Upcoming Tours
Please note, sites visited on tours are subject to change. -->
Heritage Programs is pleased to present the following tours in celebration of America 250. Join us as we say "Happy 250th Birthday"!
Exhibit Tour of Declarative Acts and Revolutionary Actors
Thursday, August 13
11 a.m. to Noon (SOLD OUT)
AND
Thursday, August 20
11 a.m. to Noon (SOLD OUT)
Heritage Programs invites you to celebrate America 250 with an interpretive walk through Cincinnati Museum Center's special exhibit Declarative Acts and Revolutionary Actors.
To honor America 250, Cincinnati Museum Center’s History Collection Department is exhibiting national treasures from its vault for only a short time. A walk-through with Katherine Gould, Curator of History Objects & Fine Art will explain the artifacts relative to our country’s beginnings. Hear the story behind the original Fort Washington’s timber and chain and how the exemplary regimental flag of the 1st Pennsylvania Battalion became one of our nationally known priceless artifacts. Gould will also explain how the Holt Broadside of the Declaration of Independence, through printers and post riders, rallied the colonies to become a new nation.
Please note: This tour will have low light conditions in the exhibit.
Price: $20 Members; $20 Non-Members
Registration deadline: August 11 for August 13 tour. August 18 for August 20 tour.
Age limit: 12 and older; guests under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Parking: Standard parking rates at Union Terminal apply.
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
August 22, 2026
Tour Times:
10:30 to 11:15 a.m. (SOLD OUT)
Noon to 12:45 p.m.
1:30 to 2:15 p.m.
Cincinnati 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. This tour is not accessible. No selfie sticks or tripods permitted.
Price: $10 Members; $15 Non-Members
Registration deadline: If spaces are still available, guests can register day-of event!
Age limit: 10 and older; guests under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Parking: Standard parking rates at Union Terminal apply.
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.
Exhibit Tour of “Equal to Any in the City:” Ball and Thomas Photographs 1840s-1870s
Saturday, September 26, 2026
11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Heritage Programs invites you to celebrate America 250 with an interpretive walk through Cincinnati Museum Center's special exhibit “Equal to Any in the City:” Ball & Thomas Photographs 1840s–1870s.
During the 1850s, when Cincinnati was a hotbed of clashing opinions on slavery, African American entrepreneurs Ball and his brother-in-law, Alexander Thomas, became rockstars of early 19th century photography. People sought out the talented duo, In 1855, paying the equivalent of $85 in today’s dollar to have their photograph taken.
On this 90-minute walk through “Equal to Any in the City:” Ball & Thomas Photographs 1840s–1870s, Arabeth Balasko, Curator of Photographs, Prints, & Media, discusses how J.P. Ball, a free man of color, became a world-renown photographer capturing some of the most influential people of his time.
Arabeth Balasko details how she cares for the Cincinnati Museum Center’s J. P. Ball and A. S. Thomas Photographic Collection, the most complete collection of the duo’s work in the world, comprised of daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, carte de visites, tintypes and early versions of printed photos – and why these items are so special and significant to the history of American photography.
Please note: This tour will have low light conditions in the exhibit.
Price: $20 Members; $20 Non-Members
Registration deadline: August 3 for August 8 tour. September 21 for September 26 tour.
Age limit: 12 and older; guests under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Parking: Standard parking rates at Union Terminal apply.
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.
Ohio Open Doors: Cincinnati Union Terminal Tour of Rotunda and Historic Dining Rooms
September 13, 2026
Tour Times:
10 a.m. to Noon
10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Discover Union Terminal, Cincinnati's most iconic National Historic Landmark. During a tour of the 1933 train station, docents explain the architecture, construction and art of one of the finest examples of the Art Deco style. Hear details about the world-famous mosaic murals. Explore Union Terminal’s Historic Dining Rooms. Tour takes place inside Union Terminal building, two flights of stairs (24 each) up and down during the tour.
Advanced registration for this free event recommended to guarantee spots on the tour. Please arrive no later than 15 minutes before the start of the selected tour. Reserved spots will only be held to 15 minutes before the start of the selected tour.
Price: FREE Members; FREE Non-Members
Registration deadline: If spaces are still available, guests can register day-of event!
Age limit: 12 and older; guests under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Parking: Standard parking rates at Union Terminal apply.
Inclines and Overlooks Bus Tour
Saturday, October 3, 2026
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
During the late 1800s, Cincinnati had five inclines that carried people and freight away from the smoke, noise and crowds of the city basin. Discover the story of Cincinnati’s seven hills and ponder the wonders of 19th-century transportation engineering by visiting the sites of the inclined planes. Learn about the beer gardens and entertainment venues where families gathered after work and on weekends. There will be several stops on this tour that will require getting off and on the bus. Standard parking rates at Union Terminal apply.
Price: $65 Members; $70 Non-Members
Registration deadline: September 30
Age limit: 18 and older
Parking: Standard parking rates at Union Terminal apply.
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.
Tickets go on sale August 24 at 9 a.m.!
High Steel of Union Terminal
Saturday, November 7, 2026
Tour Times:
10 to 11:30 a.m.
10:30 to Noon
11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Climb to the high steel trusses supporting the largest half-dome rotunda in the world. Tour lasts about two hours, ascends 300 plus steps and has ladders in dusty, dimly lit areas. Visit the Clock which is accessed from the 4th floor opaque glass walkway.
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. Must be at least 12 years of age and under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Not accessible. Standard parking rates at Union Terminal apply.
Price: $40 Members; $55 Non-Members
Registration deadline: November 3
Age limit: 12 and older; guests under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Parking: Standard parking rates at Union Terminal apply.
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.
Tickets go on sale August 24 at 9 a.m.!
Samuel Hannaford Architecture Bus Tour
Monday, November 16, 2026
9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Samuel Hannaford, Cincinnati’s most prominent and prolific 19th-century architect, is famous for designing many of our city’s most iconic and beautiful buildings. Drive through neighborhoods containing several of Hannaford’s works such as the art deco Dalton Post Office, the Crosley Factory and Plant, the College Hill “Town Hall”, Twin Towers, Mt. Storm Park’s “Comfort Station”, along with several remarkable churches along the route. Tour the exquisite Romanesque style Norman Chapel in Spring Grove Cemetery. Tour the magnificent Neoclassical Beaux-Arts Memorial Hall with its acoustically superb Anderson auditorium and historical items.
Please note: Dress for the weather, some walking involved, wear comfortable shoes.
Price: $75 Members; $90 Non-Members
Registration deadline: November 12
Age limit: 12 and older; guests under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Parking: Standard parking rates at Union Terminal apply.
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.
Tickets go on sale August 24 at 9 a.m.!
