Experience a captivating crossroads in the Cincy Region
The Cincy Region is where the north and south meet, Ohio and Kentucky connect and where urban vibrancy fuses with cool Southern charm. There’s nowhere quite like it…
Cincinnati and its surrounding regions are an exciting blend of history, culture, eccentricity and natural splendour.
Nicknamed the Queen City, it was the fastest growing urban area in the 1830s. Today, with its rejuvenation, there is beer and bourbon to be enjoyed along with plentiful choices for outdoor activities and unique museums that cater to every kind of traveller. The locals here are also happy to share myths, haunted tales and links to the Prohibition Era. What makes it even better is that it is only a direct flight away from London...
Cincy is...
Where the outdoors is your adventure playground
Beyond its sprawling metropolis, the Cincy Region is full of outdoor adventure with many green spaces to explore. Start with a walk or rent a bike to explore Smale Riverfront Park in the city that offers some of the best views of its skyline and the remarkable turquoise-hued John A. Roebling Bridge. If kayaking is more your thing, there are areas near the park where you can rent a kayak along the Ohio River.
Across the Ohio River in Covington, Devou Park is a hilly escape of 280-plus hectares laced with mountain bike trails, fishing opportunities and widescreen panoramas of the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky skyline.
Enjoy the beautiful wildflowers at the restored Bender Mountain Nature Preserve that offers a range of hiking options including an abandoned stretch of Delhi Pike. Venture up in the hills of the Cincy Region to Mount Airy Forest which is one of the earliest urban reforestation projects in the United States and is ideal for large groups as you’ll find treehouses and picnic spots here.
On the Rails-To-Trails bike path, there is a truly special experience which entails a visit to Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks. This UNESCO World Heritage site is home to ancient Indigenous ceremonial earthworks. Built in precise geometric shapes by people from the Hopewell Culture over 2,000 years ago, some of these mounds and ramparts had elaborate graves within their earthen walls. The terrific artefacts here show that the people interacted with those as far away as Florida and Yellowstone National Park.
Laced with artistic flair
Cincy Region is proud of its artistic heritage and a robust theatre scene. In the Eden Park neighbourhood is Cincinnati Art Museum, one of the oldest in the country. It is home to an assorted collection of more than 67,000 artworks including ones by Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet and Georgia O'Keeffe, plus an impressive glass chandelier by Dale Chihuly. But you don't need to go inside to see artistic flair on display in Cincinnati: the region is home to over 230 murals and a simple stroll around the city will pique your interest with the colourful displays. The largest of them all, “Cheers to Cincy Brewing the American Dream", is around 1,000 square metres in size.
Catch a show at Cincinnati’s Playhouse in the Park which is only a short walk from the art museum. There are a range of classical and contemporary musicals and dramas in this intimate theatre.
There’s also BLINK, a light festival like no other in the country that transforms the streets of Cincinnati into a colossal immersive art installation. Along with the twinkling and sparkling lights, there are also murals and live performances throughout.
It is hard to miss Cincinnati Music Hall, a marvellous red-brick structure in the revitalised Over-the-Rhine neighbourhood. This grand hall was built in 1878 and reopened in 2017 after an extensive renovation and still retains an old-world charm. It is also home to the Cincinnati Ballet, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Opera (the nation’s second-oldest opera company). For two weeks during the month of May, there is a brilliant choral festival which takes pride in being the longest-running choral festival in the Western Hemisphere. According to historians and locals, there are many ghosts and spirits that haunt the Music Hall.
Thespians will love the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, a professional resident ensemble theatre performing Shakespeare’s plays in a fresh and interactive style.
The Aronoff Center for the Arts (which is better known as simply the Aronoff) is a contemporary centre which showcases ballet, stand-up comedy and Broadway shows such as Disney’s Aladdin and The Book of Mormon.
Always game for a party
There is one thing for sure, no matter when you visit, you will be treated to a wide array of festivals in Cincinnati. Beyond the ‘Who Dey’ chants that you’ll come across when the Bengals are playing, there’s never a dull moment in the city as there are always festivals celebrating food, music, beer and art.
One of the largest Oktoberfest celebrations in the world is right here in the Queen City where it is free to enter and called Zinzinnati. In September, expect a week-long jamboree of the region’s rich German heritage where delicacies such as mett and sauerkraut balls are served with top-notch beer.
Given Cincy Region’s strong ties with beer brewing, it’s no surprise that there are more festivals such as Cincy Beerfest in February and Bockfest in the spring. There are also breweries and bars that offer pairings with their flights of local beer – from doughnuts to ice-cream.
After dark, there are light festivals along the Ohio River throughout winter and you’ll easily get into the festive spirit at the PNC Festival of Lights at Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. Gastronomes should keep an eye out for delicious treats from top restaurants at festivals such as Taste of Cincinnati, Glier’s Goettafest, Cincinnati Coffee Festival, and Asian Food Fest.
There are also unique events such as the Rubber Duck Regatta where thousands of yellow rubber ducks set sail on the river every year for a noble cause. The money raised goes to Freestore Foodbank, a charity which helps feed hungry children in Cincinnati.
Where beer meets bourbon
Over 50 breweries call Cincinnati home, making it one of the country’s best cities for beer mavens. There are more than a dozen IPAs, lagers, seltzers, and stouts at each brewery. Start with a refreshing pint of West Coast style IPA at the iconic Rhinegeist brewery. Housed in an old Christian Moerlein Brewing Co. bottling plant, this large brewery and event space produces various hoppy ales and ciders. Another notable brewery is Braxton Brewing Company which serves over 30 local creations including hard seltzers on a rooftop patio.
From the 1800s to the early 1920s, the Over-the-Rhine neighbourhood was a sanctuary for brewmasters. Though Cincinnati was a lot smaller in size then, there were over 1,000 registered breweries. Take a tour of one of the lagering tunnels where former breweries used to make beer between the 1850s until Prohibition. Remnants of the Old Kauffman brewery can be visited even today.
Sharing proximity to Kentucky, there are several whisky distilleries on The B-Line that are within the Cincy Region. New Riff Distilling in Newport is a proud, independent, family-owned establishment. Try their bourbon tasting sessions where the host will talk you through the awe-inspiring method of producing bourbon. Further south lies Boone County Distilling Company where you’ll learn how this unique distillery pays tribute to the early pioneers that produced spirits in Boone County in the last century. Hop into Revival Vintage Spirits and Bottle Shop at Covington on your way back where you can try some rare, vintage bourbon at affordable prices.
Cincy’s downtown is dotted with bars serving bourbon tastings and speakeasies. On the notable Vine Street, underneath one of the tunnels which was home to Champion Brewery in the 1850s is now Ghost Baby, a chic spot for live music along with an imaginative list of whiskey-based cocktails.
A melting pot of cuisine
Being at the crossroads of north and south, there isn’t a cuisine quite like what you’ll find in Cincinnati. While each state in the USA has a chili dish as its claim to fame, Cincy’s chili truly stands apart. Its history traces back to two Macedonian brothers creating this dish in the early 1920s.
Head to either two of the chili parlour giants – Skyline or Gold Star where you can order a ‘three way’ which is a heap of tangy chili served over spaghetti or between hot dog buns, topped with a layer of shredded cheese and a tiny sprinkle of cinnamon and dark chocolate that amplifies the dish. Be adventurous and take this further with a famous ‘five way’ adding onions and beans at Camp Washington Chili which is the only spot in Cincinnati with a James Beard Award.
There is also the vibrant Findlay Market which has enough food to entice every epicurean. As the city was known as Porkopolis, try the famous goetta here – a meatloaf made with oats and spices that were introduced by German immigrants in the nineteenth century. The best part about Cincy’s dining scene is that there are now vegetarian versions of their chili and goetta widely available.
For a special occasion, book a table at chef Jose Salazar’s James Beard finalist restaurant Mita’s. This is a tastefully decorated spot serving Spanish and Latin American cuisines through small plates and paired with outstanding wines.
Beyond Cincy’s downtown are several diners serving delicious no-frills fried chicken which have gained popularity over the last decade. The Greyhound Tavern, a Northern Kentucky icon is a good place to start with their fried chicken that’s served with mash, gravy and a biscuit.
Where unique experiences abound
Across the Ohio River is Newport which was the original Sin City well before Las Vegas earned that nickname. In fact, some of the institutions in Vegas can trace their ancestry to Newport which had casinos such as The Jockey Club and Flamingo Club. The town was a celebrity playground between the Roaring Twenties and the 1960s. It was also notorious for its red-light district and gangsters that owned casinos and befriended the likes of Frank Sinatra and Shirley MacLaine. It is also where there was a lot of bootlegging by famous characters like George Remus during Prohibition and where the infamous Tommy Gun was invented. Book a gangster tour for a guided insight into this sleepy town’s vivid past.
One of Cincy Region’s most unique experiences is a visit to the American Sign Museum in Camp Washington area which entices its visitors with an impressive collection of old neon advertising signs. As a nod to the art of commercial signs and sign making, the museum dives into the history of famous signs across the country and their technological evolution in the last century.
At the verdant Smale Riverfront Park, it is easy to explore Cincinnati as well as Covington and Newport on foot by merely crossing the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge. This bridge is an architectural marvel and while it may look like a replica of New York’s Brooklyn Bridge, it is actually older.
Near the park, make sure you visit the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center which is a raw, gripping and incredibly moving experience about slavery in the country. The exhibits here tell powerful stories on courage, perseverance and the struggles ahead and during the American Civil War.
Feeling inspired?
For more information, head to the official Visit Cincy website.
Make it happen
Looking to start planning your trip to the Cincy region with some expert help? Few know this captivating region better than the team at America As You Like It and their years of experience will help to craft your ideal trip to Cincy.
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