Roanoke Canal Museum & Trail

An easy hike. The museum is sparse but the staff was very knowledgeable.

We visited this on a rainy late fall day. This was a stop on my southern canals tour. It is really a museum set up for kids and I was told that they get a lot of kids in a year. We paid a small fee to get in and then we were on our own. The person at the desk had no interest in us or our visit.The museum was a power house that was built on a staircase lock and used the old canal as the headrace for the water supply. The downstairs of the museum is set up very nicely to explain all this and you can walk right out into the locks. Again, many of the displays are geared toward the kids, but that is fine. The city has put a lot of time and effort into this museum and it shows. The displays, many of them being video, are first rate.There are trails that follow the canal. We did not have time to walk the trails, and I expect that they are very nice. Be sure to visit the aqueduct, which is a couple miles away, as that is really the star of the show. That alone is worth the stop.

Its very amazing and exciting to visit in here. Theres a lot of spots to see and it really gives you a beautiful face.

Very interesting place. $4.00 to enter and 2 stories to view. There is a trail to follow. If you brought a picnic lunch you could spend the whole day here.

I didnt even know we had towpaths around here. Cool.

Reallly a kool place has a lot to offer and to inform you about

The trail is great place to clear your mind and a chance to enjoy nature. I would always take the left side of the trail because its shorter and you would come across nice people,and beautiful lakes. I wouldnt recommend taking the trail alone. You must have someone to walk or go on a run with you for safety reasons. I would also recommend that during the summer to carry with you two cups of crush ice or a cold beverage while enjoying the out doors. The reason why I always take the left side of the trail is because it is well managed and the ending leads to roanoke rapids lake park.

The canal trail is one of my favorite places to be. The scenery, old ruins, its peaceful. its around 7 miles in length and also has mile markers. The museum holds all of the knowledge that could be obtained about the canal trail and its uses, layout, and how it worked.

Gorgeous!! Went on 1.5 mile trail and absolutely loved it. Plan on going back to do 6.3 mile trail soon

Nice small museum. Took a quick bike ride to break up a long drive. Will return to ride the entire trail!

I cant give a fair review because it was closed without posting or updating anywhere.

Great local history. Interesting place. Worth a few dollars admission.

Great path, lots of scenic beauty and walking distance

So cool. Theres a fee to use the museum but inside it tells you many things about about the canal. Theres an elevator to get down stairs were you can go in the canal and sit in a old row boat!There are 2 sets of bathrooms and a couple of hands on interaction sets. Perfect for the kids with 2 play areas. The museum also serves as a bike loan barn fo the canal trail.

Lots to see and do and a great start to walking trails.

The Roanoke Canal Trail is a 7.5-mile multi-use trail following the route of the Roanoke Canal. The western trailhead is at Roanoke Rapids Lake Day Use Area and the eastern trailhead is at River Falls Park in Weldon. There is also parking at the Roanoke Canal Museum, River Road and the aqueduct. The trail is very scenic with nice views of Roanoke River and historical structures from when the canal was in operation. The Chockoyotte aqueduct was my favorite spot along the trail. Overall a great trail to exercise out in nature and learn about the history of the area.

Its a historic location with good displays to better explain what youll see if you walk the navigational canal. Its small so you can see it all in 30 mins.

Interesting place to visit. Nice museum. Great trail which runs along the canal.

Great historical place

Visited with my sister and enjoyed learning about a part of North Carolina history that I knew very little about.

Great bike trail. Not crowded, and great for a quick after work or weekend ride that is low key. We did not go into the museum, but I walked through to use the restroom. It looked interesting. And if we had more time, we would have done it.

Cool place. Learned a ton! Road bikes to the dam. Beautiful trail!

Reall neat trails. Gets kinda spooky around dusk

Nice museum with lots of history in it. It has a small gift shop and right next to a hiking trail

Best place to get back to nature. Museum trail takes you to dam and lake. Will likely run into others on the trail.

Great place! Miss Jones was very pleasant and helpful. Lots of history there. Just wish it wasnt raining.

Excellent museum for adults and children. Computer generated display that explains the history of the canal evolving into the use of water power to generate electricity. Many hands on activity centers for children. A must see for the whole family.

Scenic place of real history about waterway s and Railroad.

Great trail with a very interesting historical place.

This is a good place to see to

Unique history museum

I have enjoyed these Scenic Trails for years, and the museum has only improved with time.

Fun and interesting place to visit. Staff is very helpful and informative.

We got there at 3:35 and they wouldnt let us in said they close at 4:00 sign on door says no admittance after 3:30, but there are signs you can read outside to understand the history

Kind of confusing to follow the trail from the museum to the mill, but otherwise a pretty interesting and enjoyable trail.

So much fun and lots of pokestops too!!

Great place to walk and very historic

Love the food. Great ole country store is an extra treat.

Quiet and peaceful

Great trail!

Great trail mostly in the shade with historic sites and a kid friendly museum.

Great experience!!

They give tours of old canal locks.

Great place 4 walk

Interesting to see aspects of the canal development

We made a quick stop there on our way out of Roanoke Rapids and had a very pleasant walk along the path leading away from the museum.

Nice little trail if youre local. Probably not a destination location.

This is a wonderful place full of some good history. :)

Nice walking path. Shaded and quiet.

Amazing bit of history. Great service and knowledgeable about the dam and the underground railroad.

A well developed museum with technology features and artifacts. This location is wheelchair accessible. They only take cash and check, so come prepared.

Remarkable engineering and rich human history, beautiful restoration and display. Unexpected gem!

Walked trails very nice and well maintained

A wonderful trail to hike and an interesting historical place!

Great family walk

Awesome biking/walking trail.

A great place to visit with children.

Very informative museum with neat exhibits!

Meh. Maybe try the other side of the river

Beautiful hiking trails.

Not what I expected

Loved it

Intimate and informative!

Decent place to take kids.

Peaceful!!

Beautiful and clean