To those who are not in AA, Akron looks much like any other mid-sized American town. Bill W arrived there in 1935: a stockbroker desperate for a deal in Akron’s rubber industry. He knew that alcohol was his nemesis; he knew he was its slave. Bill searched the list of local clergy posted in the Mayflower Hotel lobby; and then found the courage to ring. This very phone call set off a chain of events, leading to birth of Alcoholics Anonymous. 

The lobby of The Mayflower Hotel is today cordoned off, so that it still looks as it did in 1935. There is still the list of clergymen, next to the very telephone Bill used for his historic phone call. The lobby is slightly ornate, sparsely furnished, and decorated as it was in the 1930’s. 

Bill first met Dr Bob at ‘The Gatehouse’ of a large, private residence. Equally preserved, its 1930’s style is well-maintained, while the rooms present a detailed, visual chronicling of AA’s spiritual background.

At Dr. Bob’s house on Ardmore Ave, again the furnishings and décor have remained unaltered. For a donation, visitors can get a photo of themselves: seated at Dr Bob’s kitchen table, right where some of the earliest AA meetings were held. Only the furnishings are cordoned off in this house: visitors can enter every room.

Akron also boasts two clean and sober clubs to hang out in, several Fellowship gift shops, and the hospital in which Bill and Dr Bob began helping countless alcoholics.

Akron is home as well to an Intergroup office that is also a museum. It houses a copy of the Big Book in every language it is printed in: each can be picked up and flipped through. The Intergroup office also protects hundreds of priceless relics of AA’s history.

If you time your visit for June, you can also attend the annual Founders’ Day rally in Akron. Only the local university’s grounds are big enough to host these annual weekends. Thousands of people attend every year, from all over the world.

During the weekend, there is an annual motorcade to Dr Bob’s grave. It began in 1986: with only one motorcyclist who then spread the word. In recent years, the good doctor’s humble grave has been the destination for over 3000 motorbikes. Akron’s police officers line up to apply: to volunteer very early on the Sunday morning, facilitating these motorcades.

The Founders Day event takes a whole year to prepare for. One time consuming task is that the rally’s steering committee members sift through literally hundreds of speaker tapes, to select a handful of people whom they invite to speak at the podium. Each meeting is audio-recorded, with CDs available for purchase at the end of the weekend.

For details and registration at this event, visit http://www.akronaa.org/foundersday/