I&M Canal Visitor Center & Lock 16 Gift Shop

This gift shop and cafe is one of the best. Whether or not you take the boat ride, the visitor center has history and one of the best shops, filled with a well-curated, unique collection. My quiche was scrumptious, my husband's veggie wrap yummy. LaSalle itself is a gem of a town with eclectic shops and...history!!

This is the cutest visitor’s center I’ve ever seen! I went in for a quick coffee, but ended up staying for over a hour. This place is a clever mix of a coffee shop, a historical information center, and a gift shop- for both boutique gifts and canal related memorabilia. It was another plus that the center opened earlier than all the other shops in the downtown area.

Everyone who worked there was friendly and ready to answer questions. We’d like to go back when the boat tours are open and try those out.

Lock 16 Cafe & Visitor Center.
A lovely cafe with tables inside and outside. Gift shop with unique historical items. Rent a bike, take a ride on the I & M canal, in a boat pulled by mule. Visit the shops in historic downtown LaSalle.

Comfortably warm friendly local atmosphere with good coffee, reasonable prices, and fresh healthy options. The Lorraine quiche I had was extremely tasty and made my morning!!!

Very friendly staff, sat outside with a mountain berry muffin and a mocha latte that was to die for!!

Very cozy . Everyone is kind and friendly
Love the ginger peach iced tea. Great place to take someone visiting from out of town. All my friends really like it!

My husband and I chose Lock 16 for our vintage wedding theme. This venue worked perfectly for many reasons.
*We both wanted the wedding and reception held at one location; we had many guests share how they felt at ease and could enjoy themselves with being able to eliminate any additional travel (for various reasons).
*We were able to comfortably seat 70 guests at circular tables, which were actually set up and used during our ceremony and afterward for the reception.
*Guests could easily walk around to mingle, frequent our dessert bar/ candy buffet and gift area near the back, grab a signature coffee drink at the coffee bar near the front of the cafe, as well as utilize a full-sized photo booth in the same area of cafe. *We loved the idea that the vintage room was so versatile that it could be used for our ceremony with use of the brick wall as a unique staple for our decor with a vintage-rustic type of backdrop and then easily turn into a dance floor for the rest of the night.
*There was plenty of space for dancing, while the opportunity was also there to sit and enjoy watching those on the dance floor, walk around, and/or converse with others.
*The hospitality of the Lock 16 staff was so appreciated by all; our guests had their plates cleared out when they were finished eating in a timely manner; our guests' tables had water pitchers refilled, etc. and they were around to help with anything that evening.

The challenges we experienced and would encourage any couple to keep in mind:
*There is no option as far as getting ready at this place, as they clearly have business hours before the wedding starts; (we ended up arranging for the bridal party to both get ready and have photos taken elsewhere).
I would really encourage any couple to consider this component and the actual feasibility of getting the bridal party together in one location/locations that is/are well-suited for getting ready and doing any wedding photos. (We were just truly fortunate to have family within close proximity to venue/each other and have a yard with landscaping that we both liked for our wedding photos.
*The time constraint between: (every person in the Bridal Party and every guest/family member attending the wedding) getting ready; trying to complete wedding photos beforehand; and then making it to the actual ceremony start time was the most stressful part. The reasons for the rush were, again, due to the nature of the business hours, (which makes sense). With business hours until 3pm, it meant having to thoroughly plan out and calculate the time that could be used for setting up everything within the 45 min timeframe (ceremony was set for 4pm).
A helpful solution was when we were allowed to utilize the vintage room (that can be closed off to public during business hours) the day before the wedding - we were able to put together 11 sets of table decor/centerpieces and hang our backdrop decor for the big brick wall.
We did end up hiring two Day-of Coordinators to ensure all 11 sets/centerpieces for tables we "prepped" and stored in vintage room (the day before wedding) could be put out quickly in the 45 minute window between business hours ending and guests arriving for the ceremony that we had starting at 4pm.

The hope is that relaying and keeping this in mind will alleviate an oversight like this, since planning a wedding is hectic. I would still highly recommend this location and really encourage consideration of the very positive feedback from both of us and from our guests. It is an absolutely adorable place and our friends from out-of-state or from the bigger cities thoroughly expressed just how quaint and beautiful everything was all evening. Our wedding night was so perfect and we are beyond appreciative of the staff at Lock 16 for doing whatever they could do within reason to make it a memorable celebration for everyone, especially for us. And I think they, too, were dancing -- we loved it :)

PC: mollydoloresphotography

A great historical and scenic experience! I definitely recommend. The staff are very interactive and welcome questions. I sincerely enjoyed it.

An interesting combination of light treats, historic canal information and souvenirs. Bought a canal boat ride from the service desk.

We stopped here for lunch as part of a tour group. The food was excellent and the little shop had great stuff. I looked at the regular menu and would like to go back on my own to try. They are open for breakfast and lunch and have a small coffee bar. After lunch we went on the canal barge boat ride which was quite charming.

I'm from out of town and didn't hold out much for a small town shops food and coffee, but I was pleasantly surprised at the quiche and the quality of my Americano.

We had a very good breakfast on a Sunday morning, the weekend Quiche was very good and the Frenchtoast was awesome! They also make some really great custom coffee drinks that blow a place like Starbucks out of the water! Would highly recommend this place to anyone passing through or visiting the area, as I assume all locals know of this treasure!

What a great find. Great food in a quaint setting. I can recommend the breakfast tacos! We had fantastic service. The young woman that took care of us was very attentive and eager to please. I look forward to going back.

The staff was really friendly and the cafe had a wonderfully calming vibe. We only ordered coffee and a cookie, but the lunch menu looked amazing.

Special shoutout for the extra clean bathroom, and patience with my two children (2 and 10 weeks). It was a perfect road trip stop!

My wife absolutely loves the wraps here! She says they are the best in the area and everytime we are near Lasalle-peru we stop in! Such friendly staff and great atmosphere!

The Milky Way latte special was delicious! The chai and wrap on another visit was also tasty. The view of the street and neat locally supported items are great for the area. The baristas and waitresses were friendly too!

Absolutely delicious coffee, got a vanilla latte I wished would never end. The Quiche Lorraine was perfection, fluffy flavorful, not over or under cooked. A real treat here in Peru.

Really nice cafe, food was great. Stopped in to get info on the I&M canal National Heritage Area, and to get a stamp for my passport. Nice map of the canal area and small gift shop. Everyone was really friendly.

This place was excellent. The workers greeted us as if we were family the atmosphere was amazing. The coffee itself was excellent and the pastries were amazing.

Very nice atmosphere! Just beautiful. The entire staff there was helpful and friendly. Cute gifts for all ages! Lots if melissa and Doug toys.