing this Quest, and the boat ride will really bring it to life for them. Note that this Quest needs to be done when the Canalway Center is open.

Stay Fueled & Explore

After your canal boat ride, take some time to walk around downtown Canal Fulton. Visit Keillor's Teddy Bear Shoppe for a look at teddy bears from around the world; Delightfully Different Fudge shop for a true taste of Canal Fulton – Canal Mud; Toys Time Forgot for a wide assortment of collectables, comic books, and board games; and Canal Fulton Glassworks to see the collected works of 50-plus Ohio artists in blown glass. You can also stop at one of the many locally-owned restaurants for dinner.