Cincinnati Heritage Programs Tours
For more than 30 years, the docents of Cincinnati Museum Center Heritage Programs have enjoyed sharing their passion for history through audio-visual presentations, walking and motor coach tours. As an outreach association of Cincinnati Museum Center, the all-volunteer Cincinnati Heritage Programs has unlocked doors to privately owned places generally not open to the public. All topics are thoroughly researched for accuracy. The Ambassadors of Cincinnati History strive to inspire people to learn and appreciate local Cincinnati history.
2024 Upcoming Tours
High Steel of Union Terminal
Saturday, November 9 at 10 to 11:30 a.m.; 10:30 a.m. to noon; 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Climb to the high steel trusses supporting one of the largest half-dome rotundas in the world! Visit the clock which is accessed from the 4th floor opaque glass walkway. Tour lasts about two hours, ascends 300 plus steps and has ladders in dusty, dimly lit areas.
Please note: This tour is not handicap accessible. No cameras or personal carried items are permitted on this tour. No photos are permitted. Sturdy shoes required. No dresses, open toe or high-heel shoes permitted.
Price: $35 Members; $50 Non-Members
Registration deadline: November 4
Age limit: 12 and older; guests under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Cancellation Policy: If you find it necessary to cancel, please call (513) 287-7001 prior to the registration deadline of your tour in order to receive a refund, less a $10 per person cancellation fee.
Hannaford Architectural Walking Tour
Friday, November 15 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Back by popular demand! Cincinnati’s prolific 19th century architect, Samuel Hannaford, is known and appreciated for his many designs of churches, government buildings, department stores, theaters, educational buildings, private residences and more. View the exteriors of 16 buildings that illuminate Hannaford’s legacy on this moderate 2.5 hour, 2.5 mile walking tour. The last 1/2 hour of the tour will be an interior tour of the Richardsonian Romanesque Cincinnati City Hall (City Hall visitors must walk through a metal detector).
Please note: This tour is not handicap accessible. There is standing throughout the entire tour as well as uneven sidewalks. Please dress for the weather. This tour will only be cancelled for severe weather (the severe weather date is November 21).
Price: $35 Members; $50 Non-Members
Registration deadline: November 11
Age limit: 12 and older; guests under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Cancellation Policy: If you find it necessary to cancel, please call (513) 287-7001 prior to the registration deadline of your tour in order to receive a refund, less a $10 per person cancellation fee.
Starry, Starry Night
Monday, November 18 from 7 to 9:30 p.m.
Visit the Cincinnati Observatory known as 'The Birthplace of American Astronomy'. Learn how the cornerstone of the first public observatory in the western hemisphere was laid on Mount Ida (Mount Adams) in 1843 and why it was moved to its present site in Mount Lookout thirty years later. Gaze at the stars through the world’s oldest operational telescope (weather permitting). While touring this National Historic Landmark, discover how 19th-century astronomers determined time for Cincinnati and learn how the first U.S. weather prediction was achieved. This tour meets at the Cincinnati Observatory at 3489 Observatory Place in Mount Lookout.
Please note: Parts of this tour are not handicap accessible.
Price: $35 Members; $50 Non-Members
Registration deadline: November 13
Age limit: 12 and older; guests under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Cancellation Policy: If you find it necessary to cancel, please call (513) 287-7001 prior to the registration deadline of your tour in order to receive a refund, less a $10 per person cancellation fee.
Visit Tower A
Friday, November 29 at 9 to 9:45 a.m.; 11 to 11:45 a.m.; 1 to 1:45 p.m.; 3 to 3:45 p.m.
Saturday, November 30 at 9 to 9:45 a.m.; 11 to 11:45 a.m.; 1 to 1:45 p.m.; 3 to 3:45 p.m.
Friday, December 20 at 9 to 9:45 a.m.; 11 to 11:45 a.m.; 1 to 1:45 p.m.; 3 to 3:45 p.m.
Saturday, December 21 at 9 to 9:45 a.m.; 11 to 11:45 a.m.; 1 to 1:45 p.m.; 3 to 3:45 p.m.
Heritage Programs invites you to visit Union Terminal’s Tower A, the command center for the daily 216 trains that brought thousands of travelers safely in and out of Union Terminal. Today, the room overlooks the active intermodal yard which brings cargo containers to our region.
Please note: There are approximately 35 steep steps to Tower A. No selfie sticks or tripods permitted.
Price: $10 Members; $20 Non-Members
Registration deadline: If spaces are still available, can register day-of event!
Age limit: 10 and older; guests under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Cancellation Policy: If you find it necessary to cancel, please call (513) 287-7001 prior to the registration deadline of your tour in order to receive a refund, less a $10 per person cancellation fee.
