Every one of us has a body — an intricate molecular machine with remarkable interdependent systems. Most of the time it works so well we may take it for granted. But sooner or later, every one of us will experience injury, disease and aging. There are some basic things we can do to support our bodies’ overall wellness and natural ability to repair and recover. We can also look to innovations in medicine, technology and our community to alleviate suffering and give us hope.

This cutting-edge exhibit will explore the intersection between human biology and pathology; the systems and environments that contribute to health or illness; and medical, technical and social innovations that help people feel better. Using an innovative “person-forward” approach, the new exhibit will feature patient, innovator and healthcare provider stories, as well as fun interactive experiences that illustrate how bodies work and the innovations and interventions we rely on when things break down. The exhibit will also highlight the Greater Cincinnati region’s rich history, present and future in medical research, encouraging guests to consider career pathways in the healthcare, engineering and technology sectors.

Cincinnati, as we know it today, was founded in 1788 but humans have long inhabited the region’s riverbanks and hills. For more than 12,000 years, humans have called southwest Ohio home, leaving behind traces of their civilizations that Cincinnati Museum Center’s archaeologists have been working to piece together. The new Indigenous Peoples Gallery unites history and science, using technology, historic research and dogged investigation to explore our region’s earliest inhabitants.

You Are Here shares stories of Cincinnati’s history – its people, places, traditions and struggles – that spark curiosity about how life in the city was, is and can be. The gallery is centered around three themes: Living Here, Working Here and Playing Here. Whether you’re born and raised, a transplant or just passing through, Cincinnati leaves its mark.  The gallery opened in 2020 to share stories of our region’s history and engage guests in dialogue about our future.

Shaping Our City explores how rivers, rails and roads have shaped and defined our region over the centuries. Transportation has spurred and been spurred by innovation, which Shaping Our City showcases through a selection of vehicles, maps, objects and interactive elements. As much as transportation has provided access, it has also impaired access. One of the questions the gallery examines is how Cincinnati’s urban design has both connected and divided the city and its people.

As one of the best-loved galleries in the Cincinnati History Museum, Cincinnati in Motion, the downtown portion returns as a refreshed and renewed space in Union Terminal. The renovated gallery offers cleaned and repaired historic S-gauge train models, new lighting and sound, more opportunities to interact with historic and updated content, glimpses at the inner mechanics of the models and stronger visual connections to Cincinnati’s skyline just outside Union Terminals’ windows.

Join us as we bring science to life on the Austin E. Knowlton Foundation Science Stage! Science Live! Stage Shows explore scientific concepts such as electricity, chemistry, and physics in easily understandable (and often explosive) ways.

Innovation is in our civic DNA and Cincinnati Museum Center is highlighting the manufacturers, tinkerers, makers and industry leaders who power Porkopolis, the Queen of the West and the modern tech hub. From the Industrial Revolution to wartime industry to the tech startup scene, Made in Cincinnati lets guests literally make history.

Among interactive object displays, detailed environments and personal narratives guests can prototype new inventions and assemble iconic pieces of the city’s manufacturing triumphs.