Funny nickname for Cincinnati, Ohio. In doing some research, there seem to be some disputes as to origin, and as to whether they have the right to claim this title at all, or if it belongs to another city. 

I wanted to visit the Underground Railroad freedom museum, but I only wanted to bring the girls. Mainly because I didn’t feel the boys could maintain the site deserved. The subject matter was heavy, we we have covered slavery, so it wasn’t a surprise. 

The most meaningful slave-era exhibit, to me, was the slave holding pen. It was a building, like a jail, that held black people on their way to auction. It was not a recreation, but an actual building, preserved in a barn for many years. There were names, taken from the slave records, on a plaque. As I stood in that building I could feel the raw emotions, the very souls of those men, women, and children that passed through those walls. 

The most thought-provoking (and disturbing) exhibit for my girls was the one on modern day slavery. We spoke of modern definitions of slavery, and how and where it happens. As is human nature and their sheltered lives, they couldn’t wrap their brains around how it was possible in their community, to people they may come into contact with. It was an exhibit full of hard questions for us.

   
 
After the museum closed (never enough time) we headed across the street, down by the Ohio River to meet up with the boys at a riverfront park. It was super fun, with fast slides, a foot piano, water play, and bench swings overlooking the river, and Kentucky.