Take a Historic Road Trip Into the Future
The past is a roadmap to the future, if we just know how to read it. Start by learning about the places that shaped us!
This piece is a complement to The Story of You: A Guide to Navigating Your Civic Season Journey, created in collaboration with our Civic Season Design Fellows and partners across the country for Civic Season 2023.
As you travel this summer, you might find yourself thinking—
“Where did THAT name come from?”
“I wonder what used to be here?”
“Who used to live on this land?”
Autio has answers.
This collection of stories, told by master storytellers like Kevin Costner, Phil Jackson, and John Lithgow, with the power to bring the landscape, its people, and its history alive as you pass through it. Made By Us has partnered with Autio to bring the stories of places where history happened that you can visit this Civic Season!
Westport Museum for History and Culture in the Bradley-Wheeler House — Westport, CT
Bradley-Wheeler House, the Westport Museum’s headquarters, at 25 Avery Place, Westport, Connecticut, was built in 1795 and then remodeled in the Italianate style in the 19th Century — it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Connecticut Register of Historic Places as well as a Historic Landmark! Westport itself has a fascinating history, including being a creative hub in the early 1900s that drew folks like F. Scott Fitzgerald, and being the site of the first witch panic (sorry Salem).
The Autio tour is coming soon — meanwhile, explore their Civic Season program!
The Historic New Orleans Collection in the French Quarter — New Orleans, LA
Founded in 1966, The Historic New Orleans Collection is a museum, research center, and publisher dedicated to the stewardship of the history and culture of New Orleans and the Gulf South. THNOC operates three campuses in the heart of the French Quarter. In observance of our founders’ request to make historical resources available to all, admission is free. The buildings alone — 13 structures built in four different centuries, from the Spanish colonial period to the present — are cool artifacts.
Take the Autio tour, then explore their Civic Season program!
Westport Museum for History and Culture in the Bradley-Wheeler House — Westport, CT
Bradley-Wheeler House, the Westport Museum’s headquarters, at 25 Avery Place, Westport, Connecticut, was built in 1795 and then remodeled in the Italianate style in the 19th Century — it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Connecticut Register of Historic Places as well as a Historic Landmark! Westport itself has a fascinating history, including being a creative hub in the early 1900s that drew folks like F. Scott Fitzgerald, and being the site of the first witch panic (sorry Salem).
The Autio tour is coming soon — meanwhile, explore their Civic Season program!
Museum of History and Industry in the Naval Reserve Armory — Seattle, WA
MOHAI embraces Seattle’s long tradition of inventiveness, ingenuity and innovation. The city’s population is drawn from many nations and traditions, which sometimes come together in a common cause, and other times pull apart in conflicts over race and class. The museum’s galleries are housed in the historic Naval Reserve Armory, and their collections tell a complex history — from innovation in aviation and agriculture to the fight for labor rights and indigenous sovereignty.
Take the Autio tour, then explore their Civic Season program!
Ford’s Theatre — Washington, D.C.
A visit to Ford’s Theatre is a step back in time. You will learn about the events of April 14, 1865, and the lasting impact of Lincoln’s assassination on our nation. But Ford’s is also a study in how to commemorate tragedy without celebrating violence. After the U.S. government announced plans to restore the building to its 1865 appearance in 1964, leaders of the Actors’ Equity Association — the union for stage actors — expressed concern that restoring the theatre without putting plays on stage would make the space a monument to what John Wilkes Booth did, rather than a place to commemorate Lincoln. That idea as at the heart of Ford’s Theatre today, making the site a living memorial to Lincoln through the performing arts.
Take the Autio tour, then explore their Civic Season program!
Robert Russa Moton Museum in Farmville, VA
The Moton Museum an essential part of the story of school desegregation, and is one of the eight sites included in the unique Brown v. Board of Education Historic Park.
Take the Autio tour, then read our piece about them in Teen Vogue!
California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento State Historic Park — Sacramento, CA
Home to 225,000 square-feet of exhibits and beautifully restored railroad cars and locomotives, the California State Railroad Museum first opened to the public in 1976. The machines and numerous exhibits illustrate how railroads have shaped people’s lives, the economy, and the unique culture of California and the West. Included are a Pullman-style sleeping car and a dining car filled with railroad china. Plus, take a ride on a historic locomotive! Who doesn’t love trains?
Take the Autio tour, then explore their Civic Season program!
Revolutionary Spaces in the Old State House — Boston, MA
Revolutionary Spaces connects people to the history and continuing struggle to create and sustain a free society through the interwoven stories of Boston’s Old State House — site of the Boston Massacre — and Old South Meeting House, where the Boston Tea Party began. The organization stewards these two buildings as gathering spaces for the open exchange of ideas and the continuing practice of democracy, inspiring all who believe in the power of people to govern themselves.
Take the Autio tour, then explore their Civic Season program!
The DuSable Black History Museum & Education Center — Chicago, IL
Founded in 1961 by artist, educator, writer and activist Margaret Taylor Burroughs in her home as the Ebony Museum of Negor History and Art, The DuSable is the nation’s first independent museum celebrating Black culture. Today, the museum holds a diverse collection of more than 15,000 pieces — paintings, sculpture, print, and historical memorabilia. Their programs and exhibits often harness innovative digital and virtual experiences.
Take the Autio tour, then explore their Civic Season program!
Take a Road Trip!
Looking for some fun trivia for your summer road trip? Check out “Trivia for a Historic Road Trip” in The Story of You: A Guide to Navigating Your Civic Season Journey.
