OT: Cincy, What to do?
So I'm in Cincinnati for the week and other than the Reds games, what else is there to do in this town? I'm here until next Wednesday and just looking for stuff to do. Thanks.
Edit: thank you everyone for your help... I'm decked out in MICHIGAN gear like my "Lebron hates ohio" shirt. Love the sarcaism too. GO BLUE!!!!August 4th, 2011 at 11:08 AM ^
Currently going into my Junior year at Dayton, I love it there. If you are looking to go partying, DO NOT GO TO XAVIER. Common saying at UD, "Finish your beer, there are sober kids at Xavier!"
August 4th, 2011 at 12:04 PM ^
Xavier is such a dry campus. I usually just drink with buddies (never a bad thing) and very occasionally go out. That's why many of us flock to UD or UC.
August 4th, 2011 at 10:25 AM ^
Hofbrauhaus in Newport is my favorite bar/restaurant in town. If you like german beer and girls in lederhosen this place is for you. I head there before or after reds games as you can walk across the bridge to the stadium.
August 4th, 2011 at 10:32 AM ^
Kill yourself.
August 4th, 2011 at 10:32 AM ^
If so I'd definitely see if they do tours.
August 4th, 2011 at 10:45 AM ^
You could always find out what Johnny Fever is doing nowadays.....
August 4th, 2011 at 10:46 AM ^
I would recommend going over to Newport KY(right across the river) one of the nights, and drinking at the Hofbrau Haus. Great place to drink large mugs of German beer and be extremely merry.
http://www.hofbrauhausnewport.com/
Edit: After reading the thread, I'm like the 5th person to make this recommendation.
August 4th, 2011 at 10:48 AM ^
Oldest bar in Cincy, dating back to 1861. Get the hot brown and make sure to ask for jalapenos with your nachos if you get them. They are raw and extremely hot. Nice little courtyard you can sit in, or you can be in either the old bar downstairs or the seating upstairs, which is in an old apartment. Pretty cool place.
http://www.arnoldsbarandgrill.com/
If you're there on Sunday, go to the Taft House Art Museum. It's free on Sundays and worth a couple of hours.
I've been to the Hofbrauhaus and the beer garden out back is nice. Beer is good but the food is fantastic. Weinerschnitzel!
Also, go to Fountain Square on Saturday night for a movie. You can sit in lawn chairs (If you have them) or on benches. I saw King Kong (original) there last year and it was fun. Looks like this Saturday is Scott Pilgrim.
August 4th, 2011 at 10:46 AM ^
Leave
August 4th, 2011 at 10:52 AM ^
If you're really bored and have a few hours to spare. Head over to Jungle Jims, about a 30/45 minute drive from Cinnci, the most amazing Grocery store you'll ever go to in your life. They import food from all over the world and simply have an amazing selection. A very very cool place.
August 4th, 2011 at 10:59 AM ^
1. Gas up your car.
2. Head to Ann Arbor.
August 4th, 2011 at 11:07 AM ^
Theres nothing to do here.
But if you must. Avoid montgomery inn, over priced and over-rated. Walts on colerain or the bbq review on oakley are better. If you've never had skyline get a three-way. best chinese is grand china on glenway ave, best fried chicken is ron's roost on race and the best wings are at wild mikes on harrison. All 3 of those places are close to each other.
If you are downtown the blue wisp is a good jazz club, carew tower has a cheap observation deck, and the river walk/sawyer point area is good for exercise.
August 4th, 2011 at 11:11 AM ^
I second the Graeter's ice cream suggestion- their black raspberry chip may be one of the few good things in Ohio
but I'd go with the Coconut chocolate chip.
August 4th, 2011 at 11:19 AM ^
Cincy: The Lodge, Black Finn, Cadillac Ranch
Newport across the River: Bar Louie, Beer Sellar
August 4th, 2011 at 11:58 AM ^
is closed.
August 4th, 2011 at 11:44 AM ^
If you have time, head up to Dayton to the National Musuem of the United States Air Force. They have just about every plane that the Air Force has flown, and a few that they haven't really flown yet and some that they flew against.
August 4th, 2011 at 11:57 AM ^
Bourbon country is just a short drive away. There's this brand that has a red wax top on it...
Maker's Mark is in Loretto I believe. It is a little bit of a back road trek to get to. I prefer the Woodford Reserve tour in Versailles. quick drive from lLexington through beautiful horse country
August 4th, 2011 at 12:21 PM ^
I strongly suggest going to Kings Island (amusement park). It has some amazing roller coasters and it is a really good time. The Beast is the longest wooden roller coaster and it is great. It seriously feels like you are on it for like 10 minutes. Also the Son of Beast is a wooden roller coaster with a loop so that kind of speaks for itself. I used to live in the area and that place is great.
Also Frische's Big Boy. I love their burgers and strongly recommend them.
August 4th, 2011 at 12:35 PM ^
Montgomery Inn BBQ... great food, some of the best service I've ever had, and beyond a plethora of sports memorabilia to check out while you're there.
Carew Tower: used to be the tallest building in Cincy, now it's 2nd by a few feet. It costs like 5 bucks to go up to the top, but you get such a spectacular view of Cincy, the sports stadiums, Ohio River, the foothilled countryside, Kentucky, and you might be able to see Indiana from there if I'm not mistaken. Cool experience!
St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica (in covington, just across the bridge): this is the best stained glass I've ever seen, and right up there with St. Louis Cathedral and Cathedral Puebla as the coolest churches I've ever been to!
Take your pick: Gold Star VS Skyline... it's like Lafayette vs American coneys, but they're all over Ohio. I suggest not getting the chili dogs, because their not even close to the two Detroit favorites, but go with the chili w/ spaghetti choices.
ALSO, if you have time and would like to "give back". there are TONS of volunteer opportunities in Cincy and in Covington, more than anywhere I've ever been. (513) 761-9040 x 110-- Ask for Chris. [email protected] Chris can hook you up with any of the dozens of organizations that she works with.
August 4th, 2011 at 12:54 PM ^
The Queen City Blues Fest is going on this weekend friday and saturday on the ohio side of the river east of the stadiums. Worth checking out if you dig.
August 4th, 2011 at 12:58 PM ^
If you are looking for a fun night out on the town, I definitely recommend Gateway Quarter in Over-the-Rhine. Grab a bite at Senate, then for bars I highly recommend Neon's (a couple blocks east of Vine, on Main) or Lachman's. If you're downtown, Nada is a good spot for food, drinks, and pretty much just people watching. Righteous Room and Scene are the trendy hang out bars, Bartini is the popular club. Other restaurant recommendations would be Via Vite on the square or Table. Madonna's downtown or Pilot/Edge in Norwood for a dive bar. Blind Lemon in Mt. Adams for a low key place is also highly recommended. If you're up in Mt. Adams, definitely swing through City View and ask about the Charlie Manson story. And don't order tequila.
For activities, the old standbys like Union Terminal, the zoo, Taft museum, and the conservatory are always popular, but I would also check out what concerts are in town. The city has a pretty vibrant music scene (surprisingly), and Madison Theater and 20th Century usually get pretty decent acts. Might want to check out the Comet in northside, too. If you're in Northside, swing through Shake It, it's worth it. There's a good brewery tour that goes through the old brewery district up in OTR that's interesting. Someone above mentioned Jungle Jim's up in Fairfield, that's pretty entertaining for sure, if you're up for the hike. If you go up that way I think the new Gordo's might be open right next to JJ's (not sure on this). Great burger. Oh, and if you like burgers, try Terry's Turf Club on eastern ave.
Hope this helps.
Go up to Mt Adams for dinner/drinks. Great view of the city and the river.
1) National Museum of the USAF at Wright-Patterson AFB... about a 45 min drive up I-75 to I-675 just south of downtown Dayton. Awesome museum if you're a aerospace junkie and make sure you take the tour of the Presidential and Test hangar which is actually inside the base perimeter (Museum is outside the base and can be visited without a problem. they have buses that take you to the presidential wing from the main museum lot.
2) Golf. Dayton and Cincy area have some pretty amazing golf courses. For one closer to Cincy, try Shaker Run between Exit 29 & Exit 32 on I-75. US Open qualifier course. Three different 9-hole layouts (a forest layout, a lakeside layout, and a meadows / links layout). Very fun and challenging.
3) Casinos. if you take the loop highway around Cincy (I-275) toward the Indiana border, you can hit the Hollywood Casino.. not a bad gambling hall and they have a decent golf course there as well.
4) Pick-up broomball... at a couple rinks in the Cincy area, they have regular drop in broomball nights where all you need is a helmet.. they'll lend you a stick. broomball is probably the second unofficial sport of Cincinnati as Cincy has a lot of Michigan and Miami grads who still play in multiple broomball leagues.
Totally agree with Wolverine in Exile about the USAF museum. I went there eight or nine years ago and they've just got tons of great old WWII planes and also a lot of the more recent planes (F-22, some of the Cold War bombers) etc. I'm in DC for another week and while I love going to the Air and Space Museum out here, the USAF museum definitely beats Air and Space (except for the Space part). My dad and I spent probably four or five hours in the museum, it's one good thing in Ohio. The Presidential section has a few of the old Air Force Ones there that you can look around.
I was there a few weeks back for Indians/Reds and to cross another ballpark of the bucket list. We hit up Hofbrahaus which was pretty fun. Just across the river into Newport, KY. Tons of beer, and it's packed when the weather is nice.
Side note - If you rock your Michigan gear, prepare for verbal attacks. I soaked them in all night with pride. Actually got a few Go Blue! along the way near Fountain Square.
Oh I'm taking the abuse but I've gotten more Go Blues than bucks.
Paul McCartney rocking Great American Ballpark TONIGHT!
I've roamed this site for about a year now on almost a daily basis, but this is my first post. Let me introduce myself a little. I've lived in the Cincinnati area for 27 of my 28 years (spent 1 year in Indianapolis) and have been a Michigan fan since I was real young, but I never got the opportunity to attend the University of Michigan as I wanted to. Almost everyone around me is an OSU or ND fan (family and close friends included) and it is sickening.
Some things to do while in the 'nati (many have been mentioned but here's what I've experienced and would recommend):
Sports: Reds game.
Outdoor Activities: Kings Island, Loveland Bike Trail (bring a bike or rent one, or rollerblade it), canoeing on the Little Miami River (Morgan's Canoe rental), Golfing (Shaker Run as mentioned is nice),
Outdoor Relaxing: Picnic in Ault Park (if you've got a special friend), Eden Park (combine with the Art Museum or Conservatory), Sharon Woods or Winton woods for a nice park with trails and a lake for paddle boats, BB Riverboat tours.
Museums/Zoo: Cincinnati Art Museum, Union Terminal, Krohn Conservatory, Cincinnati Zoo, Newport Aquarium (I haven't been, but have been planning to).
Food: Chili (Skyline or Blue Ash are my favorites), Montgomery Inn (not my favorite, but a Cincinnati staple), Larosas (see Montgomery Inn), any Jeff Ruby Steakhouse ($$$$ but worth it. The Precinct is the most popular), Graeters Ice Cream, Terry's Turf Club (good burgers, but plan on a wait as there is limited seating).
Bars: Mount Adams has many to choose from, Arnolds, Hoffbrauhaus, Bar Louie (Newport).
Random: Funnybone Comedy club (Newport), Fountain Square, Riverbend Music Center (A Perfect Circle plays Monday night).
I think as you head East on I-71 past Cincy there may be a Kings Island or some kind of amusement park. Not sure how far that is maybe 40 miles east or so. Or if you have time, Louiseville is an hour away, you could check out a Louiseville Bats game or go the the Slugger Museum, heard that's pretty sweet.