13 ClosetoCleveland Travel Destinations That Bring Groundbreaking Women To Life, From Harriet Tubman To Annie Oakley

© Thomas Ondrey/cleveland.com/TNS The Saxton McKinley Home, former residence of Ida and William McKinley, is part of the First Ladies National Historic Site, located in downtown Canton.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Sure, you can read about Harriet Tubman in the history books. Or peruse facts about Susan B. Anthony online.

Or you can travel to western New York and see for yourself where Tubman, the famous Underground Railroad conductor, sought refuge in her later years. And where Anthony was arrested merely for voting in 1872.

The two sites are among more than a dozen destinations within easy reach of Cleveland where travelers can explore the lives of women who changed history.

There’s also the National Annie Oakley Center in Greenville, Ohio, the First Ladies National Historic Site in Canton and the Rosa Parks bus outside Detroit.

TourismOhio recently put together an Ohio Women in History Road Trip, including nine stops throughout the state that explore the unique contributions of Ohio women to American life, from Victoria Woodhull to Harriet Beecher Stowe.

But you don’t have to stay in Ohio to immerse yourself in women’s history. Western New York, in particular, has numerous important sites related to women’s suffrage, as well as the women’s movement generally.

Whether you’re looking to inspire your daughter (or son), educate yourself or need a close-to-home spring-break idea, here are 13 places where you can learn more about some of the country’s most influential women.

Harriet Tubman National Historical Park, Auburn, N.Y.

Born into slavery in Maryland in 1822, Harriet Tubman – born Araminta Ross – escaped to Philadelphia in 1849 and spent the rest of her life helping others reach freedom. She bought a small piece of land near Auburn, New York in 1859, where she retired after the Civil War. In her later years, she was active in the women’s suffrage movement, which also had a strong presence in western New York.

Auburn, on the northern end of Owasco Lake in New York’s Finger Lakes region, is about five hours east of Cleveland. Tubman’s home, 180 South St., is open for tours Tuesday through Saturday. Reservations are preferred. Call 315-252-2081 or go to harriettubmanhome.com.

Susan B. Anthony House, Rochester

In her later years, Tubman worked to secure women’s voting rights with suffrage pioneer Susan B. Anthony, who lived in nearby Rochester. Anthony’s home, at 17 Madison St., is open to the public 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. This is where she was arrested in 1872 for voting in the presidential election. The home also served as headquarters of the National American Woman Suffrage Association when Anthony was the organization’s president, in the 1890s. Information: susanb.org

© Susan Glaser/cleveland.com/TNS A statue in downtown Seneca Falls, New York, depicts the 1851 introduction of women's rights pioneers Susan B. Anthony to Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

Women’s Rights National Historical Park, Seneca Falls, New York

Seneca Falls – a short drive from Rochester and Auburn — was home to the world’s first women’s-rights convention in 1848, organized by civil-rights pioneers Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. More than 130 years later, in 1980, the National Park Service honored the meeting and the movement by creating the Women’s Rights National Historical Park, which includes Wesleyan Chapel, where the convention occurred, as well as the nearby home of Stanton and several other buildings. For information: nps.gov/wori/index.htm

Seneca Falls is also home to the National Women’s Hall of Fame, which honors more than 300 groundbreaking women throughout American history. Honorees include Tubman, Anthony, Eleanor Roosevelt and hundreds of others. Information: womenofthehall.org

Upton House, Warren

Northeast Ohioan Harriet Taylor Upton led the suffrage movement from Trumbull County for several years in the early 20th century. Upton, a close friend of Susan B. Anthony, helped relocate the national headquarters of the National American Woman Suffrage Association to her home in Warren in 1903 and then to the Trumbull County Courthouse in 1905.

Under Upton’s direction, the association grew into a well-organized force that finally achieved success in 1920, with the ratification of the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing women the right to vote. The house, at 380 Mahoning Ave. SW, is open for tours upon request. Information: uptonhouse.org

Robins Hunter Museum, Granville

Ohio native Victoria Woodhull ran for president in 1872 – well before women were granted the right to vote for her. The Robbins Hunter Museum in Granville, east of Columbus, features a clock created in her honor. Every hour, a carved figure of Woodhull emerges from the tower to remind passersby of her legacy. The museum reopens for the season on Saturday, April 1. Information: robinshunter.org

Oberlin College and Conservatory

Oberlin College, in Lorain County, has admitted women since its founding in 1833, the oldest continuously operating coeducational liberal arts college in the United States. However, women weren’t eligible to receive bachelor’s degrees until 1841 — making Oberlin the first school to award bachelor’s degrees to women in a coed setting. The school admitted Black students in 1835, making it one of the first U.S. colleges to admit African Americans. For tour information: oberlin.edu

Harriet Beecher Stowe House, Cincinnati

In 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” the antislavery novel that fueled the abolitionist movement leading up to the Civil War. Born in Connecticut, Stowe moved to Cincinnati in 1832 to join her father, who was president of Lane Theological Seminary, known for hosting some of the first public debates about slavery. The family home in Cincinnati, at 2950 Gilbert Ave., is in the midst of a long-term renovation. It offers exhibits on Stowe, the Lane Seminary, the Underground railroad and more. Information: stowehousecincy.org

First Ladies National Historic Site, Canton

The Saxton McKinley House, at 331 Market Ave. S in downtown Canton, was the family home of First Lady Ida Saxton McKinley, wife of 25th President William McKinley. It’s also where she and her husband lived from 1878 to 1891, when he was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1998, the home, along with an adjacent bank building, was converted into the First Ladies National Historic Site, a National Park Service site honoring the lives and work of the spouses of our country’s chief executives. Information: nps.gov/fila

Ladies’ Gallery, Columbus

In 1922, two years after passage of the 19th Amendment, six women were elected to the Ohio General Assembly, including Nettie McKenzie Clapp and Maude Comstock Waitt of Cuyahoga County. Since then, more than 150 women have served in the halls of the Ohio Capitol. The Ladies’ Gallery inside the Ohio Statehouse honors these first female legislators, as well as all women who have served in the Ohio General Assembly. Information: ohiostatehouse.org/museum/ladies-gallery/about

National Annie Oakley Center, Greenville

A famous markswoman known for her sharpshooting, Annie Oakley was a star in a male-dominated field, a world-wide entertainer featured in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show in the late 1800s. Born in western Ohio’s Darke County in 1860, Oakley was passionate about inspiring and empowering women. The National Annie Oakley Center, part of the Garst Museum in Greenville, is open Tuesday through Saturday. Information: garstmuseum.org

Rosa Parks bus, Dearborn, Michigan

When Rosa Parks famously refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery in December 1955, the Alabama seamstress helped launch the civil-rights movement. The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Dearborn, Michigan, acquired the bus in 2001; visitors are able to sit in the vehicle and feel the power of Parks’ action. Information: thehenryford.org

International Women’s Air and Space Museum, Cleveland

Located inside Cleveland’s Burke Lakefront Airport, the International Women’s Air and Space Museum offers an overview of female pioneers in the aviation and aerospace fields, including Amelia Earhart, Harriet Quimby, Bessie Coleman and others. The museum also includes exhibits on the International Space Station and Mercury 13, an early 1960s program that trained women to be astronauts. The museum is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Information: iwasm.org

Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum, Jamestown, New York

Lucille Ball, who grew up in western New York, was one of the most influential women in comedy and television, the star of “I Love Lucy” and other shows and movies. The Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum in Jamestown recounts the star’s early days, her boundary-breaking success on the set with husband Desi Arnaz and much more.

Also in Jamestown: The National Comedy Center, which showcases the works of ground-breaking female comedians including Ball, Carol Burnett, Betty White, Amy Poehler and others. Information: lucy-desi.com, comedycenter.com

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