14. Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center

Honoring a Hero

The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center is open Tuesday-Sunday, 10am-4pm. Closed Monday. No reservations needed.

The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center is located amid the landscapes where Tubman lived and toiled. The unspoiled scenes in the area look much as they would have in Tubman’s time. The Tubman Visitor Center features 10,000 square feet of engaging, enlightening multimedia exhibits about her life. It’s a great stop itself and a great launching point for exploring the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway, a scenic, self-guided driving tour that includes 36 sites related to Tubman and the Underground Railroad on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, with more sites in Delaware leading to Philadelphia.

The visitor center is open 10am-4pm, Tuesday through Sunday. No reservations needed. Admission is free, but donations are welcome.

Exhibits feature information about Tubman’s childhood and young adulthood, living and laboring under slavery here in Dorchester County and neighboring Caroline County. The center immerses visitors in the secret networks of the Underground Railroad and Tubman’s own daring rescue missions. Exhibits also feature Tubman’s actions during the Civil War, and her later years as a suffragist, civil rights worker and humanitarian. The exhibits emphasize her values of faith, family, community, and freedom. Tubman’s story is still relevant today, transcending race, gender, age, religion, and nationality — and shows us that regardless of circumstances, you can make choices that positively impact others.

The 10,000-square-foot visitor center includes exhibits as well as a theater that tell the stories of Harriet Tubman’s life and work. It also includes a classroom, gift shop, and library. If you’re bringing children, be sure to stop by the front desk and ask about the Junior Ranger program. The state park’s 17 acres include a meditation garden, nature trails and a 2,600-square-foot outdoor pavilion (for gatherings of no more than 75 people) available by rental (email htursp.dnr@maryland.gov for details). The center includes state-of-the-art green elements such as bioretention ponds, rain barrels and vegetative roofs.

To request a tour for a group, complete the tour request form.

The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center is operated by the Maryland Park Service in partnership with the National Park Service to honor Harriet Tubman. It opened to the public in March 2017. For more information, go to the Tubman Visitor Center website.