Cincinnati, Ohio is a center of history and of fun.
Located on the Ohio River, Cincinnati has been a prosperous town ever since its founding as a trading post in 1788.
The Queen City shows off its diversity by scheduling a variety of events throughout the year. Traveling exhibitions at the Cincinnati Art Museum and performances by the Cincinnati Opera bring culture to the city, while the Cincinnati Reds and Bengals offer seasonal games for baseball and football fans. Beer, wine, music and dance festivals round out the eclectic calendar.
Outdoor activities abound in this family-friendly city. The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden is a favorite destination for locals and visitors alike. In addition, Public Landing is a mile-long riverside walk featuring views of carefully painted showboats and other river craft that recall the city's bustling days of river commerce. For the true outdoors enthusiast, Surf Cincinnati Waterpark offers visitors, several water slides, miniature golf courses, boat rides and go-cart racing.
Walkways and skywalks connect the sports stadiums on the riverfront to a vibrant business district, making it possible to dine, shop, see a game, and hit the clubs all without leaving downtown. Fountain Square, with its graceful Tyler Davidson Genius of Water fountain, is surrounded by office buildings full of shops, restaurants and bars. A few blocks north are the elegant brick buildings of Over-the-Rhine, a former German enclave that's now the place to go for live music and trendy clubs.
Cincinnati is proud of its artistic heritage and history. At the top of Mount Adams sits the Cincinnati Art Museum, a Romanesque-style building with eighty-eight galleries, displaying some eighty thousand works of art dating back 6000 years. Its treasured art and artifacts collection covers 5,000 years of art history and includes an impressive collection of art from the Near and Far East, Africa, Europe, and America. Not just paintings and sculpture are displayed, but also finely crafted furniture (many pieces crafted in Cincinnati), porcelain, glassware, costumes, and ceramics.
In May of 2003, the Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art opened in downtown Cincinnati, replacing a much smaller gallery that had been located over a drugstore for many years. The new space is an impressive building of geometric shapes and walls of glass that is an ideal showcase for what the Contemporary Arts Center refers to as "the art of the last five minutes." The art is ever changing and always fascinating. New and noteworthy developments in painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, performance art, and new media all find there way into the museum's remarkable exhibits.
The Taft Museum, a small, exquisite museum housed in a mansion built in 1820, has reopened after a twenty-two million dollar renovation. It exhibits stunning paintings by Rembrandt, Goya and Turner, as well as priceless Ming porcelains. The Museum Center at Union Terminal is entered through the original ten-story high rotunda which retains carefully restored rail terminal signs and symbols from its glorious past. It now houses a collection of museums including The
Cinergy of Children's Museum, The Museum of Natural History and Science, the Cincinnati History Museum, and an Omnimax Theater.
Northern Kentucky is just a bridge away from downtown and offers almost as many attractions as Cincinnati. One of the bridges, the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge, is itself worth a look—it was the prototype for New York City's Brooklyn Bridge.
Cincinnati encompasses several neighborhoods, each with its own ambience.
You may want to allow some time to drive through the city's historic neighborhoods. Just north of downtown is Over-the-Rhine, an old German area whose steep streets are lined with brick row houses, many of which have been renovated. The area includes the Main Street Entertainment District, where you'll find art galleries and nightclubs. The West End contains the city's best-preserved collection of Italianate homes. Mount Adams overlooks the Ohio River, offering spectacular views, as well as lively nightspots. Clifton (home of the University of Cincinnati), Hyde Park and Mount Lookout are known for their distinctive homes on heavily wooded lots and their town square-style shopping districts.
Cincinnati has fine German restaurants, as well as excellent Italian and French cuisine. Be prepared to dine in some unusual surroundings. You'll find restaurants in a former police station, a pottery factory (where you can eat in a kiln), a general store and a saloon.
It is its very diversity that makes Cincinnati a popular destination. For a small city (only the third-largest in Ohio), it has an impressive array of museums, performing arts venues, galleries, fine dining restaurants, festivals, shopping areas, and sports arenas. It also has the Cincinnati Reds, the oldest professional baseball team in the U.S. All of this helps explain why more than 5 million people visit Cincinnati each year.
953 Eden Park Dr 513-721-5204 Founded in 1881, the Cincinnati Art Museum has expanded to house 88 galleries and more than 100,000 objects.
Cincinnati Zoo 3400 Vine St 513-281-4700 The Cincinnati Zoo is a seventy-acre home to 700 different animals and species and more than 3,000 types of plants. The zoo features lowland gorillas, a baby elephant, and white Bengal tigers. The Children's Zoo has 55,000 square feet of exhibits. "Insect World" is the largest building in North America focusing on the display of live insects.
Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal
1301 Western Ave., downtown, Cincinnati.
Phone 513-287-7000. Toll-free 800-733-2077.
Monday-Saturday 10 am-5 pm, Sunday 11 am-6 pm.
The last of the great art-deco railway stations in the U.S., Union Terminal houses an impressive collection of museums. (For remnants of its past, notice the tile mosaics.) Plan to spend a full morning or afternoon there if you intend to see all three museums and an OMNIMAX show.
Younger visitors will enjoy the Cinergy Children's Museum.
Cincinnati Observatory Center
3489 Observatory Place, Mount Lookout, Cincinnati.
Phone 513-321-5186.
Thursday-Saturday after dusk. children under age 18 free on Thursday. You can view the stars and the heavens from this observatory, one of the oldest in the country. Look through one of the huge telescopes or simply gaze up through the enormous dome to observe the evening sky. Reservations are strongly recommended—observatory nights can book up months in advance.
Cinergy Children's Museum
1301 Western Ave., downtown, Cincinnati.
Phone 513-287-7000.
Monday-Saturday 10 am-5 pm, Sunday 11 am-6 pm. The workings of science are explored through play at this museum, which is the biggest attraction at the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal. There's a play area for toddlers. Older children can learn about hydropower and solar energy. Kids' Town explores how children live around the world.
free on Monday. While you're strolling around downtown, take time to visit this art museum, which moved into new quarters in spring, 2003. Now located in the Lois and Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art, it has an eclectic collection of works in all mediums by internationally known artists, as well as locals on their way up in the art world. (This is where Robert Mapplethorpe's controversial photographs caused a stir.) Designed by British architect Zaha Hadid, the building itself is a work of art.
Harriet Beecher Stowe House
2950 Gilbert Ave., downtown, Cincinnati
Phone 513-632-5120
Tuesday-Thursday 10 am-4 pm. Free, but donations are appreciated. The author of Uncle Tom's Cabin was inspired to write about the evils of slavery while living in this house, a former seminary that's now a museum dedicated to her and to the Underground Railroad. Stowe lived there until 1850 and later won acclaim for her antislavery writings.
Museum of Natural History and Science 1301 Western Ave 513287-7000 More than 125,000 square feet of exhibits spread over two levels focus on regional natural history. The museum features immersion exhibits designed to bring guests into the setting. The Children's Discovery Center offers interactive exhibits on the human body and on the impact of human settlement in Cincinnati over the last 400 years.
Paramount's Kings Island 6300 King's Island Drive King's Island, OH 45034 513-573-5800 This awesome theme park features roller coasters, rides and lots of excitement. Perhaps best-known is the Beast, the world's longest wooden roller coaster, and the centerpiece among the other 11 coasters at the park. Little ones love Hanna-Barbera Land while pre-teens and teens head for Nickelodeon Splat City featuring the Rugrats, the Addams Family-style haunted Shriek House, and WaterWorks, a 30-acre water park. With 300 rides and attractions in all, the park itself is an event, even just to walk through.
Southgate House 24 E 3rd St Newport, OH 41071 Guests to Cincinnati looking for a good time should check out Southgate House, one of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky's best club attractions. An historic mansion located on the Ohio River across from downtown Cincinnati, the Southgate is being restored with entertainment venues on every floor.
Taft Museum 316 Pike St 513-241-0343 The Taft is one of Cincinnati's treasures, recognized as one of the best small art museums in the country. Built as a home in 1820, its final residents were Anna and Charles Taft (half-brother of President William Howard Taft) who used their combined fortunes to travel the world collecting paintings and decorative arts.
Americana Amusement Park 5757 Hamilton Middletown Rd Middletown, OH 45044 513-539-7339 This amusement park has both old-fashioned and state-of-the-art rides. There's a nostalgic brass ring carousel, a ferris wheel and a tilt-a-whirl. The newer area features more than 100 rides, many updated and refurbished within the past two years. Also included are a trio of roller coasters, the very popular log flume ride, a miniature golf course and a petting zoo. Kids also love the Kids Water Play World with several water slides.
Bicentennail Commons Sawyer Point 801 E. Pete Rose Way 513-352-6316 Altogether, this park encompasses more than 22 acres of premiere downtown playground including ice skating, roller skating, tennis courts, a boathouse with a rowing center, a performance pavilion with free concerts in the summer and a super playground for children.
Cincinnati Nature Center 4949 Tealtown Rd Milford, OH 45150 513-831-1711 This outstanding nature preserve, located east of Cincinnati, offers 15 miles of trails in its 1,425-acres permitting easy observation of the 237 varieties of wildflowers.
Heritage Village Sharon Woods Park 11450 Lebanon Rd 513-563-9484 All of the buildings in this recreated 19th century village were gathered from across southwestern Ohio to be part of the Heritage Village.
Parky's Farm, Ark, Playce, and PlayBarn 10245 Winton Rd. 513-521-7275 Located in 2,630-acre Winton Woods, "Parky" activities are designed to delight city children. Parky's Farm is a 100-acre demonstration farm with vegetable gardens, orchards, farm animals and a petting zoo. Parky's PlayBarn is an indoor, two-story barn-like playground with soft flooring where kids can tumble, explore and climb to their heart's content. Children can get wet at Parky's Ark water playground near the Harbor Pavilion, where creatures like frogs, turtles, bugs and fish spurt water at squealing youngsters. The hands-down favorite is the 180-foot snake that crawls through the play area with 47 nozzles squirting water in all directions. Children can also choose to stay dry at Parky's Playce, another playground located near the Pavilion.
Surf Cincinnati Waterpark 11460 Sebring Dr 513-742-0620 This water park includes Cincinnati's largest wave pool. This relaxed, family-oriented destination offers lots of excellent water activities: flumes, white-water rapids, lazy river rides and water slides. Next door is Fun City, which has dry activities like Chip Shot miniature golf with 18 holes, volleyball, basketball and a game room. Squirt City is designed for younger children.
The Dude Ranch Waynesville Rd Morrow, OH 45152 513-958-8099 The Dude Ranch offers everything from one-hour trail rides through the woods and rolling meadows to a real cattle drive. Kids can take pony rides, hay rides, and enjoy looking at all of the beautiful horses and animals features on the trail.
The Beach Waterpark 2590 Water Park Dr 513-398-7946 The Beach features more than 41 water slides in its 35-acres. Adults will like the 100,000-gallon Pearl lagoon where relaxation is encouraged.
Children's Theater of Cincinnati 2106 Florence Ave 513-569-8080 Some of Cincinnati's best actors, musicians and technical people are on the production team that presents great musicals, comedies and dramas for kids. This is a great attraction for families with children of all ages.
Shopping
Shopping Hours:
Generally Monday-Saturday 10 am-9 pm, Sunday noon-6 pm. Specialty stores are typically open Monday-Saturday 10 am-8 pm, Sunday noon-5 pm. Cincinnati offers some of the best shopping in the Midwest, including a lively downtown retail area anchored by the Tower Place Mall. Near the mall are such upscale favorites as Saks Fifth Avenue and Tiffany and Co., as well as major department stores. The stores are connected by skywalks, making them easily accessible even in unpleasant weather.
Several neighborhoods have distinctive shopping areas. Favorites include Hyde Park, Clifton and Mount Lookout, which have small-town squares or plazas. Outlying shopping centers include Rookwood Commons, which has specialty stores and some of the city's best restaurants, and Kenwood Towne Centre, which is so popular that the parking lot and garage are often filled to capacity during holidays.
Markets
Findlay Market
117 W. Elder St.,
Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati.
Phone 513-352-6364.
This European-style market, which opened in 1852, is actually a collection of butcher and cheese shops, fishmongers, and craft and flower vendor: some in open-air booths, some indoors. While several of the German butchers are fourth-generation, many of the vendors are a new generation of entrepreneurs selling crafts, as well as ingredients for Italian, African-American, Latino, Lebanese, East Asian, Vietnamese and other cuisines. They all compete for your attention, not only with their goods, but with their personalities. Most of the fresh produce is locally grown. Hours vary by vendor but are generally Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 10 -6.
Sports
Horse Racing
River Downs
6301 Kellogg Ave.
For information, call 513-232-8000
Live thoroughbred racing and simulcasts from other parks on every day of the week except Monday. Free admission.
Major-League Baseball
The Cincinnati Reds play home games at the Great American Ball Park
100 Main St.
For information and tickets, call 513-765-7400.
Season continues through late September
NFL Football
Cincinnati Bengals
Paul Brown Stadium
Elm Street and Central Avenue.
For information and tickets, call 513-621-8383.
The Cincinnati Bengals play regular-season home games at Paul Brown Stadium.
Season continues through late December
IHL Hockey
.
The Cincinnati Cyclones
U.S. Bank Arena
100 Broadway. For information and tickets, call 513-421-2222.
The Cyclones play regular-season home games at the U.S. Bank Arena, 100 Broadway. For information and tickets, call 513-421-2222. Continues through early April 2005
Casinos
Indiana Casinos
. The Ohio River continues to shape the fortunes of Cincinnatians and their neighbors, who flock to the growing number of riverboat casinos. Because gambling is illegal in Ohio and Kentucky, these floating gaming halls dock at small towns in neighboring southeastern Indiana. The largest and most popular of these boats, the Argosy VI, is tethered in Lawrenceburg, 25 minutes from downtown.
Another 20 minutes west is Rising Sun, home of the Grand Victoria Casino and Resort. The Grand Victoria II riverboat offers all the standard casino games and slots, but the resort area is designed to convey the look and feel of England in the 1800s. This means cobblestone streets, gas lamps, British pubs and other details. The resort also hosts big-name entertainers and touring shows.
719 Race St. For information and tickets, call 513-381-2273.
The theater performs plays by the bard and other playwrights.
The Cincinnati Ballet
Proctor and Gamble Hall
Aronoff Center
650 Walnut St.
For information and tickets, call 513-621-5219 or 513-621-5282.
The Fifth Third Broadway Series
Aronoff Center for the Arts
650 Walnut St.
For information and tickets, call 513-621-2787
The company presents popular Broadway musicals.
Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park
962 Mount Adams Circle.
For information and tickets
call 513-421-3888, or toll-free 800-582-3208.
The Cincinnati Opera
Music Hall, 1241 Elm St.
For information, call 513-621-1919.
For tickets, call 513-241-2742, or toll-free 888-533-7149.
The second-oldest opera company in the U.S., mounts four productions during its Summer Festival.
Events
January
1 January: New Year's Day. Public holiday.
17 January: Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Public holiday.
Throughout January: Theater. Cincinnati Shakespeare Festival Theatre performs plays by the bard and other playwrights. 719 Race St. For information and tickets, call 513-381-2273. Continues through late April
Throughout January: Concert. The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra performs regularly at Music Hall, 1241 Elm St. For information and tickets, call 513-381-3300. Continues through early May
Throughout January: IHL Hockey. The Cincinnati Cyclones play regular-season home games at the U.S. Bank Arena, 100 Broadway. For information and tickets, call 513-421-2222.. Continues through early April
Throughout January: Dance. The Cincinnati Ballet performs at Proctor and Gamble Hall, Aronoff Center, 650 Walnut St. For information and tickets, call 513-621-5219 or 513-621-5282. Continues through early May
Throughout January: Musical. The Fifth Third Broadway Series presents popular Broadway musicals at the Aronoff Center for the Arts, 650 Walnut St. For information and tickets, call 513-621-2787. Continues through late April
Throughout January: Collegiate Basketball. The Cincinnati Bearcats play home games at Shoemaker Center, University of Cincinnati. For tickets, call 513-556-2287. Continues through late February
Throughout January: Theater. Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park presents plays and musicals. 962 Mount Adams Circle. For information and tickets, call 513-421-3888, or toll-free 800-582-3208. Continues through late June
February
Throughout February: Collegiate Basketball. The Cincinnati Bearcats play home games at Shoemaker Center, University of Cincinnati. For tickets, call 513-556-2287. Concludes late February
Throughout February: Concert. The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra performs regularly at Music Hall, 1241 Elm St. For information and tickets, call 513-381-3300. Continues through early May.
Throughout February: Theater. Cincinnati Shakespeare Festival Theatre performs plays by the bard and other playwrights. 719 Race St. For information and tickets, call 513-381-2273.. Continues through late April
Throughout February: IHL Hockey. The Cincinnati Cyclones play regular-season home games at the U.S. Bank Arena, 100 Broadway. For information and tickets, call 513-421-2222. Continues through early April
Throughout February: Theater. Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park presents plays and musicals. 962 Mount Adams Circle. For information and tickets, call 513-421-3888, or toll-free 800-582-3208. Continues through late June
Throughout CDance. The Cincinnati Ballet performs at Proctor and Gamble Hall, Aronoff Center, 650 Walnut St. For information and tickets, call 513-621-5219 or 513-621-5282. Continues through early May
Throughout February: Musical. The Fifth Third Broadway Series presents popular Broadway musicals at the Aronoff Center for the Arts, 650 Walnut St. For information and tickets, call 513-621-2787. Continues through late April
March
Early March: Cincinnati International Wine Festival. More than 150 wineries offer up some 600 vintages for public tasting. Cooking seminars, live music, auctions and other special events also are held. Sabin Cincinnati Convention Center, 525 Elm St. For information, call 513-241-3434.
Early-Late March: Spring Festival. The Cincinnati Ballet puts on its Come Together Festival, featuring Donald McKayle's Rainbow Round My Shoulder, Kirk Peterson's Amazed in Burning Dreams and a world premiere. Proctor and Gamble Hall, Aronoff Center, 650 Walnut St. For information and tickets, call 513-621-5219 or 513-621-5282.
Throughout March: Theater. Cincinnati Shakespeare Festival Theatre performs plays by the bard and other playwrights. 719 Race St. For information and tickets, call 513-381-2273.. Continues through late April
Throughout March: IHL Hockey. The Cincinnati Cyclones play regular-season home games at the U.S. Bank Arena, 100 Broadway. For information and tickets, call 513-421-2222. Continues through early April
Throughout March: Dance. The Cincinnati Ballet performs at Proctor and Gamble Hall, Aronoff Center, 650 Walnut St. For information and tickets, call 513-621-5219 or 513-621-5282. Continues through early May
Throughout March: Musical. The Fifth Third Broadway Series presents popular Broadway musicals at the Aronoff Center for the Arts, 650 Walnut St. For information and tickets, call 513-621-2787. Continues through late April
Throughout March: Theater. Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park presents plays and musicals. 962 Mount Adams Circle. For information and tickets, call 513-421-3888, or toll-free 800-582-3208. Continues through late June
Throughout March: Concert. The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra performs regularly at Music Hall, 1241 Elm St. For information and tickets, call 513-381-3300. Continues through early May
April
Early April: IHL Hockey. The Cincinnati Cyclones play regular-season home games at the U.S. Bank Arena, 100 Broadway. For information and tickets, call 513-421-2222. Concludes early April
Late April: Cincinnati Flower Show. Typically drawing tens of thousands of visitors, this is one of the largest open-air flower shows in the country. Exhibits, social events, gardeners and plant markets, lecture series and tours. Lake Como at Coney Island. For information, call 513-872-5194, or toll-free 800-670-6808.
Throughout April: Dance. The Cincinnati Ballet performs at Proctor and Gamble Hall, Aronoff Center, 650 Walnut St. For information and tickets, call 513-621-5219 or 513-621-5282. Continues through early May
Throughout April: Musical. The Fifth Third Broadway Series presents popular Broadway musicals at the Aronoff Center for the Arts, 650 Walnut St. For information and tickets, call 513-621-2787. Concludes late April
Early-Late April: Major-League Baseball. The Cincinnati Reds play home games at the Great American Ball Park, 100 Main St. For information and tickets, call 513-765-7400. Season continues through late September
Early-Late April: Horse Races. River Downs hosts live Thoroughbred racing and simulcasts from other parks on every day of the week except Monday. Free admission. 6301 Kellogg Ave. For information, call 513-232-8000. Continues through early September
Throughout April: Concert. The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra performs regularly at Music Hall, 1241 Elm St. For information and tickets, call 513-381-3300. Continues through early May
Throughout April: Theater. Cincinnati Shakespeare Festival Theatre performs plays by the bard and other playwrights. 719 Race St. For information and tickets, call 513-381-2273.
Throughout April: Theater. Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park presents plays and musicals. 962 Mount Adams Circle. For information and tickets, call 513-421-3888, or toll-free 800-582-3208. Continues through late June
May
Mid-Late May: May Festival. Billed as the oldest choral festival in the Western Hemisphere. Lineup generally includes internationally known conductors and performers, as well as the 150-person May Festival Chorus. Music Hall, 1241 Elm St. For information and tickets, call 513-381-3300.
30 May: Memorial Day. Public holiday.
Late May: Taste of Cincinnati. The longest-running culinary-arts festival in the U.S. More than 40 local restaurants serve up samples from their menus while live bands perform on several stages. Central Parkway, between Elm and Main (downtown). For information, call 513-579-3197.
Throughout May: Horse Races. River Downs hosts live Thoroughbred racing and simulcasts from other parks on every day of the week except Monday. Free admission. 6301 Kellogg Ave. For information, call 513-232-8000. Continues through early September
Early May: Dance. The Cincinnati Ballet performs at Proctor and Gamble Hall, Aronoff Center, 650 Walnut St. For information and tickets, call 513-621-5219 or 513-621-5282. Concludes early May
Early May: Concert. The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra performs regularly at Music Hall, 1241 Elm St. For information and tickets, call 513-381-3300. Concludes early May
Throughout May: Theater. Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park presents plays and musicals. 962 Mount Adams Circle. For information and tickets, call 513-421-3888, or toll-free 800-582-3208. Continues through late June
Throughout May: Major-League Baseball. The Cincinnati Reds play home games at the Great American Ball Park, 100 Main St. For information and tickets, call 513-765-7400. Season continues through late September
June
Mid-Late June: Opera. The Cincinnati Opera, the second-oldest opera company in the U.S., mounts four productions during its Summer Festival. Music Hall, 1241 Elm St. For information, call 513-621-1919. For tickets, call 513-241-2742, or toll-free 888-533-7149.. Continues through mid July
Throughout June: Horse Races. River Downs hosts live Thoroughbred racing and simulcasts from other parks on every day of the week except Monday. Free admission. 6301 Kellogg Ave. For information, call 513-232-8000. Continues through early September
Throughout June: Major-League Baseball. The Cincinnati Reds play home games at the Great American Ball Park, 100 Main St. For information and tickets, call 513-765-7400. Season continues through late September
Throughout June: Theater. Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park presents plays and musicals. 962 Mount Adams Circle. For information and tickets, call 513-421-3888, or toll-free 800-582-3208. Concludes late June
July
Early-Mid July: Opera
. The Cincinnati Opera, the second-oldest opera company in the U.S., mounts four productions during its Summer Festival. Music Hall, 1241 Elm St. For information, call 513-621-1919. For tickets, call 513-241-2742, or toll-free 888-533-7149. Concludes mid July
4 Jul— Independence Day. Public holiday.
Throughout July: Horse Races. River Downs hosts live Thoroughbred racing and simulcasts from other parks on every day of the week except Monday. Free admission. 6301 Kellogg Ave. For information, call 513-232-8000. Continues through early September
Throughout July: Major-League Baseball. The Cincinnati Reds play home games at the Great American Ball Park, 100 Main St. For information and tickets, call 513-765-7400. Season continues through late September
August
1 August: Exhibit. Coming of Age in Ancient Greece: Images of Childhood From the Classical Past explores Greek rituals and mythology concerning childhood and adolescence with a re-creation of an ancient Greek house and more than 120 artifacts, including vases, terra-cotta figurines, statues, toys, baby feeders and gravestones. Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Drive. Phone 513-639-2984 or 513-721-2787. Toll-free 877-472-4226. Final day
1-15 August: Art Exhibit. To Observe and Imagine: British Drawings and Watercolors, 1600-1900 displays more than 100 drawings and watercolors that examine three centuries of British art covering various subjects from landscapes, portraits and illustrations to street scenes, architecture and still lifes. Features works by William Blake, William Turner, John Ruskin, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Thomas Gainsborough and Sir Joshua Reynolds. Taft Museum of Art, 316 Pike St. Phone 513-241-0343. Concludes 15 Aug
Throughout August: Art Exhibit. Crimes and Misdemeanors: Politics in U.S. Art of the 1980s displays the representation of political sentiment in the visual arts during the '80s, including both iconic works and lesser-known pieces by artists such as Haim Steinbach, Jeff Koons, Richard Prince, Gran Fury and Barbara Kruger. Contemporary Arts Center, 44 E. Sixth St. Phone 513-345-8400. Continues through 21 Nov
Late August: Concert. The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra performs regularly at Music Hall, 1241 Elm St. For information and tickets, call 513-381-3300. Continues through early May 2005
Late August: Horse Races. The Cradle Stakes Weekend Festival celebrates three stakes races: the Bassinet Stakes, the Governor's Buckeye Cup and the Miller Genuine Draft Cradle Stakes. Free admission. River Downs, 6301 Kellogg Ave. For information, call 513-232-8000. Continues through early September
Throughout August: Major-League Baseball. The Cincinnati Reds play home games at the Great American Ball Park, 100 Main St. For information and tickets, call 513-765-7400. Season continues through late September
Throughout August: Horse Races. River Downs hosts live Thoroughbred racing and simulcasts from other parks on every day of the week except Monday. Free admission. 6301 Kellogg Ave. For information, call 513-232-8000. Continues through early September
September
Mid-Late Septembe: Theater. Cincinnati Shakespeare Festival Theatre performs plays by the bard and other playwrights. 719 Race St. For information and tickets, call 513-381-2273. Continues through late April
Early September: Riverfest. Huge outdoor picnic and cultural event featuring nationally recognized musicians and entertainers on multiple stages, as well as scores of merchandise and food vendors. The climax of the day is a 30-minute fireworks display. Sawyer Point and Yeatman's Cove, Central Riverfront. For information, call 513-749-3764 or 513-621-9326.
Mid September: Oktoberfest Zinzinnati. One of the largest and most spirited Oktoberfest celebrations outside of Germany, regularly drawing nearly half a million visitors. Fifth Street, Race Street and Fountain Square to Broadway (downtown). For information, call 513-579-3191.
Early September: Horse Races. The Cradle Stakes Weekend Festival celebrates three stakes races: the Bassinet Stakes, the Governor's Buckeye Cup and the Miller Genuine Draft Cradle Stakes. Free admission. River Downs, 6301 Kellogg Ave. For information, call 513-232-8000. Concludes early September
Early September: Horse Races. River Downs hosts live Thoroughbred racing and simulcasts from other parks on every day of the week except Monday. Free admission. 6301 Kellogg Ave. For information, call 513-232-8000. Concludes early September
Throughout September: Art Exhibit. Crimes and Misdemeanors: Politics in U.S. Art of the 1980s displays the representation of political sentiment in the visual arts during the '80s, including both iconic works and lesser-known pieces by artists such as Haim Steinbach, Jeff Koons, Richard Prince, Gran Fury and Barbara Kruger. Contemporary Arts Center, 44 E. Sixth St. Phone 513-345-8400. Continues through 21 Nov
Throughout September: Concert. The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra performs regularly at Music Hall, 1241 Elm St. For information and tickets, call 513-381-3300. Continues through early May
Throughout September: Major-League Baseball. The Cincinnati Reds play home games at the Great American Ball Park, 100 Main St. For information and tickets, call 513-765-7400. Season concludes late September
Early-Late September: NFL Football. The Cincinnati Bengals play regular-season home games at Paul Brown Stadium, Elm Street and Central Avenue. For information and tickets, call 513-621-8383.
Early-Late September: Theater. Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park presents plays and musicals. 962 Mount Adams Circle. For information and tickets, call 513-421-3888, or toll-free 800-582-3208. Continues through late June
October
Early-Mid October: Cincinnati International Film Festival. Local, national and international independent films are featured in this competitive festival that takes place at the Showcase Theatres. For information and tickets, call 513-379-6462.
11 Oct— Columbus Day. Public holiday
Mid-Late October: Musical. The Fifth Third Broadway Series presents popular Broadway musicals at the Aronoff Center for the Arts, 650 Walnut St. For information and tickets, call 513-621-2787. Continues through late April
Mid-Late October: IHL Hockey. The Cincinnati Cyclones play regular-season home games at the U.S. Bank Arena, 100 Broadway. For information and tickets, call 513-421-2222. Continues through early April
Mid-Late October: Dance. The Cincinnati Ballet performs at Proctor and Gamble Hall, Aronoff Center, 650 Walnut St. For information and tickets, call 513-621-5219 or 513-621-5282. Continues through early May
Throughout October: Theater. Cincinnati Shakespeare Festival Theatre performs plays by the bard and other playwrights. 719 Race St. For information and tickets, call 513-381-2273. Continues through late April
Throughout October: Concert. The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra performs regularly at Music Hall, 1241 Elm St. For information and tickets, call 513-381-3300. Continues through early May
Throughout October: Art Exhibit. Crimes and Misdemeanors: Politics in U.S. Art of the 1980s displays the representation of political sentiment in the visual arts during the '80s, including both iconic works and lesser-known pieces by artists such as Haim Steinbach, Jeff Koons, Richard Prince, Gran Fury and Barbara Kruger. Contemporary Arts Center, 44 E. Sixth St. Phone 513-345-8400. Continues through 21 Nov
Throughout October: Theater. Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park presents plays and musicals. 962 Mount Adams Circle. For information and tickets, call 513-421-3888, or toll-free 800-582-3208. Continues through late June
Throughout October: NFL Football. The Cincinnati Bengals play regular-season home games at Paul Brown Stadium, Elm Street and Central Avenue. For information and tickets, call 513-621-8383. Season continues through late December
November
1-21 November: Art Exhibit. Contemporary Arts Center, 44 E. Sixth St. Phone 513-345-8400. Concludes 21 November.
11 November: Veterans Day. Public holiday.
25 November: Thanksgiving Day. Public holiday.
Mid-Late November: Collegiate Basketball. The Cincinnati Bearcats play home games at Shoemaker Center, University of Cincinnati. For tickets, call 513-556-2287. Continues through late February
Mid-Late November: Festival of Lights. Family-oriented festival showcasing more than 2.5 million lights, live entertainment, train rides and laser shows. Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens, 3400 Vine St. For information, call 513-281-4700, or toll-free 800-944-4776. Continues through late December
Throughout November: Theater. Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park presents plays and musicals. 962 Mount Adams Circle. For information and tickets, call 513-421-3888, or toll-free 800-582-3208. Continues through late June
Throughout November: NFL Football. The Cincinnati Bengals play regular-season home games at Paul Brown Stadium, Elm Street and Central Avenue. For information and tickets, call 513-621-8383. Season continues through late December
Throughout November: Concert. The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra performs regularly at Music Hall, 1241 Elm St. For information and tickets, call 513-381-3300. Continues through early May
Throughout November: IHL Hockey. The Cincinnati Cyclones play regular-season home games at the U.S. Bank Arena, 100 Broadway. For information and tickets, call 513-421-2222. Continues through early April
Throughout November: Theater. Cincinnati Shakespeare Festival Theatre performs plays by the bard and other playwrights. 719 Race St. For information and tickets, call 513-381-2273. Continues through late April
Throughout November: Dance. The Cincinnati Ballet performs at Proctor and Gamble Hall, Aronoff Center, 650 Walnut St. For information and tickets, call 513-621-5219 or 513-621-5282. Continues through early May
Throughout November: Musical. The Fifth Third Broadway Series presents popular Broadway musicals at the Aronoff Center for the Arts, 650 Walnut St. For information and tickets, call 513-621-2787. Continues through late April
December
Mid December: World's Largest Office Party
. The Hyatt's bars are staffed with local luminaries for an evening of drinking and dancing for several thousand attendees. Proceeds go to children's charities. Hyatt Regency Hotel, 151 W. Fifth St. Phone 513-579-1234 or 513-961-1702.
25 December: Christmas. Public holiday.
Throughout December: IHL Hockey. The Cincinnati Cyclones play regular-season home games at the U.S. Bank Arena, 100 Broadway. For information and tickets, call 513-421-2222. Continues through early April
Throughout December: Theater. Cincinnati Shakespeare Festival Theatre performs plays by the bard and other playwrights. 719 Race St. For information and tickets, call 513-381-2273. Continues through late April
Throughout December: Musical. The Fifth Third Broadway Series presents popular Broadway musicals at the Aronoff Center for the Arts, 650 Walnut St. For information and tickets, call 513-621-2787. Continues through late April
Throughout December: Dance. The Cincinnati Ballet performs at Proctor and Gamble Hall, Aronoff Center, 650 Walnut St. For information and tickets, call 513-621-5219 or 513-621-5282. Continues through early May
Throughout December: Concert. The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra performs regularly at Music Hall, 1241 Elm St. For information and tickets, call 513-381-3300. Continues through early May
Throughout December: Festival of Lights. Family-oriented festival showcasing more than 2.5 million lights, live entertainment, train rides and laser shows. Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens, 3400 Vine St. For information, call 513-281-4700, or toll-free 800-944-4776. Concludes late December
Throughout December: NFL Football. The Cincinnati Bengals play regular-season home games at Paul Brown Stadium, Elm Street and Central Avenue. For information and tickets, call 513-621-8383. Season concludes late December
Throughout December: Collegiate Basketball. The Cincinnati Bearcats play home games at Shoemaker Center, University of Cincinnati. For tickets, call 513-556-2287. Continues through late February
Throughout December: Theater. Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park presents plays and musicals. 962 Mount Adams Circle. For information and tickets, call 513-421-3888, or toll-free 800-582-3208. Continues through late June
Cincinnati Art Museum 953 Eden Park Dr 513-721-5204 Founded in 1881, the Cincinnati Art Museum has expanded to house 88 galleries and more than 100,000 objects.
Cincinnati Zoo 3400 Vine St 513-281-4700 The Cincinnati Zoo is a seventy-acre home to 700 different animals and species plus more than 3,000 types of plants. The zoo features lowland gorillas, a baby elephant, and white Bengal tigers. The Children's Zoo has 55,000 square feet of exhibits. "Insect World" is the largest building in North America focusing on the display of live insects.
Museum of Natural History and Science 1301 Western Ave 513287-7000 More than 125,000 square feet of exhibits spread over two levels focus on regional natural history. The museum features immersion exhibits designed to bring guests into the setting. The Children's Discovery Center offers interactive exhibits on the human body and on the impact of human settlement in Cincinnati over the last 400 years.
Paramount's Kings Island 6300 King's Island Drive King's Island, OH 45034 513-573-5800 This awesome theme park features roller coasters, rides and lots of excitement. Perhaps best-known is the Beast, the world's longest wooden roller coaster, and the centerpiece among the other 11 coasters at the park. Little ones love Hanna-Barbera Land while pre-teens and teens head for Nickelodeon Splat City featuring the Rugrats, the Addams Family-style haunted Shriek House, and WaterWorks, a 30-acre water park. With 300 rides and attractions in all, the park itself is an event, even just to walk through.
Americana Amusement Park 5757 Hamilton Middletown Rd Middletown, OH 45044 513-539-7339 This amusement park has both old-fashioned and state-of-the-art rides. There's a nostalgic brass ring carousel, a ferris wheel and a tilt-a-whirl. The newer area features more than 100 rides, many updated and refurbished within the past two years. Also included are a trio of roller coasters, the very popular log flume ride, a miniature golf course and a petting zoo. Children also love the Kids Water Play World with several water slides.
Bicentennail Commons Sawyer Point 801 E. Pete Rose Way 513-352-6316 Altogether, this park encompasses more than 22 acres of premiere downtown playground including ice skating, roller skating, tennis courts, a boathouse with a rowing center, a performance pavilion with free concerts in the summer and a super playground for children.
Cincinnati Nature Center 4949 Tealtown Rd Milford, OH 45150 513-831-1711 This outstanding nature preserve, located east of Cincinnati, offers 15 miles of trails in its 1,425-acres permitting easy observation of the 237 varieties of wildflowers.
Heritage Village Sharon Woods Park 11450 Lebanon Rd 513-563-9484 All of the buildings in this recreated 19th century village were gathered from across southwestern Ohio to be part of the Heritage Village.
Parky's Farm, Ark, Playce, and PlayBarn 10245 Winton Rd. 513-521-7275 Located in 2,630-acre Winton Woods, "Parky" activities are designed to delight city children. Parky's Farm is a 100-acre demonstration farm with vegetable gardens, orchards, farm animals and a petting zoo. Parky's PlayBarn is an indoor, two-story barn-like playground with soft flooring where children can tumble, explore and climb to their heart's content. Children can get wet at Parky's Ark water playground near the Harbor Pavilion, where creatures like frogs, turtles, bugs and fish spurt water at squealing youngsters. The hands-down favorite is the 180-foot snake that crawls through the play area with 47 nozzles squirting water in all directions. Children can also choose to stay dry at Parky's Playce, another playground located near the Pavilion.
Surf Cincinnati Waterpark 11460 Sebring Dr 513-742-0620 This water park includes Cincinnati's largest wave pool. This relaxed, family-oriented destination offers lots of excellent water activities: flumes, white-water rapids, lazy river rides and water slides. Next door is Fun City, which has dry activities like Chip Shot miniature golf with 18 holes, volleyball, basketball and a game room. Squirt City is designed for younger children.
The Dude Ranch Waynesville Rd Morrow, OH 45152 513-958-8099 The Dude Ranch is where regular folks without cowboy experience can saddle up and ride out their cowboy fantasies. The Ranch offers everything from gentle rides to actual cattle drives for the more experienced. Children can take pony rides, hay rides, and enjoy looking at all of the beautiful horses and animals featured on the trail.
The Beach Waterpark 2590 Water Park Dr 513-398-7946 The Beach features more than 40 water slides including the first watercoaster in the Midwest. The 35-acre park also has a 100,000-gallon Pearl lagoon.
Children's Theater of Cincinnati 2106 Florence Ave 513-569-8080 Some of Cincinnati's best actors, musicians and technical people are on the production team that presents great musicals, comedies and dramas for kids. This is a great attraction for families with children of all ages.
