I am the tourist, and this is my guide to Cincinnati, OH. I don’t live in Cincinnati, so it will never be a local’s guide, but many of the things on my tourist lists are recommendations from locals. If I’m missing anything, please drop it in the comments and I’ll add it to the guide.
Food and Drinks
- Skyline Chili– A Cincinnati institution that serves Coney dogs and spaghetti covered in chili. You can get it 3-, 4-, or 5- way, each one adding more ridiculous toppings. If you love spaghetti noodles but don’t like marinara sauce, I suppose these are for you
- Graeter’s Ice Cream– Another Cincinnati institution, this slow-churned creamy ice cream is now available to ship nationwide. They’re known for the quality of the cream and chocolate chips they use. The locals say to get the black raspberry chocolate chip and they’re right; it’s delicious
- Findlay Market– Public market with tons of fresh produce and deli items, and all the local snacks you could want
- Moerlein Lager House– Huge gastropub on the river, great casual spot
- March First Brewery– Brewery with typical bar food, located in Fountain Square. Great spot to cool off after walking around downtown
- Rhinegeist Brewery– The beers are delicious. We didn’t make it to the brewery but they’re available at most places
- Teak– Everyone recommended Teak, a sushi and Thai spot, but they were closed basically the entire time we were there
- Montgomery Inn’s The Boathouse– Upscale steak and seafood restaurant on the river
- Iris BookCafe– Cut cafe with lots of cute indoor and outdoor seating, and used and unique books for sale
- Moxy Bakery– Delicious, fresh pastries
- Incline Public House– Great view, known for their pizza and chicken and waffles.
- La Rosa’s Pizza– Pizza chain in OH, IN, and KY
- Melt Revival– Funky breakfast, lunch, dinner, and brunch menus. Almost everything can be made vegan
- United Dairy Farmers– Ice cream that started on a family farm and now has 200 locations in three states
- Price Hill Chili– A Cincinnati “legend” according to the website, came highly recommended by locals
- Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse– This regional chain steakhouse also came highly recommended
Things to Do
- National Underground Railroad Freedom Center– Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays so we didn’t get to go, this was the thing we wanted to see the most. Plan accordingly!
- Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame– A new, interactive, high-tech Black Music Walk of Fame, that was fun and informative
- Fountain Square– A cute downtown square with bars and restaurants, and plenty of places to sit and enjoy the beautiful fountain
- Cincinnati Zoo– We went to the Columbus Zoo the day before we got to Cincinnati so we didn’t go to the zoo, but I would check it out if we went back
- Cincinnati History Museum at Union Terminal
- American Sign Museum– Over 20,000 square feet of Americana signs from the last century
- Loveland Castle and Museum– Located 18 miles NE of Cincinnati, this replica of a medieval castle was built by one man!
- Cincinnati Reds Game
- FC Cincinnati Game
- Krohn Conservatory
- Eden Park
If you’re planning a trip to Cincinnati, try to avoid Mondays and Tuesdays, when most things are closed!
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Shout out to Melissa and Shaela for all the great recommendations!