Eternal Flame on the top of the Freedom Center. You can see the Ohio River and the suspension bridge.
On November 7 & 8, Rich Horton and I traveled to Cincinnati to gather information for our proposed trip scheduled for May 16 & 17. We clocked our time from Wooster, and we were able to make it…driving the speed limit…in just a little over three hours. We went right to the Freedom Center. At the end of three hours, we found ourselves on emotional and sensory overload.
Built right on the river, the Freedom Museum is an open, artful, amazing space. I loved it, but you knew I would. An audio tour is included in the admission price. The space is huge… winding on and on to different galleries and floors. The exhibits cover walls floor to ceiling… and sprinkled throughout are movie theaters for short presentations. We saw all of them: one is an animation, one is virtual reality of sorts, one is documentary with Oprah Winfrey hosting, and one is more informational. The museum is also high tech with video screens in one area that allow you to see quick time films of various everyday heroes (that’s where I learned who Bob Marley was).
We will have a classroom space for any debriefing we might want to do.
This is a detail from a mural archway of Rookwood Pottery found in the Netherlands Hotel
This is Central Terminal
We also toured the Netherlands Hotel and Union Terminal. We went to the museum there, which like the Freedom Museum was HUGE. This museum started with little models of the city, and then the museum took us through the history of Cincinnati. We ended up in the basement where we saw a city street from the 1800. Historical interpreters were there in the dress shop (where they tried to get me to buy a dress), the print shop, and the photography studio (where a man talked to us about the new daguerreotypes). Later, we would talk to man in the machine area about milling steel. Included in the exhibits were a trolley car, a flatboat, a steamboat, and a cabin. Technology is included in the exhibits, too. In one area, busts of famous Cincinnatians lined the hall. As we passed, a spotlight shone on one, and a recorded voice, came forth. We heard the politics and opinions in first person.
Union Terminal has a huge lobby with tables. There are food vendors…but it is fast food. I believe there are classroom spaces available, and we could bring box lunches into those.
One other happy accident. We met with Dr. David Stradling, a history professor at the University of Cincinnati. He is a lifelong resident of Cincinnati. As he talked about all the great and important things to see and to know about the city, a thought popped into my head. I asked him if he’d conduct a bus tour guide for us. He checked his calendar, and he is available…and would be delighted to work with us.
I will be creating some files. I have in mind a little quiz for the bus trip down to the Freedom Museum. I have a scavenger hunt in mind for that museum, as well. Finally, I have a kind of guide for Central Terminal. I will be presenting these ideas at our December meeting in Wooster. Jann
