With many wonderful parks to explore, music to which to listen, art to inspire, and food to taste, Cincinnati provides multiple options for Things To Do. If you are short on time, and want an idea of how to make the best of a weekend in Cincinnati, check out The New York Time’s “36 Hours in Cincinnati”. It includes:
- Art and Museums
- Parks
- Shopping & Sights
- Food and Drinks
- Breweries
- Live Music
- Transportation
Live events April 4-6th
MLB: Cincinnati Reds vs. NY Mets. Check the schedule and buy tickets here.
Bluegrass: Darin and Brooke Aldridge concert at Ludlow Garage (Clifton Area). For more information and tickets, check here.
Ballet at Aronoff Center.
Hockey: Cincinnati Cyclones vs. Wings (Fan Appreciation).
Art and Museums
From museums and hotels to mural walks, enjoy the numerous opportunities Cincinnati offers to inspire you.
- Cincinnati Museum Center at the Union Terminal
- National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
- Cincinnati Art Museum (Free Admission or donation)
- Contemporary Arts Center (Free Admission)
- Taft Museum of Art (Free on Sundays)
- 21c Museum Hotel (Free Admission)
- Mural Walk (Free)
Parks
Although a pretty large city, Cincinnati has made nature a priority. There are many parks throughout Cincinnati that offer different beautiful views, riverfronts, and opportunities to explore. Grab a cup of coffee and walk through one of Cincinnati’s iconic parks. For a full list of the Cincinnati Parks and locations, click here.
Parks with a View:
- Alms Park
- Bellevue Park
- Twin Lakes at Eden Park
- In this park you can find: the Cincinnati Playhouse, the Cincinnati Art Museum, and the Khron’s Conservatory($4)
- Mt. Echo Park
- Other than a spectacular view of downtown, the Ohio river, and the hills of Kentucky, you can swing by the Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired shelter found at the center of the park.
Other Parks to Explore:
- Ault Park
- Hyde Park Square
- Mt. Storm Park
- Mt. Airy Arboretum
- Washington Park
Parks along the riverfront:
- Smale Riverfront Park
- Sawyer Point & Yeatman’s Cove
- Not only do you have access to the river front, but you can cross the Purple People bridge to Newport Kentucky and view the Cincinnati Skyline.
- Magrish Preserve
- Otto Armleder Park
- Theodore M. Berry International Friendship Park
Shopping and Culture
Shopping and sightseeing in Cincinnati overlap. While shopping, you experience the different wonders of the diverse, eclectic city.
Check out some of the neat locations:
- Purple People Bridge
- Findlay Market
- Jungle Jim’s International Market
- Over the Rhine shopping
- Newport Aquarium
- The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden
- Carew Tower Observation Deck
- Cincinnati Observatory
Food and Drink
When it comes to food and drink, it is hard to go wrong in Cincy. Sometimes it’s even hard to choose where to start!
Breakfast/Brunch
- Hangover Easy (Clifton-Short Vine)
- Taste of Belgium (OTR & Clifton-Short Vine)
- Tucker’s Restaurant (OTR)
- French Crust Cafe & Bistro (OTR)
- First Watch (Downtown)
- Wild Eggs (Downtown)
- Cheapside (Downtown)
International Cuisine
- Mecklenburge Gardens (German Cuisine, Clifton–Highland Ave)
- Corinthian Restauraunt (Traditional Greek & Italian Cuisine, Clifton–Jefferson)
- Baladi Restaurant & Bakery (Syrian Cuisine, Clifton-Clifton Ave)
- Tea N Bowl Asian Food and Bubble Tea (Asian Cuisine, Clifton–McMillan)
- Ambar Indian Restaurant (Northern Indian cuisine, Clifton–Ludlow)
- Darou Salam African Halal Restaurant (Senegalese cuisine, Northside)
- Caribe (Caribbean Cuisine, Clifton-Short Vine)
- Sartre OTR (French Dining, OTR)
- Bauer Farm Kitchen (French-German Cuisine, OTR)
- Ché (Artisanal Argentine Cuisine, OTR)
Classic Cincinnati Dining
- Dewey’s Pizza (Clifton-Ludlow)
- Skyline Chili (Almost on every corner, Clifton-Ludlow)
- The Eagle (Over-the-Rhine)
- Salazar (OTR)
- Senate (OTR & Blue Ash)
- Maplewood Kitchen & Bar (OTR)
Dining, close the UC main campus
- Elephant Wok (Clifton-Calhoun)
- Keystone (Clifton-Calhoun)
- Druken Tacos (Clifton-Calhoun)
- Druken Bento (Clifton-Calhoun)
- Piology (Clifton-Calhoun)
Dessert
- Graeter’s Ice Cream (Clifton-Ludlow, Downtown, almost on every corner)
- J-Petal (Clifton-Calhoun)
- The Sweet Place (Clifton-Short Vine)
- O Pie O (Walnut Hills)
- Macaroon Bar (OTR)
- Quaintrelle Confections(OTR)
- Buzzed Bull Creamery (OTR)
- Holtman’s Donut Shop (OTR)
Coffee Shops
- Rohs Street Cafe (Clifton-Rohs St.)
- Highland Coffee House (Clifton–Highland Ave)
- The 86 Coffee Bar & Concert Venue (Clifton-Jefferson)
- Collective Espresso (OTR)
- Deeper Roots Coffee (Oakley and OTR)
- Lola’s (Downtown)
- 1215 Wine Bar & Coffee Lab (OTR)
- Lydia’s (Clifton-Ludlow)
- Coffee Emporium(OTR and Oakley)
Bars
- Murphy’s (Clifton-West Clifton)
- Brass Tap (Clifton-Calhoun)
- Arlin’s (Clifton-Ludlow)
- Fries (Clifton–Jefferson)
- 16 Bit Bar (OTR)
- The Rook (OTR)
- 9 Giant (Oakley)
- Old Kentucky Bourbon Bar (Covington)
Breweries
You thought deciding where to eat was hard? Well, wait until I give you your brewery options. Also, I heard recently on the radio that Cincinnati was ranked the third best city in America for beer lovers! It has a total of 34 breweries!
- Rhinegeist Brewery
- Braxton Brewing Company
- MadTree Brewing
- Taft’s Ale House
- Fifty West Brewery
- Mt. Carmel Brewing Company
- Listermann Brewing Company
- Urban Artifact
- Bod Tom Smith Brewing
- Brink Brewery
- Craft Connection Breweries
These are just the beginning. If you would like a more extensive list click here.
Live Music
Music is a huge part of the Cincinnati spirit. Check out the calendar for these different venues. Maybe you will find something that interests you.
CCRALL - University of Cincinnati 