Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm

Here’s a women-first history stop that deserves more attention than it gets. The Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm sits on 16 acres of gardens, meadows, and historic buildings — an 1840 farmhouse, an 1850 tenant house, a dairy barn full of exhibits — first settled by the Taylor family in 1823 and now on the National Register of Historic Places. But the reason to go is the woman who grew up here: Dr. Bertha Van Hoosen, born on this farm in 1863, who fought her way through medical school when few women did, founded the American Medical Women’s Association, and became the first woman to lead a medical division at a coed university. (Her niece, Dr. Sarah Van Hoosen Jones, bred world-class Holstein cattle right here.) Guided farmhouse tours run on public open days, the grounds are free to stroll, and there are even mastodon bones inside. It’s a quietly remarkable corner of Rochester Hills, and firmly on our list.