Salt places to visit · Syracuse, New York
Erie Canal Museum
Housed in the last surviving weighlock building of the Erie Canal, the canal that carried Syracuse salt to the world.
At a glance
| Where | Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse, New York |
|---|---|
| Type of place | Museum |
| What you'll see | The 1850 Weighlock Building, where boats were weighed to set their tolls, plus exhibits on canal life past and present. |
| Salt connection | The canal carried Syracuse salt to market, and a state duty on that salt helped pay for building the canal. |
| A rare survivor | It is the only surviving weighlock from the Erie Canal, and has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1971. |
| Founded | 1962, by citizens who saved the building from demolition. |
Plan your visit: official information
The salt story
From 1850 to 1883, boats on the Erie Canal floated into this building to be weighed like a giant scale, so their tolls could be set by cargo. Much of that cargo came from Syracuse's salt works. The museum is the best place to see how salt and the canal built each other.
Hours, seasons and prices change. Check with the site before you travel.
More salt places
Cite this page
For school projects and reports. Teachers often prefer the original sources too: see the list below.
The Salt Almanac. (2026, November 8). Erie canal museum. https://saltalmanac.com/places/erie-canal-museum
“Erie Canal Museum | Salt Places to Visit.” The Salt Almanac, 8 Nov. 2026, saltalmanac.com/places/erie-canal-museum. Accessed [today's date].
“Erie Canal Museum | Salt Places to Visit.” The Salt Almanac. Last modified November 8, 2026. https://saltalmanac.com/places/erie-canal-museum.
Original sources
- Wikipedia. Erie Canal Museum. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erie_Canal_Museum
- Onondaga Historical Association. Brine, Boats, & Bureaucrats. https://www.cnyhistory.org/programs/brine-boats-bureaucrats-syracuse-salt-new-yorks-19th-century-canals/