5 ways to discover the beauty   of the Cincy Region

Straddling the Ohio River, between the states of Ohio and Kentucky, the Cincy Region is where the Midwest meets the South. These contrasting influences are revealed across its culture and food. It’s also home to incredible outdoors and a free biennial art event that is unlike anything else in the country. Now that British Airways flights from London Heathrow to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport are increasing to six per week from March, there are even more opportunities to experience Cincy.

Thirty blocks of the Cincy Region are turned into one gigantic urban canvas during BLINK, the USA’s largest immersive light and art festival. This biennial weekend event returns for its fifth edition in October (8–11), and there are plenty of reasons why it drew over 2 million visitors in 2024. Autumn’s darker evenings are ideal for strolling through the city, especially when it has been transformed with neon lights, vivid murals and thrilling projections. The Gothic-style façade of the 19th-century Music Hall becomes a colourful, shape-shifting cinema as music rings out into the sky, while shimmering drones hover on high above the expanse of the Ohio River. Ward off the evening chill with some hot food and a drink from the city’s iconic Findlay Market, set beneath an Italianate-style structure that dates back to the mid-19th century. But remember to download maps of all the zones before you set off so that you will know where to find the most interesting murals, light installations and projections.

Cincy Region is a great jumping-off point to hit the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. There are few better places to start than New Riff Distilling in Newport, an award-winning distillery on the Ohio River that produces bourbon and rye whiskies. Take the Bonded tour to learn more about its history. This region loves its beer, too, thanks in large part to waves of German migrants who arrived in Cincinnati in the 19th century, bringing with them long-established brewing techniques. Today, some of the city’s 70+ craft breweries can be found in the Over-the-Rhine district. Tours of the vast underground pre-Prohibition lagering tunnels that can still be found beneath the area are well worth it. Start with a visit to the Rhinegeist Brewery, but don’t miss trying some of the modern IPAs that can be found across the city at the likes of MadTree Brewing, Braxton Brewing and Streetside Brewery. And in September, check out the USA’s largest Oktoberfest in Downtown. Soak up all that beer with some iconic local dishes at buzzy, award-winning restaurants. Try the dense breakfast patty goetta (ground meat and oats), rich loin back ribs from the Montgomery Inn and cheese-smothered Cincinnati-Style chili. For the best introduction, book a guided tour with Cincinnati Food Tours.

In between stops for chilli and craft beer, there are myriad historic buildings across the Cincy Region that demand exploration. None is more remarkable than Union Terminal. Opened in 1933, its curved Art Deco façade is breathtaking. These days, it is served primarily by the Amtrak Cardinal Line between New York and Chicago, but this majestic building also houses the Cincinnati Museum Center. Several world-class museums reside here, including the Cincinnati History Museum, the Museum of Natural History and Science, and the poignant Nancy and David Wolf Holocaust and Humanity Center. Back outdoors, more than 300 murals sprinkle Cincinnati’s walls, with the Over-the-Rhine neighbourhood particularly dense with great art. Mural maps and tours guide visitors around.

While Cincinnati’s fine architecture and world-class museums allure, there’s plenty to discover in the Cincy Region’s great outdoors that’s easily accessible from the city too. The steep hills and forested ridges of the Ohio River Valley make the perfect venue for cyclists. Cincitucky Trails is a network of some 160km of mountain bike and mixed-use trails fanning out across the region. Or if you’d rather hit the water, the Ohio River Way offers 19km of paddling, as you glide by the Great American Ball Park and beneath the iconic John A Roebling Suspension Bridge. This waterway also hosts the Ohio River Paddlefest, which marks its 25th anniversary in 2026. Every August, some 2,000 people drift downriver in canoes and kayaks, forming the USA’s largest paddling event.

The Cincy Region is a tightly knit place where community is king. Amid the Italianate pastel streets of Over-the-Rhine, the Findlay Market has been a Cincy institution since 1852, and its smorgasbord of meat, cheese, produce and flower stalls forms one of the city’s most colourful corners. It’s also a great spot for rubbing shoulders with locals, who’ll likely point you to their favourite parts of the city, too. And in conversation, it probably won’t be long until things turn to Cincinnati’s sporting fortunes. Looking over the Ohio River, the Great American Ball Park is the home of baseball’s Cincinnati Reds – the USA’s first fully professional baseball team (1869). There are few better ways to take the pulse of the city than watching a game on a summer’s day with a hot dog and a beer as the Ohio River and the hills of Northern Kentucky unfold in the distance.

How to get there

In March, British Airways will be increasing its flights from London Heathrow to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport to six times a week. The journey takes about eight hours and 40 minutes. Once there, you’ll find yourself at the gateway to the Midwest and the wider USA, with 60% of the US population lying within a day’s drive.