LaSalle Canal Boat and Lock 16 Visitor Center, 754 First Street in LaSalle, along the historic Illinois & Michigan Canal, LaSalle, Illinois, just 10 minutes from Starved Rock State Park

Spend a day discovering the historic Illinois & Michigan Canal – the canal that transformed the Midwest and built Chicago.

Board the LaSalle Canal Boat, and enjoy the scenery, history and relaxation of a mule pulled boat ride. Your one-hour, round trip journey on a full-size replica canal boat will take you on the same hand-dug waterway that 19th century pioneers traveled. Your guides, dressed as canal era crew and passengers, will take you back in time to life on the American frontier and the Illinois prairie.

Meet our mule tender Matt and our mules, Larry and Moe at the corral. Matt will explain what Larry and Moe’s life is like – what their job is here on the canal, what they eat, where they live, and tell stories about the horses and mules that worked along the canal in the 1840s and 1850s.

Also meet 13 canal riders including Abraham Lincoln on a self-guided silhouette walk or enjoy a bicycle ride along the canal tow-path for up to 75 miles.

While visiting, stop at the Lock 16 Visitor Center - a hub for canal activities, with ticket sales and modern facilities. Enjoy breakfast or lunch at Lock 16 café and buy gifts and souvenirs at the canal-themed heritage gift shop. Look for special I&M Canal exhibits, talks and cultural programs.

The LaSalle Canal Boat is accessible and operates May-October and the Lock 16 Visitor Center is open year round. To reserve a mule -pulled canal boat ride, or for more information, call 815-220-1848 or visit www.lasallecanalboat.org