The Chesapeake & Ohio (C & O) Canal
The Chesapeake & Ohio (C & O) Canal was chartered in 1825 to construct a shipping canal connecting tidewater on the Potomac River in Washington DC with the headwaters of the Ohio River. The C&O Canal is unique in that it remains virtually unbroken and without substantial modification affecting its original character for its entire length of 185 miles. The C & O Canal's first few hundred yards is lined with shops and a series of lift locks. At the Georgetown Visitor Center, you can take an hour-long trip back in time on a replica of an 1800s canal boat.
