Get to Know Lyons, NY
As we spend time this month shining a light on the NYS Barge Canal System, we would be remiss if we didn’t talk about heritage tourism. The Canal is one of the defining features of New York State, one that roots us in our history and connects us across communities. The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor is 524-miles long and is home to 3.2 million New Yorkers. It welcomes over three million visitors annually and the total annual economic impact of tourism along the National Heritage Corridor is over $304 million (source).
Canalside communities are a big part of what makes visiting the Heritage Corridor so appealing. Outside of the obvious outdoor recreation the canal provides (boating! kayaking! biking!), the historic places along its shores offer myriad opportunities for exploration. According to a recent survey conducted by the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, visiting historic sites and museums, attending festivals, and just generally exploring canal communities were among the most popular reasons to visit.
With that in mind, we thought we’d check in with one such canal community. Lyons Town Historian Linda Guest and Director of Lyons Main Street Program/Lyons Chamber of Commerce Joan Delaro were kind enough to answer a few questions about their historic town and its important relationship to the canal.
Do you have a favorite historic place to visit along the canal? Let us know!
Historic buildings in Lyons, NY
Can you tell me a little bit about Lyons and its historic district?
Lyons has a beautiful historic downtown district. Many streets make up our "Main Street" area. You will find a community that builds a supporting Main Street Program together. Our community strives to make our little piece of the world a place people will talk about, tourists will want to visit, and a town that is known as a welcoming community.
The League was happy to help fund a National Register of Historic Places nomination for Lyons in 2016 through our NYSCA-funded Preserve New York grant. How has the successful designation impacted Lyons?
We've received a lot of positive feedback through the news and social media since we were added to the National Register of Historic Places. Unfortunately because of COVID-19, we saw our town close down like many others. But as we reopen we are going to strive to become bigger and better than ever. The pandemic will only make our community stronger and we will survive this. Historical Lyons, NY will use its resources to rebuild our community — watch out for us, we will prevail!
Lyons has retained many of its historic properties, both residential and commercial. Several property owners have benefited from historic tax credits. They were able to accomplish repairs to save and enhance historic homes and businesses.
A view of the Erie Canal in Lyons, NY (photo by Linda Guest(
The proximity of the canal is one of your community's defining features. How has Lyons evolved alongside it over the years?
What a treasure we have for sure. The Erie Canal has literally shaped our little town. The Erie Canal once flowed through our town before it was redirected and enlarged. Travel on the Erie Canal brings many tourists to our historical town every year. We are fortunate to have many tourist spots that make Lyons a place of interest, including the Hotchkiss Peppermint Museum, Wayne County Courthouse, Wayne County Museum, the Trail of Hope, Mural Mania (which was founded in Lyons), along with Ohmann Theatre and a popular historical district filled with businesses and restaurants. Lyons also has many volunteer greeters that are present at the Erie Canal to welcome boaters to our community and offer advice and tips on where to go and what to see during their visit. WiFi is available and we are ready to welcome any and all visitors to our historic community.
How does canal tourism play a role in Lyons?
We offer many different Historical and Erie Canal tours in Lyons. We can easily set up any tourist with the necessary guide to show them the history behind the old locks, especially the Poorhouse Lock No. 56. The Peppermint Museum is also a popular location for tours. Located on the Erie Canal at Lock 27, the Canal at one time came up to the rear of the building and was used to transport the peppermint oil. We are currently working on a more up to date map of the canal and hope it will be available soon to the community and tourists.
The tourists that arrive in Lyons can be boaters, bikers, and hikers. They are interested in the many historic buildings that are still currently in use today. Although Lyons has strong local support, tourism is a major contributor to our economic growth.
What are your favorite ways to utilize the canal?
The Erie Canal is available to our community and tourists in so many different ways. We obviously offer docking for the boaters that travel in and need to rest their seaman feet on land. Hiking trails along the canal provide exercise and beautiful sightseeing adventures for everyone. We have several kayak launches, several parks along the canal, and even fishing on both sides. Several of our local restaurants offer canal views for dining. And for the geocacher, we even have a geocache on one of our islands in the canal and several on land around town. Historical and Erie Canal tours offer the education that many visitors seek out as well.
Any highlights you would want to make sure a visitor knows about before planning a trip to Lyons?
Yes, we would hope they would reach out to us at the Lyons Main Street Program, Lyons Town Historian or to Wayne County Tourism for all the current information about Lyons. Visitors can also like the Lyons Main Street Program and Historical Lyons, NY on Facebook. We hope you can visit our historical town soon and we look forward to showing you all the delights of Lyons NY.