Most people take one look at Seneca Falls and think: ”What a beautiful small town!” And they’re not wrong. However, its significance is not tiny at all. Since its beginnings, Seneca Falls has been a hub of industry, invention, religious innovation and social reform. Much like the ebb and flow of the waterway that runs through it, this town has experienced many lifetimes. On this walking tour through the heart of the town, I’ll show you the connections between its residents, the radical social movements of the 1800s, and Hollywood too!

You’ll start this tour at the National Women’s Hall of Fame, and the Cayuga-Seneca Canal will keep you company as you find Autumn Street. Along the way, I’ll tell you about the debates over human rights, workers’ rights, and women’s rights that have played out right here, resulting in changes – big changes – in the American government. I’ll also share stories about the social movements of temperance, abolition and suffrage that were shaped – and often led – by Seneca Falls’ citizens. The home of famous activist, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, awaits you as you approach the end of this tour.

Along the way, you’ll have a chance to:

• Take in the National Women’s Hall of Fame, the Women’s Rights National Historical Park, and the Wesleyan Chapel – all places that honour Seneca Falls as the birthplace of the women’s rights movement in America
• Visit the home of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, author of the Declaration of Sentiments and the driving force behind the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848
• Hear about more historic greats such as Fredrick Douglas, Susan B. Anthony, and Amelia Bloomer, who all spent influential time here
• Stand amongst unique statue collections such as ‘Ripples of Change’ and ‘When Anthony Met Stanton’ which celebrate the influencers and change-makers of the Finger Lakes region
• Discover what locals refer to as the George Bailey Bridge, the true-story location that inspired Frank Capra’s film, the Christmas classic, It’s a Wonderful Life
• Step into the Museum of Waterways and Industry and its sibling, the Heritage Area Visitor Centre, to learn about the Seneca River’s influence, and its transition into a significant part of the Erie Canal system
• Search for a lost island submerged below Van Cleef Lake
• Stroll along the Cayuga-Seneca Canal’s waterfront, enjoying beautiful vistas in this “historic gateway to the Finger Lakes,” as well as locally inspired outdoor art along the Ludovico Sculpture Trail

This tour shares Seneca Falls with you. It’s the storey of its people and its places. It’s the storey of a small town with big ideas.