Are you planning a road schooling trip, but you’re not sure which historical sites should make it on the list? As a huge history buff and an Ohio native, let me make it easy for you by giving you the ten best historical sites Ohio has to offer.
Whether you’re looking for American history, Ohio history, or localized history, or you’re looking for something to inspire the scientific mind by celebrating the inventions and innovations of aircraft, electricity, or space travel, there’s something here for you!
1. Piatt Castle
Head over to Mac-a-Cheek Castle for a look back into the generations. The castle was built in the Gothic style by Abram Piatt and displays the history of the Piatt family since the American Revolution. The castle served as one of the family’s homes from 1871 to 1985, and it displays relics of life from a wide span of years.
On a tour, you’ll see the Cabinet of Curiosities, as well as artwork and Donn Piatt’s literary collection, including his own works. You’ll learn about how life was and how it’s changed, and you’ll be asked thought-provoking questions about your own family’s history.
The Mac-a-Cheek castle is still owned and run as a museum by the Piatt family, who use the castle and their family as a case study to encourage others to study and think about their own family history.
Another castle built by the Piatt family about the same time is the Mac-o-Chee castle, built by Donn Piatt, Abram’s brother. The family sold this castle to get funds to restore the other, but the Mac-o-Chee castle is closer to the road, so you should still be able to get a look at it even if you can’t get a tour.
2. National Air Force Museum
Come to the National Air Force Museum for the history of military aviation and displays of well over 300 aircraft and missiles. At this museum, you’ll be able to see the progression of air technology and find stories that shaped the future.
They have exhibits from the early days of the Air Force, World War II, Korea, and more. There is even a space exhibit, where they display shuttles, satellites, space suits, and even engines.
Four distinct tours are offered for free every day in the morning at 10, 11:30, and 12, and at 1 in the afternoon. The noon tour is a tour of the Space, Research & Development, Global Reach, and Presidential Galleries, and it’s repeated at 3 pm.
For some extra enrichment, try one or two of the activity worksheets (under Activities During Your Visit). They’re just a few pages each of questions for the kids to answer during or after their exploration of the exhibits: scavenger hunts to help them retain what they learn.
The museum is open with free admission from 9 am to 5 pm every day of the year except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Some activities do take an extra charge, though, including the Air Force Museum Theatre and flight simulators.
3. Neil Armstrong’s Childhood Home
Take a stop in Wapakoneta, where you can check out the aptly named “Eagle’s Landing,” the boyhood home of Neil Armstrong. The house itself is a private residence, but it’s nice to look at, and there’s a historical marker on the south side of the sidewalk that can tell you quite a bit about the first man to walk on the moon.
From there, you can go on a self-driving tour through the city and see other sites that played a significant role in Armstrong’s life.
Just a few minutes away from the house, you’ll find the Armstrong Air & Space Museum, the perfect place to learn more about Armstrong’s life and details about the moon landing. Along with Armstrong’s history, the museum also celebrates other Ohioans who have contributed to air and space accomplishments.
The museum is open from 10 am to 5 pm, but if the day you plan on visiting is on or near a holiday, you’ll want to check the calendar. In 2022, the museum was open on Labor Day but closed the following day, so they may operate similarly on other such holidays.
The exhibits of the museum include the Gemini VIII spacecraft, a moon rock from the Apollo 11 mission, and Armstrong’s space suits.
4. SunWatch Indian Village
Explore the archeological discovery that is the SunWatch Indian Village and learn about Southwest Ohio’s earliest inhabitants. This is the site where amateur archaeologists John Allman and Charles Smith found evidence of an 800-year-old settlement and excavated it to find out more about it.
Excavation and research on it continued from 1968 to1989, soon after it was opened as an archaeological park to the public. The village buildings are built in the exact locations of the ancient village’s structures, made of lath, daub, and plants native to the village’s period, with grass thatch roofs. Artifacts found in the excavation are displayed in the Interpretive Center.
When you visit, you can walk around, relax at a picnic table overlooking the village, or browse the Interpretive Center. You can learn about the history of the village and the people who lived there as well as the discovery and excavation of the village. Either way, this is a great place to see firsthand how archaeology teaches us about the people of the past.
5. Carriage Hill
To explore forests, meadows, and prairies and to learn about farm life in the 1880s, stop for a while at Carriage Hill MetroPark. This park features period farm animals and historical buildings, as well as demonstrations and reconstructed buildings.
The Historical Farm is the perfect place to go to see demonstrations of what farmers would do in the 1880s. Along with the house and the barn, there’s a blacksmith shop and a woodshop. Cooking, quilting, and canning are also demonstrated at the farm.
The MetroPark also has a visitor’s center, where you can learn the history of the farm, as well as a horseback riding center. The Riding Center hosts programs such as trail rides, pony rides, and summer horse camps. They also do riding lessons in the spring and the fall.
The park also features a lake, wetlands, and hiking trails. Cedar Lake is a good fishing destination for crappies and sunfish. The wetlands are a good place to observe and learn about the native wildlife. The hiking trails allow you to explore and enjoy the natural terrain surrounding the farm.
6. Ohio History Center
The Ohio History Center is the perfect place to take a deep dive into Ohio’s history. The first gallery alone shows historical transportation, farming, and even kitchenware, as well as a display of World War I era collections and an exhibit with art from four Ohio artists. That’s not even close to all you’ll find in this museum.
The second gallery displays unique furniture, pottery, and glassware in a way that lets you see much more of the collection than a different museum might. You’ll find this open storage set to be a theme at this museum.
For a special focus on the American Dream, check out the 1950s area, where you’ll find a fully furnished Lustron home that you can examine to your heart’s content. Then, watch the videos and read the panels to learn more about Ohioan life during the 1950s.
In the Follow the Flag room, you can learn about the Civil War and see Ohioan relics from that time: battle flags, photographs, weapons, and more.
You’ll also find an exhibit devoted to Ohio’s natural history, including animals, geology, and climate. These displays show rocks and minerals as well as taxidermy mounts of animals that used to live in Ohio. You’ll also meet Conway, the reconstructed skeleton of a mastodon.
7. National Underground Railroad Freedom Museum
Celebrate and honor the history of the Underground Railroad at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Museum. At this monument to human freedom, you can learn about the importance of the struggles for freedom and the stakes that come along with that struggle.
Exhibits include presentations and performances that illustrate stories of challenge, courage, and cooperation. They also have info panels on important figures of the early Underground Railroad like Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass.
The museum also shows that the fight for freedom goes on to this day: though slavery isn’t publicly common or accepted today as it was centuries ago, it still exists in the subtler and more hushed-up form of human trafficking. This exhibit brings that issue to light, and it follows it up by promoting anti-slavery organizations around the world.
8. Buffington Island Battlefield
For some Civil War history specific to Ohio, visit the Buffington Island Battlefield. The Buffington Island Battle was the only significant battle of the Civil War that took place in Ohio. The name can be misleading because it took place near the bank of the Ohio river rather than on the island.
This is a 4-acre park dedicated to the memory of that battle, which led to the end of Morgan’s raid. Morgan’s raid was the attempt of Confederate Brigadier General Morgan to distract Union troops and pull them away from the other battles in Tennessee.
You’ll find nearby a plaque for Major Daniel McCook, who was mortally wounded in the battle. To learn more about the battle, you’ll want to go to the Ohio History Center, but you’ve got to admit there’s something different about standing on the ground where it happened rather than just reading about it.
The park is open with free admission from dawn to dusk every day of the year.
9. Thomas Edison’s Birthplace
For some special science history, visit Milan, Ohio, where you’ll find the birthplace and early boyhood home of Thomas Edison. At the Edison Birthplace Museum, you’ll be able to see family momentos alongside a collection of Edison’s early inventions.
At this museum, you’ll learn about how Edison grew up to become the most famous inventor ever. You’ll learn about his life, including his family, and how the town of Milan was doing during that time. You’ll learn about all of his various inventions, too.
The museum’s website has a collection of downloadable documents for kids, too, to enrich their experience and learning.
These present information about Edison in a different way so that the kids have multiple opportunities to learn and understand. These may be good to use before or after your visit to supplement the experience.
In order to visit, you’ll want to set up an appointment for a guided tour. You can do that by calling ahead or making an appointment online. They offer tours from May through December.
The museum itself was opened by Edison’s own wife and daughter, and the site still has his family involved, with some of his great-grandchildren on the Board of Trustees, and the President is his great-great-great nephew.
10. Cuyahoga Valley Historical Museum
For some more localized history, visit the Cuyahoga Valley Historical Museum. This museum is part of the Peninsula Library and Historical Society, and it’s here to help you examine and interpret the history of the Peninsula and the area around it, such as the historical canal villages of Boston and Everett.
The museum exhibits include photographs, documents, and historical maps that show what happened around here and how things used to be.
If you’re into architecture or design, you’ll be interested to know that John Eisenmann, the same guy who designed the Ohio state flag, designed the building that houses this museum, though it was originally built to be a high school. The building is now called the Boston Township Hall, and the museum is located on the second floor.
That’s one of the cool things about all of these historical sites: they show us how things were and let us compare them to how things are now.
You’ll want to check the hours for yourself on the Peninsula Library’s website since they seem to be subject to change, and the Peninsula Library is in charge of it. To be safe, it’s probably a good idea just to call ahead and make an appointment, which should free you from the restrictions of normal hours.
Don’t Forget to Document Your Travel Adventures
Looking for a great travel journal? Here are my top picks:
Conclusion
Many people forget about Ohio, but it’s our home state so we know all the best places to explore and learn. What are some of your favorite stops in Ohio? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
