I am a proud Cincinnatian.

So proud, it seems I’ve become an unofficial tour guide for many of my friends. To be fair, I’ve made many international friends who often struggle with finding things to do in this medium-sized city, with only ok public transportation. I’ve also strengthened friendships this way, and reaffirmed how happy I am that I decided to stay in Cincinnati for my undergraduate degree.

Over time, as I met more and more people who were new to the city, I received so many complaints on “there is nothing to do in this city!” or requests on “what do you like to do around here?” that I decided to make a comprehensive list. I’ve shared it on Facebook a couple times, and had friends add to it over time. As I was starting this travel blog, I thought about how great it would be to share this with the world so that everyone knew how lively my hometown is!

So here you go: a comprehensive list of everything uniquely fun there is to do in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, which is just a hop, skip, and a jump across the Ohio River. (I say uniquely fun, as Cincinnati has all of the city things that you’ve come to expect, like movie theatres, bowling alleys, etc, so many of them are left out of this list.)

List of Stuff to do in Cincinnati (and Northern Kentucky)

 Everything in Bold has free admission!!

Things to Do Downtown

• Fountain Square- ice skating during the winter, concerts during the summer, different craft and cultural festivals as well
• Oktoberfest- German cultural festival in September
  • Cincinnati has the second biggest Oktoberfest in the world, after Munich Germany!
• Contemporary Arts Center downtown

• Carew Tower- go to the top for $4, and you can get a view of the entirety of Cincinnati
  • The second tallest building in Cincinnati!

• Cincinnati Public Library (Main Branch) has a Makerspace, with 3d printers, sewing machines, button makers, etc
  • There are 52 libraries around the city! So you can also find your new favorite study place!
  • It also has many wings, and the main branch spans an entire city block, with the popular library, computer labs, teen center, kids center, and Cincinnati archives!
• Cincinnati Fire Museum (history of fire fighting)
  • Cincinnati had the first paid firefighters in the US, so this is a fitting historical museum
• Cincinnati Comic Con
  • Held every year in September at the convention center, it’s the region’s largest comic-con!
• Aronoff center – touring Broadway plays in Cincinnati
• BLINK festival (marvelous light show around downtown)
  • Will be held again in 2020.
  • Displayed light shows/videos on great architecture in Downtown Cincinnati, encouraging people to walk around and see more

• Flying Pig marathon
• Taft Art Museum
• Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, Know Theatre, Ensemble theatre, Murder Mystery Theatre- local theatre companies
• Cincinnati Museum Center
  • has the Omnimax (300 degree theatre), Museum of Natural History and Science, Museum of History, and Cincinnati Children’s Museum, along with special traveling exhibitions
  • My favorite is the Omnimax, with its nature and travel documentaries that you literally have to swivel your head to see all of!
  • It was recently renovated to preserve the iconic architecture! It was the inspiration for the DC Hall of Justice, and the domed arch is paved with beautiful mosaics, so it’s every architect’s dream.
  • It is also known as Union Terminal, as it was Cincinnati’s major train station. Amtrak still goes through here at night as well.

Things to Do in Mt. Adams

• Cincinnati Art Museum
• Eden Park (nearby the art museum), has a beautiful lake

• Krohn Conservatory (for gorgeous tropical plants)
  • The butterfly show during the summer is an amazing spectacle! Hundreds of butterflies in the same room as you, and you can even feed them!
  • General admission is $4, so it’s well worth the trip!

• Playhouse in the Park: upscale theatre company, with both famous and original plays with local actors

Northern Kentucky

• Newport on the Levee (shopping, movie theatres, and the Newport Aquarium)
  • The Newport Aquarium is one of the biggest Aquariums in this area, so it’s well worth going! An annual pass is the cost of 2 visits, so if you want to come back many times, it’s a great investment!
• Kenton County Public Library (large selection of manga and anime)

Food Markets

• Jungle Jims- international food market in both Eastgate and Fairfield,
  • has huge selections from dozens of countries
• Cincinnati Asian Market
• Findlay Market- historic year round farmer’s and crafts market in Over the Rhine

Near the Ohio River

• Ohio River Banks- just to relax and see the water, or boating
  • Paddlefest in August, with kayaking and canoeing
  • Walk across a bridge- Purple People Bridge is just a pedestrian bridge as well!

• Underground Railroad Freedom Center- talks about the history of the underground railroad and history of slavery in Cincinnati and Kentucky
• Smale Park- by the Ohio River, as well as Sawyer Point
  • Smale Park has interactive things, like fun foot pianos, an interactive playground for adults, and giant chess and checker boards
  • Sawyer Point has many summertime festivals, like Paddlefest

Things in Over-the-Rhine (OTR)

•  Cincinnati Streetcar
  • goes around a 1 mile radius in downtown and Over the Rhine
  • new, and somewhat touristy, but still nice
• Washington Park events, flea markets and food festivals (next to Music Hall)
• History walk through OTR
• Abandoned subway tunnel tour
  • Many years ago, the engineer in charge of constructing the subway miscalculated several distances, and the streetcar wouldn’t be able to fit through the tunnel! The result is abandoned tunnels snaking their way under Cincinnati!
• Cincinnati Pops (classical orchestra), Cincinnati Opera, and Cincinnati Ballet Performances at the recently renovated Cincinnati Music Hall

• Make your own Candle at the Candle Lab
• Breweries, such as Rhinegeist, Samuel Adams, and Christian Moerlein
• 16 Bit is a video game bar with classic arcade games (including the Nintendo 64!!) and the Rook is a board game bar with hundreds of options!!
  • The Rook is open to people of all ages, with food and non-alcoholic drinks

Near the University of Cincinnati and the Clifton Neighborhood

• Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens (including the Festival of Lights during Christmas time)

• Well-known coffee shops, including Highlands, Rohs Café, the 86, Sitwell’s and Lydias on Ludlow
• Free shows at the College Conservatory of Music (CCM) for UC students- including operas, plays, comedies, and classical music
  • It’s also very cheap for members of the public to attend these performances, at $20 on the day of the show. As CCM is one of the best conservatories in the country, it’s well worth it!
• Join a new campus club (on campuslink.uc.edu)
• Bellevue Park- park near campus with the most beautiful view of the city

• Ludlow Avenue- Clifton shopping district
  • The Esquire theatre has many independent films
  • Many of the restaurants listed above are on this street
• DAAP Galleries at UC: many art students in DAAP (Design, Art, Architecture and Planning), show off their work at this small area on UC’s Mainstreet
• Concerts at Bogarts: the place to go for independent and smaller concerts near UC

Sports Teams

• Cincinnati Reds Game (professional baseball)
  • They were the first professional baseball team anywhere in the world! So the Opening day parade held every year in April is quite a big deal, and free to the public.
• Cincinnati Bengals Game (professional American football)
• FC Cincinnati game (professional soccer/futbol)
  • FCC is a new team, and are currently playing games at UC’s Nippert Stadium (soon to move to another stadium by about 2021)
• Cincinnati Cyclones game (semi professional hockey)

• UC Bearcats, Xavier Musketeers, or NKU Norse sports: over 20 different NCAA teams in different sports
  • Some lower attendance sports may have free admission to the public! Check the university website for details
• Cincinnati Rollergirls: professional roller-skating derby team
  • They also give lessons for $5 to the public on Monday nights!

Summer Fun/Family Friendly

• Riverbend: outdoor concerts of touring bands and musical artists during summer
• Coney Island-classic amusement park

• Kings Island- Newer amusement park
  •  has Halloween Haunt and Winter Fest too
  • Many newer style roller coasters
  • Planet Snoopy is fun for kids!

• Fun Factory- roller skating arena

Nature/ Outdoor Adventures

• Parks throughout Cincinnati (go to Hamilton County Parks Website)
  • Goebel Park in Covington (Northern Kentucky) has a resident population of goats!
  • Some more of my favorites are Eden Park, Smale Park and Sawyer Point by the Ohio River, Sharon Woods, Ault Park, Bellevue Park, Fairview Park, and Washington Park
• Mt Airy Forest (for hiking, not camping)
  • Great during all times of year to hike, a many acre forest in the middle of Cincinnati

• Red River Gorge (in Kentucky): great hiking, camping, etc, great for day or overnight trips!
  • Getting a parking permit is the main cost here. It’s a few hours from Cincinnati as well, but well worth it for any backpackers or mountaineers!

Miscellaneous

• Visit different religious places with international/intercultural friends
  • There are many beautiful churches, synagogues and temples in this area of almost any religion! So you can learn more about them firsthand with a friend who practices that culture!
• American Sign Museum
  • It has signage and memorabilia from the beginning of the US, from paper signage all the way through electronic signage
  • Once or twice a day, they also have free guided tours with paid admission. Check their website for details! It helped me get a lot more out of the experience.

• Comedy clubs (stand up comedy nights are often free!) like Funny Bone Comedy Club
• Explore Ikea for a day! Dream you have a bigger house that needs decorating ;)
  • Their café is super cheap too! Think $3 for a full Swedish meal
• Lucky Cat Museum: a plethora of the Chinese/Japanese “waving cat” statues
• Shake it Records in Northside (one of the best record stores in the country)
• Kenwood Mall- wide variety of shops and places to go
• Half Price Books (or any used bookstore)- for cheaper leisure books
• Laser Craze- laser tag
• Neighborhoods to see: Northside, Clifton, Walnut Hills, Downtown, Over the Rhine, Price Hill
• Hamilton County Fair in August
  • Typical fair, with farm animals, crafts, and classic rides, along with fair food
  • Only a couple dollars for admission!
• Spring Grove Cemetery
  • Odd for me to put it on this list, but it brings a sense of peace to many
  • The beautiful mausoleums, surrounded by natural ponds and decades old trees, is a common place for birdwatchers, naturalists, joggers and hikers to frequent
  • Went on a botany tour here once and saw a lot of new things

Must-Try Food

• LaRosa’s for real Italian style pizza
• Skyline (for Cincinnati chili) or Goldstar
  • I personally prefer the former, and it’s more famous as well
  • Choose chili cheese fries, a cheese coney (chili cheese hot dog), or a 3, 4, or 5-way, which is chili, spaghetti, cheddar cheese, with nothing, onions, beans, or both
• Also Mecklenburg Gardens for German cuisine near UC’s campus 
• Dewey’s Pizza, J Gumbos (Creole/Cajun cuisine) are also near campus 
• Try Hangover Easy or Taste of Belgium for Brunch
  • Northside also has many great brunch spots
• Graeters and UDF (for ice cream)
  • Graeters has huge chocolate chunk pieces (think half the ice cream scoop), and both the chocolate and the ice cream are made in small batches. It was also one of Oprah’s Favorite Things, so…. need I say more?
• Montgomery Inn (for BBQ) is also a Cincinnati favorite
  • Located on the Ohio River banks
• Revolving Restaurant-Covington/Northern Kentucky
  • Caveat: this is a bit pricey, but it gives the best views of Cincinnati. A nice steak here costs you about $50, so it’s a good way to impress a date!
• Hofbrauhaus (in Newport): authentic German style beer-hall with German food

Despite having lived in Cincinnati for years, there are still a few things that I haven’t done on this list, so I’ve sometimes referred to it in the past to get ideas. I hope you can do the same, and find something wonderful to do no matter how long you are in Cincinnati!

Have any other suggestions or ideas? Leave a comment below!