CINCINNATI – The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center faced off against 19 other museums across the country for the title of Best History Museum in the country. Over a four-week nationwide vote, the nationally-accredited museum garnered the second-most votes in USA TODAY’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. This is the fifth consecutive year the Freedom Center has finished in the top three (placing first in 2023).
“History’s relentless, courageous pursuit of freedom and the struggle to attain it in this country matters. For the fifth year in a row, people reaffirmed that these stories matter,” said Woodrow Keown, Jr., president & COO of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. “As we continue to share these stories and the looming shadow of slavery and its lasting legacy in our country, we are endlessly grateful for everyone who has visited, supported and voted for us. We applaud those organizations and individuals who continue to remain committed to the cause of freedom nationally and globally.”
Since its opening in 2004, the Freedom Center has shared stories of freedom’s heroes from the era of the Underground Railroad to modern day. It is symbolically located on the banks of the Ohio River, where many enslaved people took their first steps on free soil after self-liberating through the Underground Railroad in the mid-1800s. The Freedom Center honors that legacy through immersive, thought-provoking exhibits, programming and films to be a convener of dialogue around issues of freedom, the denial of freedom, systemic racism, implicit bias and modern-day enslavement.
The Freedom Center is also developing a new exhibit that will ensure its content remains relevant and continues to share stories that will inform the current and changing dynamics of the ongoing social justice movement.
To ensure its galleries and stories are accessible to the entire community, the Freedom Center partnered with the Fifth Third Foundation to start Fifth Third Community Days, providing free admission on the fifth and third Sunday each month, plus MLK Day and Juneteenth, through 2026.
“Being recognized among the best history museums in the nation is an honor for our entire city, which continues a legacy that champions freedom and ensures the rich tapestry of our shared cultural heritage is woven with the many, varied voices who have shaped it,” added Keown.
This year, Cincinnati is home to not one but two of the nation’s top history museums as Cincinnati Museum Center’s Cincinnati History Museum finished third in voting.
For more information about the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, visit freedomcenter.org
