Follow the North Star
#FNS
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November 7-9, 14-16 & 21-23, 2013
Reservations required: Call 317.776.6006
Program start times are staggered between 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Program length is 90 minutes
$20/non-member ($17/member)
You must be age 12 or older for the program
Follow the North Star Attendee Survey
Leave the comfort of the world you know...
Become a runaway on the Underground Railroad, fleeing from captivity, risking everything for freedom. What will you experience on your quest for a new life?
Come face-to-face with slave hunters, see fear and hope in the eyes of a fellow runaway and be encouraged by a Quaker family. Experience life as a fugitive slave during your journey through one of the most compelling periods in Indiana's history.
Conner Prairie’s nationally acclaimed, award-winning Follow the North Star experience, developed from years of extensive research, is unlike any other. This interactive glimpse into our shared past will affect you in ways that reading a book or watching a movie about it cannot.
Since 1998, nearly 60,000 people have participated in this program. Follow the North Star offers a powerful diversity training tool and effective educational experience for:
- Groups: Bring your civic, church or corporate group for a compelling experience.
- Individuals: Come alone or with friends and family.
- Schools: Bring school groups for daytime, age-appropriate programming. (Teachers - see our field trips section for ways to include your students in the program.) Or sign up for the Follow the North Star public evening program and pay $19 per student.
Follow the North Star is not for everyone. You should be prepared to take on the role of a runaway slave; you'll be walking outside on rough terrain in all kinds of weather, told to keep your eyes focused downward and spoken to in an abrupt manner.
An educator's praise
Thanks again for the North Star experience. The kids responded to the program better this year than I can ever remember. Thank you for continuing to offer a one-of-a-kind experience that I can reference the rest of the year when talking about slavery, the UGRR or any related topic. We feel fortunate to be able to attend such a great program.
Alan Hughes, Our Lady of Mount Carmel School
Students' perspective on their Follow the North Star experience
What's it really like to go through the program? Read firsthand accounts of this journey from two students who followed the North Star.
Anat, 8th grader
I find myself wondering, would I have had the strength to run away? Would I have the courage to hide runaway slaves? As many books as I read about this time period, this program was ideal for seeing how I would truly act were I a slave or worker on the Underground Railroad.
Read full story here
Moriah, 8th grader
We know at the end of the night we’ll be okay and that no one will actually hurt us. The slaves weren’t granted with that privilege. They were constantly fighting for their lives. I’m glad I got to experience this (program) and it will stay with me through the rest of my life.
Read full story here
What guests are saying about Follow the North Star
The Follow the North Star experience of traveling the Underground Railroad is one of the most powerful I've ever encountered at any museum. I'd recommend it as a terrific learning tool for any family with tweens and teens.
Read the full article here
Travel Writer Eilleen Ogintz
The terrain is unfamiliar, gunshots ring through the night, and menacing figures unleash a fusillade of demands and insults at me as I kneel in the mud. It's 1836. I'm a runaway slave, and I'm following the North Star in hopes of finding my freedom.
Read the full blog here
Midwest Guest Blogger Dominique King
Reservations
For more information or to make your reservation, please call Guest Services at 317.776.6006 or 800.966.1836 or email info@connerprairie.org. This program is suitable for ages 12 and older; we cannot accept reservations for children under age 12.
Guests: if you have attended Follow the North Star this season, we would appreciate your responses to our online survey about your experience. Thank you.
Follow the North Star Survey