By Truda Shinker, Ohio History Connection Membership Manager

Cold weather and shorter days often give me a case of cabin fever. My grandmother used to say that she was feeling shack wacky. Whatever you call it, it’s a common affliction in Ohio this time of year. But never fear—we have the cure! Consider road tripping to one of these fun and educational sites around Ohio. With an Ohio History Connection membership, you’ll get free general admission for everyone covered under your membership level. Learn more about all the benefits of membership here.

We always advise that you call the site directly to verify opening days and hours before you head out on your road trip.

The Armstrong Air & Space Museum stands as a repository of Ohio’s aeronautical history and a monument to Ohio’s contribution to aviation and space exploration from the early pioneer days through the space shuttle era. See a moon rock, two full-sized aircraft flown by Neil Armstrong, the Gemini VIII space capsule, artifacts from the Apollo 11 mission and more. The museum gift shop offers a variety of items, including mission patches and a favorite – space ice cream! Average visit time: Allow 2+ hours.

For more information, check out our website, the Armstrong website or this blog post. You can also call the site directly at 800.860.0142.

Explore the museum and learn about Campus Martius, a civilian stockade built in 1788 as the first organized American settlement in the Northwest Territory. See the Ohio Company Land Office, reportedly the oldest building in Ohio, and the Rufus Putnam House, once part of the Campus Martius stockade. Exhibits trace the early settlement of Ohio, as well as later migrations of rural Ohioans to cities and industrial centers. Average visit time: Allow 1+ hours.

For more information, check out our website, the Campus Martius website, this great article or this blog post. You can also call the site directly at 800.860.0145.

This beautiful site includes the nation’s first presidential library, as well as our 19th president’s 31-room mansion, a two-story museum and the site where President Hayes and first lady Lucy Webb Hayes are buried. All are located within steps of each other on Hayes’ beloved estate, Spiegel Grove.

Tour the Victorian-era Hayes home, a National Historic Landmark restored to its appearance during the president’s lifetime. In the nearby Hayes Museum, explore exhibits featuring artifacts from the president’s life and administration, the Civil War and all presidents of the United States, plus a magnificent weapons collection. Average visit time: Allow 2+ hours

For more information, check out our website, the Hayes website or this blog post. You can also call the site directly at 800.998.7737.

The museum is the permanent home of one of the nation’s largest collections of Afro-American materials, with over 9,000 artifacts and artwork, 350 manuscript collections, and thousands of photographs. Items include Alex Haley’s typewriter and his final draft of Roots, a buffalo hide coat worn by a Buffalo Soldier, Gregory Hines’s tap shoes, collections representing the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s, and a vast collection of Black dolls, including the recently donated Lillian Bartok Collection. Average visit time: Allow 1+ hours.

For more information, check out our website. You can also call the site directly at 800.752.2603.

Visit Ohio’s state history museum and see exhibits featuring a variety of topics including the Civil War, natural history, WWI, the 1950s and interactive children’s activities. Explore our newest exhibit, Indigenous Wonders of Our World. Average visit time: Allow 1+ hours.

For more information, check out our website or call us directly at 800.686.6124.

Tour the restored home of Warren G. Harding, 29th president of the United States, best known as the site of his 1920 “Front Porch Campaign. This restored National Historic Landmark features many of the original furnishings owned by President Harding and his wife, Florence.  The newly constructed Harding Presidential Library & Museum showcases the life of the president and first lady. Just a mile away, visit their final resting place at the beautiful Harding Memorial. Average visit time: Allow 2+ hours.

For more information, check out our website and the Harding Sites website. You can also call the site directly at 800.600.6894.

Learn about the steel industry that dominated Youngstown in the 20th century and check out the “last heats,” the final batches of steel produced at each of the mills before they closed.

The museum features hundreds of photographs representing labor, immigration and urban history. Objects on display range from workers’ tools and clothing to hundreds of photographs, some more than 30 feet long. Life-sized scenes—including a mill’s locker room, part of a company-built house, and a blooming mill, where steel ingots were shaped for further processing—help visitors understand steelmaking and the lives of steelworkers. Average visit time: Allow 1+ hours.

For more information, check out our website or the site’s website. You can also call the site directly at 330.941.1314.