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Travel Itineraries

The following one, two and three day travel itineraries were developed for the new Heritage Travel website, Gozaic.  Enjoy!

 

Day Trip in Oberlin


This one day visit can be experienced entirely on foot, by bike or by car.  All sites in the proposed one day itinerary are within easy walking distance of one another.  See our Explore Oberlin page for information about restaurants and mentioned attractions.

10:30 a.m. - Take the Oberlin Heritage Center tour (3 historic sites, 1836-1884; tours are given on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and by appointment for groups).  Or, take an 11:00 a.m. history walk of the history and architecture around Tappan Square or Freedom's Friends: an Underground Railroad and Abolitionist History Walk. (Offered on some Saturdays in the warmer months; see the Event Calendar for offerings.)

12:15 p.m. - Lunch in the Downtown Historic District.

1:00 p.m. – Explore the galleries, shops and architecture of the downtown Oberlin National Register Historic District and the landmark buildings on the Oberlin College campus.

2:30 p.m. – Visit the FAVA (Firelands Association for the Visual Arts) gallery and store in the New Union Center for the Arts (1874), an elegant, renovated Gothic Revival style former school.

3:30 p.m. – Visit the Allen Memorial Art Museum (Cass Gilbert, architect, 1917 with an addition by Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown). This is one of the nation’s finest college art museum collections and the building and nearby sculptures and monuments are also well worth exploring.  Across the street is a historical marker for the Underground Railroad and a bench erected as part of Toni Morrison's Bench by the Road project.

4:30-6:00 p.m. – Take a Biking or Walking tour of Historic Sites or visit Westwood Cemetery (self-guided brochures available). 

6:00 p.m. - Dine downtown.

Evening – Take in a concert or a lecture at Oberlin College (many are free; visit www.oberlin.edu for a complete listing), or take in a movie at the historic Apollo Theatre. 

 
 

Two-Day Trip


Day One (Thursday or Sat)

10:30 a.m. Take the Oberlin Heritage Center tour (3 historic sites, 1836-1884; tours are given on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and by appointment for groups).  This is a great intro to the community and the museum store contains extensive free visitor information.

Lunch in the downtown Historic District.

1:00 p.m. – Explore the galleries and shops in the downtown Oberlin National Register Historic District and the landmark buildings on the Oberlin College campus.

2:30 p.m. – Visit the FAVA gallery in the New Union Center for the Arts (1874, National Register) which features works of local artists.

3:30 p.m. – Visit the Allen Memorial Art Museum (Cass Gilbert, architect, 1917 with an addition by Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown). This is one of the nation’s finest college art museum collections. 

4:30-6:00 p.m. – Take a Biking or Walking tour of Historic Sites or visit Westwood Cemetery, a park-like cemetery that is the burial ground for many interesting and important individuals including reformers, freedom fighters, former slaves, Civil War soldiers, and more. (self-guided brochures available)

6:00 p.m. - Dine downtown.

Evening – Take in a concert, play, or a lecture at Oberlin College, a summer band concert at Tappan Square, or a movie at the historic Apollo Theatre.

Day Two (Friday or Saturday)

Saturdays in Summer – stop in at the Farmers’ Market on S. Main Street on Saturday morning and stop in for the free Saturdays at the Schoolhouse family program at the Oberlin Heritage Center across the street (check for scheduling).

11:00 a.m. Enjoy a history walk of the history and architecture of the college and community around Tappan Square, or a Freedom’s Friends: Underground Railroad and Abolitionist History Walk. (Offered in the summer months and requires advance reservation; see www.oberlinheritage.org for availability and reservations.)

12:30 p.m. Lunch downtown.

Afternoon – Explore Oberlin’s African American Heritage on a self-guided driving or biking tour; or, ride your bike along the North Coast Inland Trail or on the Backroads and Beaches tour.

Evening – Take in a concert or a lecture at Oberlin College, or a movie at the historic Apollo Theatre.

 
 

Oberlin & Beyond (Three-Day Trip)

 

Day One (Thursday or Saturday)

10:30 a.m. Take the Oberlin Heritage Center tour (3 historic sites, 1836-1884; Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and by group appointment). 

Lunch in the Oberlin National Register Historic District.

1:00 p.m. – Explore the galleries and shops downtown and the landmark buildings on the Oberlin College campus.

2:30 p.m. – Visit the FAVA gallery in the New Union Center for the Arts.

3:30 p.m. – Visit the Allen Memorial Art Museum.

4:30-6:00 p.m. – Take a Biking or Walking tour of Historic Sites or visit Westwood Cemetery. (self-guided brochures available)

6:00 p.m. - Dine downtown.

Evening – Take in a concert, play, or a lecture at Oberlin College, a summer band concert at Tappan Square, or a movie at the historic Apollo Theatre.

Day Two (Friday or Saturday)

Saturdays in Summer – Stop in at the Farmers’ Market on S. Main Street in the morning and then the free Saturdays at the Schoolhouse family program at the Oberlin Heritage Center (check for scheduling).

11:00 a.m. Enjoy a themed history walk around historic Oberlin (Summer months)

12:30 p.m. Lunch downtown.

Afternoon – Explore Oberlin’s African American heritage on a self-guided tour; or, ride your bike along the local trails.

Evening – Take in a concert, lecture, or a movie.


Day Three (Saturday or Sunday)


On Sunday, you may wish to attend the 10:00 a.m. service at First Church, U.C.C. The simple and spare interior of the historic Meeting House is a treat.

 

Enjoy the pools and workout rooms at Splash Zone or head south, rent a canoe at Findley State Park and explore the historic downtown of Wellington. Head north to Lorain and take in a show at the historic Palace Theater.  Visit Elyria, home of the elegant “Hickories” mansion (the Lorain County Historical Society).


Head back to Oberlin to tour the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Usonian style Weltzheimer Johnson House. (Open certain Sundays only)

Take a zipline Canopy Tour at Common Ground, outside of Oberlin.


Explore more!

Heritage and cultural sites within about an hour of Oberlin:

Further afield