As July approaches, the Augusta Canal Heritage Area is gearing up for its free boat tours for teachers.
Every summer, teachers are offered rides on Augusta Canal’s Petersburg tour boats, with one guest, at no charge, as part of Augusta Canal National Heritage Area’s Teacher Appreciation Month.
Julie Boone, the retired education and program coordinator at the Heritage Area, has called free tours “our way of saying ‘thank you’” to community educators.
“It really started as a ‘thank you,’ but also as a marketing tool, as a way to hopefully bring more teachers in to bring their students on field trips throughout the year, as well,” said current Education Program Director Julianna Shurtleff.
As one of three National Heritage Areas in Georgia, the Augusta Canal welcomes groups visiting from districts throughout the CSRA and the state.
Before the COVID pandemic, the Canal hosted about 1,000 students a year in school field trips, Shurtleff said, and while the past couple of years have been slower, school outings to the Canal have picked back up.
Shurtleff notes that this isn’t limited to those whose work is in the traditional classroom. Homeschool families are also welcome, as well as administrative staff.
“We’re thanking the teachers that do bring their students and let them ride without the responsibility of the school children… also to hopefully bring in new educators that will see what we offer for their school curriculum.”
Shurtleff estimates the free tour drew in roughly 150 educators last July.
“Which is a little lower than we’ve had in the past,” she said, though reservations for this year have already started.
Reservations are encouraged, and educators are asked to present a school badge, name tag, or ID card at the Discovery Center ticket desk. Due to the heat, the History & Nature and Canal Discovery Center Tours are the only boat tours offered in July.
“But we can hold 36 passengers on a boat,” said Shurtleff. “So hopefully, we’ll do well this summer!”
The Augusta Canal Heritage Area, located at 1450 Greene St., will offer free tours for teachers and educators starting in July, continuing through the month. For more information, call the Discovery Center at 706-823-0440 extension 4, or visit https://augustacanal.com/boat-tours.php.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
