3 Underground Railroad Sites to Visit

As your family travels in the northeastern United States, add some history with stops at significant places on the Underground Railroad. Children can learn about the ways escaping slaves made their way north to Canada and freedom.

The story of this network of escaping enslaved Black people is both interesting and important for children to learn. Kids are also fascinated by the subterfuges, secret codes, hiding places and disguises used in this perilous journey. In some places they can see hidden rooms where escaping slaves stayed until it was safe to move on. Many of the historic sites recount actual events and escapes, and some have interactive programs designed to appeal to children.

Look for these and other sites in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Indiana.

Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center, Church Creek, Maryland

The best-known figure in the Underground Railroad story is Harriet Tubman, enslaved herself, who escaped and helped countless others to safety. The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center is set in the area where Tubman lived and worked, and is filled with multimedia exhibits about her life, her secret networks and her rescue missions. Learn about how escapees disguised themselves, where they hid, how they communicated and how they found safe houses. From here you can follow the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway to find other sights connected to her life and work.

Central Pennsylvania African American Museum, Reading, Pennsylvania

Once a station on the Underground Railroad, the Bethel AME Church is now the Central Pennsylvania African American Museum, exploring the history of the Black community and the Underground Railroad in Central Pennsylvania.

Levi and Catharine Coffin State Historic Site, Fountain City, Indiana

Three different escape routes converged in Fountain City, and the Levi and Catharine Coffin State Historic Site is located in the home that was the “Grand Central Station” of the Underground Railroad. The Coffins hid and helped more than 2,000 escaped people to safety, and you can tour the home of this Quaker family. Children can climb into a false-bottomed escape wagon, see closets that once hid escapees and hear true family stories from descendants of enslaved people.