If you’re looking for a fun activity this weekend, try a ride down the C&O Canal.

After more than a two-year hiatus, the canal boat is up and running for the summer at the Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center. The boat was taken out of the water in early 2019 to have wood replaced and get a new paint job and rides were offered sporadically during the pandemic.

The replica boat takes guests on a ride through the intricate lock system of the historic C&O Canal on the Maryland side of Great Falls Park. Rides are offered twice a day on weekends through early fall.

The Great Falls National Park is one of the most popular attractions in the D.C. area. The main entrance is located in Virginia, but visitors can also access the park in Maryland off MacArthur Blvd. in the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. Located near the entrance to the park is where you’ll find the Great Falls Tavern Visitors Center, a historic building that once sheltered travelers overnight and offered meals, and served as a residence to the lockkeeper.

The Charles F. Mercer canal boat is a two-level vessel that is pulled through the lock system by two mules. A ride down the canal is a complex operation that includes adding and releasing water at each lock to move the boat down the canal system. The crew dresses in period costumes and gives riders a history lesson on what life was like during the 1800s.

Mule-drawn canal boat rides are offered Saturdays and Sundays at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tickets for the one-hour canal boat ride are free and are available at the Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center starting one hour before departure. The Maryland entrance to the park is located at 11710 MacArthur Blvd., Potomac, Md. 

Entrance fees are $20 per car or $35 for an annual pass. You can buy your passes ahead of time by visiting Recreation.gov.