My niece (9) is a history buff. She gets it honestly; our family vacations were filled with trips to Colonial Williamsburg, National Parks and Civil War battle sites. No time for the beach, Grandpa has a hot lead on a working cotton gin! And lest not forget our equal love for American Girl Doll historical fiction books (Samantha is still my favorite). Then I thought, we don’t have to endure a 12-hour car ride to experience history, we’ve got it in our own backyard. So, I set out to plan a special day in Cincinnati for the kid who loves history. Read on for details and an itinerary.
9:00am: Breakfast at The Echo off of Hyde Park Square. Order the Glier’s German Greats for a crash course in goetta, a Cincinnati breakfast favorite. Goetta, a mixture of oats and sausage was made popular by German-Americans and Cincinnati’s famed pork-industry (re: Porkopolis). Walk off your breakfast with a stroll around the Square and marvel at the fountain gifted by the Kilgour family in 1901.
10:30am: Make your way downtown for the Underground Tour with American Legacy Tours. Learn how Cincinnati had the highest number of breweries and beer halls in the country and tour the underground tunnels of Cincinnati’s breweries. The list of tours available is exhausting – a haunted tour, a walking tour, an architectural tour – choose your own adventure!
12:00pm: Check out Findlay Market, Ohio’s oldest surviving market, and sample a few eats from local vendors. My favorites include Taste of Belgium for a waffle, Fresh Table’s roasted beet salad and fresh pasta from Bouchard’s.
2:00pm: Make your way towards the river to check out the Roebling Suspension Bridge. When it was completed in 1867, the Roebling Suspension Bridge was the longest of its kind worldwide and was the prototype for the Brooklyn Bridge. Take a walk across history to get a view of the Ohio River and stay in the area and play at Smale Riverfront Park. Rest on a swing, watch the river go by and imagine yourself on a steamboat.
4:00pm: Ever see those purple and gold Queen City Tour signs around Cincinnati? The tour was originally created in 1970 and designated scenic and historical sites around Cincinnati. Check out the list here, pick a destination and set your radio to WKRP in Cincinnati. We decided for a drive through Mt. Adams, took a walk through the business district and made a stop at a local watering hole for virgin Shirley Temples.
6:00pm: Dinner on the patio at Incline Public House. Did you know Cincinnati once had five operating inclines (vertical railways) to allow its residents access to its surrounding neighborhoods? After dinner, check out the remnants of the Price Hill Incline and take in the view of the city.
9:00pm: Widely regarded as the “Birthplace of American Astronomy,” the Cincinnati Observatory is located at the top of Mt. Lookout and is the oldest observatory in the U.S. Stop in for a star gazing event.
10:00pm: Are you still standing? End your night with a scoop of Graeter’s ice cream (with over 145 years of history!) at your local store.
Need some more ideas? Check out these other historical favorites around town to explore:
- Carew Tower Observation Deck: 49 stories tall, located in downtown Cincinnati, offers views of three states (Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana) on a clear day.
- Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden: Opened in 1874, the Cincinnati Zoo is the second oldest zoo in the U.S.
- Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal: Certain portions of the Cincinnati Museum Center are currently closed for renovation, but you can still check out the Union Terminal which was commonly used for daily commutes dating back to the 1930s.
- Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum: Explore all 81-inductees dating back to 1869 with your baseball fan.
- Cincinnati Music Hall: Join a tour of the Music Hall and check out the architectural details completed in 1878.
- National Underground Railroad Freedom Center: Learn about Cincinnati’s role in the Underground Railroad and stories of freedom, both past and present.
