This October, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is turning history into an experience you can feel, hear, and see. As part of America’s River Roots Festival, the museum will share powerful stories of freedom, creativity, and resilience through exhibits, performances, and immersive programming.
The free festival – running Oct. 8-12 along the riverbanks of Cincinnati, Covington and Newport – aims to celebrate the region’s river culture, music, food and history. Created to mark the nation’s 250th anniversary, the festival engages broad audiences through inclusive, community-focused programming.
The Freedom Center’s participation honors the Ohio River’s role in the nation’s fight for freedom. Downtown Cincinnati was a major hub along the Underground Railroad, and the museum commemorates the thousands of enslaved people who crossed the river seeking liberty.
Admission is free Friday, Oct. 9, and Saturday, Oct. 10, courtesy of Fifth Third Bank. But throughout the festival, museumgoers can explore the facility’s signature exhibition, “The Freedom Experience,” as well as engage with immersive installations and watch history-focused performances.
On Saturday, former Taft Museum of Art Duncanson Artists-in-Residence Annie Ruth and Ajanae Dawkins will perform an afternoon of spoken word, poetry, and storytelling, hosted by Kareem A. Simpson, Duncanson program manager. The event celebrates creativity, community, and the power of shared stories.
Other Freedom Center highlights include:
- The Anderson Slave Pen, brought to life through docents, interpreters and discussions of historical records.
- Cotton Interactive, exploring the history and labor behind the crop in the United States.
- Middle Passage Map, tracing routes and U.S. destinations of enslaved Africans.
- Historic interpreters sharing stories of Black Cincinnatians from the 19th and early 20th centuries.
- Genealogy exercises and experiential learning designed for all ages.
- Presentations, performances and artistic expressions in the Harriet Tubman Theater and Grand Hall.
The Freedom Center will be open daily during the festival from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
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