Guided Tours

House Tours

History Walks

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General Information

Unless otherwise indicated, advance registration is not required but strongly encouraged for our publicly scheduled tours. If space is available, walk-on guests may be accepted.

Groups of 8 or more individuals must contact the Museum Education and Tour Manager in advance. A special tour may be scheduled to accommodate larger groups, but must be arranged at least 3 weeks in advance. More information can be found on our Group Tours page.

Unless otherwise indicated, tours are free for Oberlin Heritage Center members, college students with a valid ID, and children under 18 accompanied by an adult. OHC also participates in several reduced tour admission programs.

OHC has minimal restroom facilities (single-use occupancy) that are not fully accessible. We recommend that visitors plan to use the restroom before their visit.

Tour guests who have health, accessibility, or sensory concerns may reach out to the Museum Education and Tour Manager to arrange an alternative experience. More information may also be found on the Find Us/Accessibility page.

For questions, contact the Museum Education & Tour Manager or call 440-774-1700.

Guided House Tours

Public tours of the Oberlin Heritage Center’s buildings are scheduled year-round. The museum observes some holidays and typically observes an extended closure in the winter. Visitors are encouraged to check our Event Calendar to make sure the experience they want is available the day of their visit. 

House Tours

Guided Oberlin Origins + Little Red Schoolhouse Tours

Guided 45-minute tour of the first floor of the 1866 Monroe House and the 1836 Little Red Schoolhouse. Hear about the events and individuals that shaped Oberlin’s first one hundred years. Topics include Oberlin’s beginnings as a Christian Perfectionist community and its philosophies on education, abolition, integration, and more.

 

Tour Times

  • Available Thursday and Saturday at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., year round

Tour Fee

  • $6 per adult

 Jewett House Tours

A guided 45-minute tour of the Jewett House. Learn about Frank Fanning Jewett, Sarah Frances (Fanny) Gulick Jewett, Charles Martin Hall, the Aluminum Reduction Process and life in Oberlin during the Progressive Era. Additional topics include architecture, interior design, social reform, and student boarders who stayed with the family during their time at Oberlin College. Some tour dates may also include a costumed living history portrayal of Fanny Jewett. If interested, please contact the Museum Education & Tour Manager for a schedule of dates in which the costumed portrayal is offered. 

Tour Times & Details

  • Available Saturday at 11:30 a.m., year round.

Tour Fee

  • $4 per adult

History Walks

History walks are regularly scheduled during the warmer months. Please see our Event Calendar for our history walk schedule. Groups of 8 or more may arrange their own tour by contacting the Museum Education & Tour Manager at least 3 weeks in advance.

With the exception of the I-Spy Scavenger Hunt, the history walks are recommended for those aged 9 and above. However, walking tours can be modified to meet younger visitor’s interests with advance notice and preparation.

History walks may be canceled if it is raining at start time and registrants may request a refund or transfer to another history walk offering if the tour is canceled by the Oberlin Heritage Center.

Each history walk starts in a different location, so please make sure you review the directions pertaining to your specific experience.

Tour Fee
$10 per adult

History Walk Subjects

Freedom’s Friends: Underground Railroad and Abolitionist History Walk

“Oberlin is perhaps the most important station along the whole line of the Underground Railway. It has rendered the most important services to Freedom. It is second only to Canada as an asylum for the hunted fugitive.” Hear stories about Oberlin’s most famous freedom seekers and people known to have helped them make their way to freedom on this 90-minute history walk. 

Starting Location: Near the front steps of First Church, U.C.C. (106 N. Main St., Oberlin)

Civil War to Civil Rights History Walk

This 90-minute walking tour highlights historic events that reveal both Oberlin’s progress and setbacks in race relations dating from early Oberlin all the way up to the 21st Century. Learn how Oberlin was a leader in abolition, participating heavily in events such as the Oberlin-Wellington Rescue, the Raid on Harpers Ferry, and the American Civil War, but also struggled with its own issues of equality and racism during these early years and later through Reconstruction, Jim Crow, Civil Rights, and today. 

Starting Location: Near the front steps of First Church, U.C.C. (106 N. Main St., Oberlin)

Architecture Walk

Find out how the landscape, college campus, and town developed over its 180+ years on this 75-minute walking tour of Oberlin. Learn which architectural styles prevailed, which were criticized by the community, and how several renowned architects came to work in Oberlin. This tour can be linked to history, preservation, and architectural lessons in the classroom. 

Starting Location: At the flagpoles near the corner of Main and College Streets in Downtown Oberlin

“One Step More”: Oberlin Women’s History Walk

In 1834, John J. Shipherd pledged Oberlin’s commitment to “the elevation of female character” through education. Little did he know, there was dynamite in that promise, and women carried the matches. This illustrated 75-minute walking tour explores how Oberlin confronted and defined issues of femininity in the 19th and 20th centuries. Hear stories of powerful Oberlin women including Lucy Stone, Marianne Parker Dascomb, Adelia Field Johnston, Mary Church Terrell, and Lucy Stanton Day, and learn how they used John J. Shipherd’s promise to shape what it meant to be a woman in Oberlin and in the United States.

Starting Location: At the flagpoles near the corner of Main and College Streets in Downtown Oberlin

Small Downtown, Big Stories History Walk

The people and places of downtown Oberlin have come and gone. The history is rich with stories of generational commitment to serving the community. This tour draws on oral histories of those who lived through shaping and preserving the “small town-ness” that is such a part of Oberlin’s charm. Learn the history of some of the buildings, but mostly learn of the people who once walked these streets and called Oberlin home.

Starting Location: Front of the Oberlin Post Office (68 S. Main St., Oberlin)

Radicals and Reformers History Walk

Walk with us through historic Westwood Cemetery. This guided tour promises a pleasing balance of Westwood’s scenic landmarks and stories of some of the many spirited men and women of Oberlin who simply refused the status quo. Find out which resident was remembered as “gentle, soft-spoken, tolerant and yet nobody’s fool.” Visit the headstone of the man who escaped from slavery (twice!) and later served on the Oberlin village council.

Starting Location: Near Entrance to Westwood Cemetery (455 Morgan St., Oberlin)

Scholars and Settlers History Walk

Learn about the earliest residents of Oberlin and hear fascinating stories of the triumphs, debates, and scandals linked to the landmarks around Tappan Square on this hour-long walk. Compare the buildings of today to the buildings of yesteryear using historic photographs and walk away with a lively appreciation of Oberlin’s unique heritage. Whether you’ve lived in Oberlin forever or are new to the area, you’ll find much to enjoy.

Starting Location: At the flagpoles near the corner of Main and College Streets in Downtown Oberlin

Soldiers and Civilians: Oberlin and the Civil War History Walk

This 75-minute guided walk highlights local perspectives, notable figures, and interesting stories on both the war and home front during the Civil War. From Luman Tenney and Henry Chester, who with the Second Ohio Cavalry traveled 22,000 miles and fought in over thirty battles and skirmishes, to Sarah Merion and Russell Hall, both of whom offer unique views into life on the home front for students, to O.S.B. Wall, a recruiter who was one of the first African-Americans to receive a commission as a Union officer, visitors will hear some fascinating stories. Find out about camp food, calls for emancipation, small-town life in the 1860’s, and Soldiers’ Aid Societies through stories, landmarks and images. 

Starting Location: At the flagpoles near the corner of Main and College Streets in Downtown Oberlin

I Spy Oberlin: History and Architecture Scavenger Hunt

This fun program is designed for children aged 5-11 with an adult companion. Families will be guided through historic Oberlin while keeping their eyes peeled for historic markers, decorative details, and Oberlin oddities. Fun and engaging for all! The “hunt” begins at the Monroe House and traverses outside in fair weather; we will “spy” inside our historic buildings if it’s raining.

Tour Fee: $3/youth  

Starting Location: OHC’s Monroe House (73 ½ S. Professor St., Oberlin)

Specialized Tours

The following tours are occasionally offered and/or may be offered to groups that make arrangements at least 3 weeks in advance. All of the following tours start at the Monroe House (73 ½ S. Professor St., Oberlin). 

Upstairs/Downstairs Guided Tour: Small Town, Big Stories

Enjoy the lifestyles and architecture of historic Oberlin on a guided 75-minute tour of the Oberlin Heritage Center’s three beautifully preserved buildings. This tour explores the unique, nationally significant stories of Oberlin (town and college) from its beginning in 1833 until the 1930s. Learn about Oberlin’s founding as a Christian Perfectionist colony, its commitment to universal education through accepting women and African Americans into the college, how the community became a hotbed of abolition and the Underground Railroad, the social and technological movements Oberlin influenced, and much more.

Historically Inaccurate Tour

Are you a myth buster? Can you call someone’s bluff? Come test your skills on this fun, thought-provoking 75-minute tour of the Oberlin Heritage Center’s three historic buildings. This tour will include some Oberlin and national historical myths along the way, and at the end, we’ll explore what is fact or fiction.

Music in the Home Tour

Listen and learn how music was used for entertainment, fellowship, and teaching in nineteenth and early twentieth-century homes during this 60-minute guided tour of the historic properties at the Oberlin Heritage Center. Musicians and non-musicians alike will enjoy his opportunity to view musical artifacts up-close and hear sounds of the times.

Foiled Again! The Aluminum Mystery Experience

Do you enjoy mysteries? Do you like science or puzzles? If so, Foiled Again! The Aluminum Mystery Experience is perfect for your families, friends, teams, or clubs! Join us at the Oberlin Heritage Center and book this private mystery experience where your group will have a chance to help Professor Jewett solve the mystery of where his aluminum science notes went inside the Jewett House. Immerse yourself in the late 1800s as he helped his student, Charles Martin Hall discover the Aluminum Reduction Process. This teamwork-based activity is best suited for detectives over the age of 9. We recommend groups between 3-8 participants. Groups are private once booked for both publicly-scheduled offerings and as a specially-arranged group request.

Visitor Feedback

OHC strives to make every visitor’s experience a positive and memorable one, and utilizes all guest feedback to continue improving our offerings. We encourage all our visitors to share their feedback through direct communication with us and online through platforms such as Google, TripAdvisor, and Facebook.

Reduced Tour Admissions Programs

OHC offers free and reduced admissions to individuals through the following programs. More information about membership benefits and qualifying criteria can be found on the program links.