National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

Costumed storytellers bring their triumphant stories alive for the continuous flow of schoolchildren who tour this don't-miss museum. Adults appreciate it, too. On the banks of the Ohio River downtown, the $110-million center traces 500 years of oppression and focuses on slavery that exists today in various parts of the world. The history of American slavery focuses on Africans' arrival in the New World through Colonial times and the Civil War, and the bravery of abolitionists involved in the underground railroad. Interactive displays in three pavilions include educational activities and gripping films -- including one narrated by Oprah Winfrey. The modern Italian-marble and copper-sheathed building's most sobering site is the old log-cabin-like slave pen that was recovered from nearby Kentucky and carefully reconstructed on-site.

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