Cincinnati, OH Road Trips

Peak tourist season is summer and fall. If you are visiting during the winter or early spring, some activities or sights may have shortened hours or possibly be closed. Formerly known as Losantiville, the city was renamed Cincinnati by the first governor of the Northwest Territory, Arthur St. Clair, in honor of the Society of the Cincinnati, a society named after Roman dictator Cincinnatus who famously gave up absolute power and returned to his farm after serving his country in times of crisis and founded at the end of the Revolutionary War. Many members of the society were prominent men in the early years of the United States. The city's early economy was based on the pork industry, and this was celebrated in the summer of 2000 with the Big Pig Gig, during which large flying pig statues took up residence along the city's main thoroughfares. Many of these pig statues later found homes downtown in offices, parks and even private residences. The Miami and Erie canal was completed in the 1840s, and was used to transport hogs and butchered pork products to Cincinnati from much of western Ohio. During this time period massive waves of Germans settled into the city populating neighborhoods which at their height in the late 1800s were some of the most densely populated outside of New York City. These German immigrants built a culture based on beer gardens, beer brewing, dance and music halls giving Cincinnati a very distinct and vibrant local culture. Very little remains from this era due to both World War I anti-German backlash and the prohibition of alcohol in 1920.

Some highlights of the city include a menagerie of museums like the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, the Cincinnati Art Museum, the Taft Museum of Art, the natural history/children's Cincinnati Museum Center, and the American Sign Museum. For more natural experiences, there are the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden and Krohn Conservatory. And for distinctive views of the Queen City, try walking across the Purple People Bridge or John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge and enjoy the skyline with the Ohio River draping the foreground.

Cincinnati has quite an impressive assortment of 19th century architecture. Parts of town will remind a visitor of large east coast cities like Boston or Brooklyn. With a renewed interest in the oldest parts of the city there are an increasing number of tours highlighting Cincinnati's golden age when it was one of the largest cities in the US. During some events like Oktoberfest or Bockfest, additional tours are offered, such as those highlighting the cities strong brewing heritage, or even the rare venture down into the abandoned subway tunnels, inquire locally or read local blogs as these are not well advertised to people from out of town. Sports are taken extremely seriously in Cincinnati. Everyone roots for the Reds and the Bengals, but college basketball is where the city becomes divided. One of the most intense rivalries in all of college basketball is the Crosstown Shootout (called "Crosstown Classic" from 2012 to 2014), the annual matchup between the University of Cincinnati and Xavier University. The game has returned to having the two schools alternate hosting duties after three years at the neutral site now known as Heritage Bank Center in the Central Business District. This came about because the 2011 game ended in a bench-clearing brawl (which also led to the temporary name change).

Cincinnati is famous for its unique chili, based on a Macedonian recipe. It contains finely-ground meat, no beans or onions, and usually contains spices such as cinnamon or cocoa powder, and not as much tomato as traditional recipes. It is served over spaghetti with finely-shredded Cheddar cheese on top, known as a "three-way"; add diced white onions or kidney beans to make it a "four-way"; and add both kidney beans and onions for a "five-way". It's also served over hot dogs with shredded Cheddar cheese on top, known as a "cheese coney." Cincinnati has more chili restaurants per capita than any city in the United States. The debate over where to find the best Cincinnati chili is almost a religious war. Two major chili-parlor chains (Skyline & Gold Star) are dominant, but individual parlors and other smaller chains have their fans as well. Goetta (pronounced "get-uh") is another Cincinnati tradition, developed by German immigrants. It's a sausage made of pork and/or beef, mixed with oats and spices. It's usually sliced and then fried, and most often served as a breakfast food, although goetta sandwiches are also popular.

The Main Street Entertainment District (on Main Street north of 12th Street in Over-the-Rhine) was a popular area featuring many clubs and bars. However the riots did their number on the district forcing just about every bar to close down during the 2000s. This isn't all doom and gloom as, there have been attempts to bring bars back up there with several notable night spots opening up in the last few years such as Neon's and Japp's. After a few years of Kentucky getting the attention, the center of nightlife in Cincinnati has shifted to the area near Fountain Square and the Arnoff Center, or Restaurant Row generally bounded by 8th St to the North, 5th St to the South, Vine St to the West and Main St to the East. The area is always busy on weekends, especially with many young professionals. Over the last few years it has been slowly growing with many new bars/clubs and other night spots opening up. Across the Ohio River in Kentucky, many restaurants and nightspots are along the riverbank in Covington's Mainstrasse District and the area of Newport around Newport on the Levee. With the loosening of laws regarding microbreweries and allowing them to sell beer on site, and with increased interest in reviving its brewing heritage, Cincinnati has a growing scene of tap rooms which aren't necessarily open late but may be a good way to get microbrew straight from the source.

Many Covington hotels shamelessly play up their proximity to their more famous neighbor. From Covington, it's a short drive, walk or bus ride (Southbank Shuttle) across the bridge to get back to downtown Cincinnati, so it's not an inconvenient option.

1 Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG IATA) (Follow I-275 south then east to Exit 4, State Route 212. Follow the signs to airport terminals and parking), ☏ +1 859 767-3151, [email protected]. It is on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River, so you'll have to cross the bridge to get to Cincinnati itself. The airport serves 56 destinations on nearly 200 daily flights, with international service to Freeport, Cancun, Montego Bay, Toronto, and Paris. The airport is a focus city for Delta Air Lines and offers daily flights to many of the largest U.S. cities, in addition to nonstop service to France, Canada, and Mexico. In addition, the airport is a focus city for Allegiant Air and Frontier Airlines, which are U.S. ultra-low-cost carriers and offer daily flights across the United States and Caribbean. Although fares have been historically high, Delta's market dominance has considerably diminished in the last decade, resulting in much more competitive fares compared to nearby cities. Air Canada: Toronto–Pearson Allegiant Air: Austin, Baltimore, Cancun, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Walton Beach, Jacksonville (FL), Las Vegas, Montego Bay, Myrtle Beach, Newark, New Orleans, Orlando/Sanford, Phoenix/Mesa, Punta Cana, Punta Gorda/Fort Myers, San Juan, Savannah, St.

The main form of public transportation is by bus. The region is served by two bus systems. The Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (Sorta) operates Metro, the bus company that serves the Ohio side of the state line. The Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky (Tank) serves Northern Kentucky and all routes between Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati. Bus lines marked with a "X" are express routes and make less frequent stops. Be sure to check whether the bus makes a stop at your required destination before you get on. Sorta and Tank operate a different fare rate system, though both require passengers to submit the exact fare and no change is given. If you plan on taking the bus, highly recommended is the "Cincinnati Frequent Transit Map" which was developed by a concerned citizen looking to increase transit use. This will give you a good idea of which parts of town are well served by transit as well as which parts of town are underserved, eliminating lines from the official map that don't have frequent service. More information here: https://web.archive.org/web/20221211225107/http://cincymap.org/ For sightseeing the recommended option is the Metro 1 bus. Metro's tag line for this bus is "Ride the One for Fun," because it visits the most important cultural destinations in the city. The bus loops from the Union Terminal Museum Center, to downtown's theaters and museums, to the sports stadiums and parks on the riverfront, to the upscale Mount Adams residential neighborhood, to Eden Park and Krohn Conservatory, ending in nearby Peebles Corner, Walnut Hills.

Cincinnati is a safe city to visit, however care should be taken when visiting certain neighborhoods. Some perceive downtown as unsafe, but according to a 2011 article by the Cincinnati Enquirer, Downtown is "as safe as the suburbs.... The most common crime [downtown] is theft, which includes shoplifting but not muggings, and the most likely crime you'll suffer is having your car broken into." Therefore, it's safer to park your car in a monitored lot than on the street. As always, be sure to take proactive steps to ensure your safety regardless of where you are by using common sense. There are a fair number of Panhandlers, most aren't harmful, use common sense and firmly say no if approached. The safest neighborhood near downtown is Mount Adams, which statistically experiences almost no serious crime. Some neighborhoods you should use care in, particularly at night, include Avondale, Walnut Hills (though East Walnut hills is fine), The West End, and parts of Over-the-Rhine. Over-the-Rhine is becoming a popular destination for locals and tourists alike, but it is still in a transition phase. As of 2015, the safest part of Over-the-Rhine is on Vine Street from Central Parkway to just north of 14th Street at the Cincinnati Color Company building (large sign) and Main Street up to Liberty as well as the area immediately surrounding and including Washington Park (which is monitored security cameras) as far north as Taft's Ale House, and Walnut Street up to 14th street just past the 16 bit bar. These areas is well lit at night, and have constant police presence.