CityBeat Annual Manual 2023

PUBLISHER TONY FRANK

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ASHLEY MOOR

SPECIAL SECTIONS EDITOR MAIJA ZUMMO

MANAGING EDITOR ALLISON BABKA

DIGITAL CONTENT EDITOR KATHERINE BARRIER

STAFF WRITER MADELINE FENING

CALENDAR EDITOR, WRITER SEAN M. PETERS

PROJECT WRITER MACKENZIE MANLEY

COPY EDITOR SARAH FENSKE

CREATIVE DIRECTOR HAIMANTI GERMAIN

PRODUCTION MANAGER SEAN BIERI

GRAPHIC DESIGNER ASPEN SMITH

CONTRIBUTING

CONTRIBUTING

BY CITYBEAT STAFF

The Cincinnati skyline from the Bellevue Park overlook (above); Lucky Cat Museum (opposite); Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption (far opposite)

In today’s world, it may seem like everything has been discovered — especially when it comes to the geography of a mid-sized Midwestern metropolis like Cincinnati. But every city has its secrets.

This insider’s guide to “Secret Cincinnati” uncovers the Queen City’s most unique attractions and singular curiosities, from where to find off-menu restaurant favorites and hidden architectural gems to oddball historical markers and one-of-a-kind museums. It’s time to play the role of intrepid explorer and see Cincinnati with new eyes.

LUCKY CAT MUSEUM

Located inside the Essex Studios artist warehouse, the Lucky Cat Museum boasts a one-of-a-kind collection of Japanese maneki-neko cat figurines, those popular “beckoning cats” with one paw raised to wave and bring luck to their owners. Glass displays stretch across the walls containing thousands of styles, colors and sizes of cats. Some are classic statues — golden cats, white cats with red ears and green bibs and black cats — while others are more unique, like plush cats, ceramic cats and cats emblazoned on socks and T-shirts. Some cats are handcrafted by artists from across the globe, and then there are famous cartoons like Garfield, Hello Kitty and Mickey Mouse dressed as manekinekos. Some of the cats are even functional: teacups, keychains, slot machines and catnip toys. All of them, however, carry an undeniable charm. There’s even a gift shop, where you can purchase some luck of your own.

2511 Essex Place, Walnut Hills, luckycatmewseum.com.

CATHEDRAL BASILICA OF THE ASSUMPTION

Modeled in part after the iconic Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, the Gothic-style Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Covington looks like a mini version of the French original. The facade mimics its Parisian prototype with 32 Italian-carved gargoyle water spouts and 26 chimeras jutting from its parapet, as well as flying buttresses and three doorways that are “exact copies” of Notre-Dame’s portals, according to the basilica’s tour brochure.

Inside, the cathedral boasts 82 stained glass windows, including the 67-foot-by-24-foot North Transept Window — referred to as the “world’s largest church stained-glass window” — and a collection of eucharist-themed murals by famed Cincinnati-trained painter Frank Duveneck. One of only 85 minor basilicas in America — an honorable distinction given to certain churches for their “antiquity, dignity, historical importance or significance as centers of worship,” per the Catholic Almanac — it is open for daily mass. And is a perfect substitute while the real Notre-Dame continues to be rebuilt after a devastating 2019 fire.

1101 Madison Ave., Covington, covcathedral.com.

Photos: Bellevue Park provided by Cincinnati Parks; Lucky Cat Museum by Kellie Coleman; Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption by Hailey Bollinger

BELLEVUE PARK OVERLOOK

It is said that Cincinnati is built on seven hills, like Rome — the city actually is named for Roman agrarian and military leader Cincinnatus, who twice gave up his dictatorship to return to farming — but the reality is we have plenty more ridges, heights and neighborhood names that begin with “Mount” than that. The alternating peaks and valleys of the city create excellent views from a variety of vantage points. There are about 50 classified scenic overlooks throughout the Tri-State and many other secret spots from which to see the lights of the city and the winding Ohio River. One such location is Bellevue Park in Clifton Heights. Located at the end of Ohio Street, this 15-acre park sits at the former terminus of the 19th-century Bellevue Incline, which transported downtowners from Elm Street to the now-demolished Bellevue House beer hall. The park offers spectacular views of the skyline, straight into the heart of downtown. Along with the panorama, Bellevue Park also boasts a unique pavilion. Designed by R. Carl Freund and opened in 1955, it includes three large, perforated concrete shade structures. A blend of Frank Lloyd Wright and Googie architecture, the shapes resemble organic spaceships or blooming alien lotuses.

Bellevue Park, 2191 Ohio St., Clifton Heights, cincinnati-oh.gov.

ANDERSON FERRY AND AUGUSTA FERRY

Before Greater Cincinnatians had to deal with the drama and traffic snarls of the Brent Spence Bridge, locals used ferries to get from one side of the Ohio River to the other. The Anderson Ferry is a nationally registered historic site that has been transporting people and goods from the West Side to Northern Kentucky since 1817. Originally outfitted with wooden paddlewheels, the vessel was powered by horses walking on a treadmill. Today, a boat captain drives the small barge — which can hold around a dozen cars and their passengers at a time — for the short ride from riverbank to riverbank. Since 1798, the Augusta Ferry has been moving folks between Augusta, Kentucky and Higginsport, Ohio. Proclaiming itself “one of the oldest ferry services still in operation on the Ohio River,” the ship started as a hand-propelled service by local John Boude. The boat is motorized today and can accommodate a handful of cars and standing guests for another quaint way to cross the river. Both ferries are cash only, so make sure you have a $5 if you want to ride.

Anderson Ferry, 1 Anderson Ferry Road, Delhi, andersonferry.com; Augusta Ferry, 104 E. Riverside Drive Augusta, augustaky.com.

THE “MUSHROOM HOUSE”

Architect Terry Brown was a University of Cincinnati professor of architecture and interior design, but to most in our region he’s known as the guy behind Hyde Park’s famed “Mushroom House” — so called because it looks like a giant mushroom. A winding entry staircase and misshapen exterior constructed of metal, glass, ceramic and warped wood shingles combine to create an abode that looks like it’s straight out of a fairy tale written by Antoni Gaudi. Completely aberrant from the nearby historic tudors and colonials, the one-bedroom, one-bath structure is just 1,260 square feet. A work in progress by Brown and his students from 1992 to 2006, it served as a second residence for Brown until his death in 2008 and is still a private home today.

Mushroom House, 3331 Erie Ave., Hyde Park.

Augusta Ferry (above left); Mushroom House (above right)

PASSENGER PIGEON MEMORIAL

The passenger pigeon, once the most populous bird species on the planet, was hunted into extinction at the start of the 20th century, according to the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. And it was there that the last passenger pigeon, Martha, died of old age in 1914. After her death, she was stuffed and is now on display at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. But her legacy lives on at the zoo, which has erected a permanent memorial to Martha in one of its former 19th-century Japanese-pagoda-style bird aviaries. Located off the beaten path near the insect house, the building, a National Historic Landmark in its own right, is home to a statue of Martha and a replica of renowned artist (and local) John A. Ruthven’s painting, “Martha, the last passenger pigeon.” Educational wildlife conservation displays surround the works and serve as “a reminder to all of the tragedy of extinction and pleas with visitors to consider how their actions affect wildlife,” in the words of the zoo.

Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, 3400 Vine St., Avondale, cincinnatizoo.org.

ARNOLD’S BAR & GRILL’S ‘HOT ONES’ BURGER

As Cincinnat’s oldest tavern, Arnold’s Bar & Grill has become a favorite haunt for ghost hunters (and, reportedly, apparitions themselves). But burger fans will find another type of ghost on premises: peppers. These fiery favorites make an appearance on the bar’s Sean Evans “Hot Ones” Burger, named after — and approved by — the YouTube talk show in which host Evans asks celebrities questions as they sample spicier and spicier hot sauce. Self-proclaimed “Hot Ones” superfan and Arnold’s owner Chris Breeden says the burger comes three ways. The menu original is “spicy but still accessible,” Breeden says, and features a half-pound custom-blend burger from Avril-Bleh with ghost pepper cheese, fresh habanero and jalapeno, hot sauce aioli and Grippo’s Bar-B-Q chips on a Sixteen Bricks bun. Level up with the “lunatic style” option, which comes topped with bonus crushed Carolina reaper and ghost peppers and four drops of the Last Dab brand hot sauce (no refunds if you can’t take the heat). The third “ODB style” is an off-menu secret. It takes the above burgers and adds even more crushed ghost peppers and Carolina reapers, plus four dabs each of Mad Dog 357, Da Bomb Beyond Insanity, Blair’s Mega Death and the Last Dab hot sauces. “It is hot enough to make a normal person regret their whole day,” Breeden says.

Arnold’s Bar & Grill, 210 E. Eighth St., Downtown, arnoldsbarandgrill.com.

SWING HOUSE

The Swing House is a whole-building art project — a three-story, shotgun-style 1880s brick home in Camp Washington that owner and artist Mark de Jong has transformed into a large-scale installation and rentable space. De Jong removed the structure’s walls and upper floors and built a swing right in the middle of the opened-up interior. Made from pine he salvaged from third-floor joists, the swing is attached by 30 feet of natural-fiber rope to a metal beam on the ceiling. The whimsical ride lets you travel from end to end of Swing House, imagining the generations that lived there previously while surveying the rest of the interior. The experiential work provides a trip through time and space, and offers a radical departure from our expectations of everyday domesticity — while still providing comforts like a bespoke bed, sofa and kitchen. There are two ways to visit Swing House: drop by during the recurring open-house events, or book it as an Airbnb for an artful getaway.

Swing House, 1373 Avon Place, Camp Washington, swing-house.com.

Passenger pigeon memorial (above left); the “Hot Ones” Burger (bottom left); Swing House (above right)

Photos: Augusta Ferry by Maija Zummo; Mushroom House by Aidan Mahoney; Passenger Pigeon Memorial provided by the Cincinnati Zoo; Arnold’s Bar & Grill by Maggy McDonel; Swing House by Hailey Bollinger

THE MERCANTILE LIBRARY

The Mercantile Library — located on the 11th and 12th floors of a downtown office building — is Cincinnati’s own Room of Requirement. (For those who aren’t Harry Potter fans, it’s basically an extraordinarily cool, secret space). Open since 1835, this membership library (one of only two-dozenish left in the U.S.) is home to more than 80,000 books, a dynamic lecture series — Ralph Waldo Emerson, Ray Bradbury, Tom Wolfe and Julia Child are just a handful of names who have spoken here — concerts, yoga classes and cocktail hours. While you have to be a member to check out books, the public is welcome to wander the stacks, attend events and marvel at the luddite luxury of this classic club.

The Mercantile Library, 414 Walnut St., 11th Floor, Downtown, mercantilelibrary.com.

A CHUNK OF THE BERLIN WALL

Using the city’s historical ties to the anti-slavery movement, the mission of the Freedom Center is “to inspire modern abolition through connecting the lessons of the Underground Railroad with today’s freedom fighters.” Permanent exhibits include a rebuilt 1800s slave pen from Mason, Kentucky; Invisible: Slavery Today, which explores human trafficking and modern slavery; Open Your Mind: Understanding Implicit Bias, a learning lab for identifying and researching unconscious prejudice, and a piece of the Berlin Wall, on display outside and facing the Ohio River — itself a former barrier between North and South. In 1989, Cincinnati became sister cities with Germany’s Bavarian capital of Munich, the same year the Berlin Wall fell. It’s been over 30 years, and since that time, the Freedom Center has picked up a chunk of that history in the form of a chunk of the wall itself. Gifted by the city of Berlin in 2010, the wall piece was brought here to reflect upon those who “through courage, cooperation and perseverance worked collectively to demolish a modern barrier to freedom.” The wall is a symbolic reminder of past struggles and a message not to take freedom for granted.

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, 50 E. Freedom Way, Downtown, freedomcenter.org.

CARDBOARD BOAT MUSEUM

Cardboard and water aren’t the most perfect pair. Their union tends to create a soggy, brownish mess. But the Cardboard Boat Museum in New Richmond, Ohio stands stubbornly against that logic. The city is home to the International Cardboard Boat Regatta, which has taken place every August since 1993 as part of the festival. Teams of intrepid humans build boats out of cardboard and other assorted supplies and race down the Ohio River to win awards in categories like fastest boat, most creative design and the Titanic Award for the most dramatic sinking. The Cardboard Boat Museum — located in a former gas station — chronicles the history of this unusual race through photos and displays. See colorful cardboard replicas of the Delta Queen steamboat, a John Deere tractor, a Viking ship and other creations. Or take a class on building a vessel of your own.

311 Front St., New Richmond, Ohio, cardboardmuseumnr.com.

Mercantile Library (above left); Berlin Wall (above right)

ROBERT S. DUNCANSON MURALS

Downtown’s Taft Museum of Art — the former residence of notable locals including Martin Baum, Nicholas Longworth, David Sinton, Anna Sinton Taft and Charles Phelps Taft — celebrated its bicentennial in 2020. Built circa 1820 and opened as a museum in 1932, the Taft’s most iconic works of art may be painted directly onto its walls: Robert S. Duncanson’s series of eight dreamy landscape murals, each about 9-feet-by-6.5-feet, are located in the house-museum’s foyer. Commissioned by former resident Nicholas Longworth in the 1850s, the project launched Duncanson’s career, leading him to become the first Black American artist to garner international acclaim, according to the museum. Following Longworth’s death, the paintings were covered, only to be restored when the museum opened. Now known as the “most significant pre-war domestic murals in the United States,” the Duncanson series was restored again in 1994 and 2000 and protected during the recent nearly $13 million Bicentennial Infrastructure Project restoration and renovation of the historic property.

Taft Museum of Art, 316 Pike St., Downtown, taftmuseum.org.

SHARK BRIDGE

Ever wonder what it would feel like to walk the plank into shark-infested waters? Well, you can get a little taste of the experience by venturing across the Newport Aquarium’s Shark Bridge, the self-proclaimed “world’s first suspended rope bridge” where guests can walk directly above an open-air tank filled with swimming sharks, rays and more than 300 fish. Thankfully, once you complete the 75-foot long walk across the 385,000-gallon Surrounded by Sharks exhibit, you’ll end up safely on the other side of the tank — not splashing down next to an apex predator.

Newport Aquarium, 1 Aquarium Way, Newport, newportaquarium.com.

ST. ROSE CHURCH FLOOD MARKER

Cincinnati has been submerged by local floodwaters many times over the past century, and St. Rose Church has recorded them all. Painted on the back of the building is a historical flood marker, a white gauge showing just how high the water reached on the structure in varying years. It’s an invitation to imagine what Cincinnati was like under about a foot of water (as it apparently was in 1963) or drowned in Ohio River-spillover that reached all the way past the second story of the church, which happened during the disastrous flood of 1937. The church’s website includes some pictures taken in the aftermath of that catastrophe, including one that shows a group of nuns navigating the streets in a rowboat.

St. Rose Church, 2501 Riverside Drive, East End, strosecincinnati.org.

Robert S. Duncanson murals at the Taft Museum of Art (above)

Photos: Mercantile Library by Hailey Bollinger; Berlin Wall by Kellie Coleman; Duncanson murals by Ryan Kurtz

“ALLEGRO” MURAL

Downtown’s “Allegro” mural is one of the last remaining of the nine original Urban Walls: Cincinnati artworks, a project launched by local gallerist Carl Solway and his assistant, Jack Boulton. Their idea at the time was to bring to Cincinnati what they had seen in New York, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles — buildings used as “canvases” for large-scale abstract graphics. Painted in 1972 by artist and then-Art Academy of Cincinnati teacher Barron Krody, the mural is abstractly geometric but vaguely figurative. It consists of a group of boomerang-like yellow bars, separated by earthy green space and jutting from an orange cube. Somewhat neglected over the years in its hidden location on the back of a building on the corner of Race and Seventh streets, “Allegro” had fallen by the wayside as a “ghost sign,” or a faded artwork, until the Kinley Hotel moved into the space in 2019. The Kinley not only kept the iconic work — although it was slightly altered to make way for new windows — but also reached out to Krody and revived the original design as a nod to the building’s history. Today, the original brightness is back for passersby to rediscover.

Kinley Hotel, 636 Race St., Downtown.

ALIENS AT HIGHLAND HILLS PARK

Pack some Reese’s Pieces and get ready to phone home at Highland Hills Park, a tucked-away gem in Ft. Thomas that is home to two miles of trails — and a trio of ectoplasm-green extraterrestrials. Stroll along the path and you’ll stumble upon a series of rustic alien sculptures by Chris Rust, a local chainsaw artist and firefighter. One creature hugs its knees to its chest, while another holds up a peace sign with amusingly large fingers and the third cradles a rabbit in its cupped hands. A nearby log displays otherworldly markings. The carvings were made from the stumps of ash trees that were infested with emerald ash borer and had to be cut down. “This took a negative event and added something special to the trails,” says Rust on his website. “Every so often a new carving will be created.” Other wooden critters he’s carved on the trail include a red fox, a cardinal and an owl. Find a “scavenger hunt” map on the website to locate Rust’s creations.

Highland Hills Park, Mayfield Ave., Ft. Thomas, crcarving.com.

THE DOG MAYOR OF RABBIT HASH

Democracy was created in ancient Athens. It was perfected in Rabbit Hash, Kentucky, which in 1998 solved the trickiest part of our representative election system — the human at the center — by electing a dog as mayor. Five dog mayors have since held the position. The most recent is a French bulldog named Wilbur, elected in 2020. The mayoral election of Rabbit Hash is, of course, not official. The hamlet was once a populated town on the banks of the Ohio River in Boone County, but today only about a dozen structures remain, including a nearly 200-year-old general store (restored and rebuilt after a devastating fire in 2016) that’s become a tourist attraction. Without residents or public services to manage, there are no officials to elect, no city council to convene and no police departments to manage. The civic duties of the town belong to the nonprofit historical society that owns it, which is the entity that hosts dog elections to help raise funds for various town projects. So what are Mayor Wilbur’s actual duties? Besides being adorable, all he has to do is “show up in town and gnaw on a bone,” says owner Amy Noland.

Rabbit Hash, Kentucky, rabbithash.com.

“Allegro” mural (above left); an alien at Highland Hills Park (above right)

VENT HAVEN

Northern Kentucky’s Vent Haven is the only museum in the world dedicated to the art of ventriloquism. In addition to more than 900 dummies — some dating back to the 19th century — guests can view a library of vent-centric books, playbills and photographs documenting the art form. Founded in 1973 by Cincinnati native William Shakespeare “W.S.” Berger, who spent 40 years collecting dummies, recordings and notes related to ventriloquism, the museum is located on the grounds of — and inside — his former personal home. Today, the museum spans four buildings and is currently temporarily closed for a renovation and expansion project to house its ever-increasing collection, as well as a gift shop, changing exhibits and a performance area. Greeting hundreds of visitors each year by appointment only, Vent Haven also hosts the annual international ConVENTion for professional ventriloquists and fans from across the globe.

33 W. Maple Ave., Fort Mitchell, venthaven.org.

BOBBY MACKEY’S MECHANICAL BULL

Sure, Bobby Mackey’s in Wilder, Kentucky, is known for being haunted and for serving up some of the most authentic traditional country and honky tonk music in the area on a regular basis, including appearances by its musician owner/namesake (and his “Best Damn Band”) every weekend. But for many, the real attraction remains the nightclub’s mechanical bull ride, which celebrated its 40th year of bucking patrons in 2019. Legend has it that Mackey traveled south and purchased his first bull — known as “El Turbo” — from Mickey Gilley in 1979 during the filming of John Travolta’s and Debra Winger’s Urban Cowboy, the movie that would soon make Gilley’s Texas honky tonk internationally famous. How long can you last? There’s only one way to find out. And get this, tough guy: the bar’s just a few steps away when it’s time to numb your new bruises.

Bobby Mackey’s, 44 Licking Pike, Wilder, bobbymackey.com.

GLIER’S GOETTA VENDING MACHINE

Cincinnatians have a thing for weird meats, the most beloved of which is probably Cincinnati-style chili. A close second is goetta, a German-inspired combination of sausage meat and pinhead oats. Goetta devotees flock to Glier’s Goettafest in Newport for a few days each summer (two weekends actually, as of 2019) to sample myriad goetta-infused foods, such as goetta balls, goetta nachos, goetta pizza, goetta brownies and even goetta beer. Each vendor is required to have a completely unique goetta menu, and no item can repeat, so the goetta iterations are endless and endlessly creative. Goettafest is also the only place in the world where you can access the Glier’s Goetta Vending Machine. Snag tubes of Glier’s original, hot or turkey goetta from the refrigerated hub to take home as a sausage-y souvenir.

Glier’s Goettafest, goettafest.com.

Dummies at Vent Haven (above)

Photos: “Allegro” mural and alien sculptures by Aidan Mahoney; Vent Haven by Hailey Bollinger

AULT

PARK CHERRY BLOSSOM TREES

Mt. Lookout’s Ault Park welcomes cherry blossoms bursting with pink and white hues every March and April. The beautiful weeping cherry trees’ buds are a sure sign that spring has indeed sprung in the Queen City. In the 1930s, Japan gifted more than 1,000 Japanese Cherry Blossom trees to the city, which ended up in Ault Park. And in 2008, 121 additional Somei Yoshino trees were planted in the park by the Japan America Society. The cherry grove has since been maintained and improved by the society and Cincinnati Parks staff. Once the trees have blossomed, families and friends flock to Ault for idyllic picnics, leisurely strolls and seasonal photo shoots. After gray winters, the grove offers not only a burst of color, but also the promise of returning warmth. Catch the pink while you can; these beauties stay in full bloom for only a few weeks a year.

Ault Park, 5090 Observatory Ave., Mt. Lookout, aultparkac.org.

THE VOICE OF THE CINCINNATI STREETCAR

As part of the Brat Pack, Emilio Estevez starred in 1980s coming-of-age films. Now he’s the voice of the Cincinnati streetcar, officially called the “Cincinnati Connector.” Having starred in The Breakfast Club, The Outsiders, St. Elmo’s Fire and more pop culture classics, Estevez — whose father, Martin Sheen, is a Dayton native — resides in Over-the-Rhine when he’s not working in Los Angeles. The famed actor is one of the Queen City’s biggest fans, even going as far as calling it “the Paris of the Midwest” in a 2021 Vanity Fair interview. Since 2021, Estevez has narrated each stop along the electric-powered streetcar’s 3.6-mile loop. It’s free to ride, so let him whisk you away to the Banks, Findlay Market, Washington Park or your favorite OTR haunt.

Cincinnati Connector, cincinnati-oh.gov/ streetcar.

STRICKER’S GROVE

Stricker’s Grove is a private, family-owned, 25-acre old-fashioned amusement park located near Fairfield. The nostalgia-inducing theme park is home to tons of games and classic rides — including a Scrambler, Tilt-a-Whirl and swinging pirate ship — but its claim(s) to fame are its roller coasters. There are two: the Teddy Bear, which was originally located at Cincinnati’s Coney Island and rebuilt at Stricker’s Grove, and the Tornado, a wooden coaster hand-built by owner Ralph Stricker himself. If you seek other family-friendly amusements, the park also has an 18-hole miniature golf course, a shooting gallery, horseshoes and an arcade with video games and Skee-Ball. Adding to its novelty, the park only opens to the public for four days each year: Labor Day, the Fourth of July, Family Day (in August) and Customer Appreciation Day (in October).

Stricker’s Grove, 11490 Hamilton-Cleves Road, Crosby Township, strickersgrove.com.

CINCINNATI OBSERVATORY’S TELESCOPES

Known as “The Birthplace of American Astronomy,” the Cincinnati Observatory is the first public observatory in the Western Hemisphere and home to one of the oldest working telescopes in the world: an 11-inch Merz and Mahler refractor from 1845. That and another 19th-century scope — a 16-inch Alvan Clark and Sons refractor from 1904 — are still used to give visitors an up-close look at the stars today. Nestled in the hills of the aptly named Mt. Lookout neighborhood, the observatory is open for tours, astronomy presentations and guided stargazes, as well as special events like Late Night Date Nights and online classes.

Cincinnati Observatory, 3489 Observatory Place, Mt. Lookout, cincinnatiobservatory.org.

SAWYER POINT PICKLEBALL COURTS

Pickleball has been around since 1965, but it’s recently become an American phenomenon. Legend has it, the bored family of a Washington state congressman invented the game when they had access to a badminton court but no equipment, so they instead used ping-pong paddles and a perforated plastic ball. Cincinnati Parks has capitalized on the mania for the sport by converting the tennis courts at Sawyer Point into 24 regulation-sized pickleball ones — 18 dedicated to pickleball only, six overlayed courts and three specifically for tennis. The complex features “state-of-the-art” cushioned surfaces, ball barriers, new nets, LED lighting and updated bathrooms, according to Cincinnati Parks — all assets that the city hopes will attract national tournaments.

Sawyer Point Pickleball Courts, 815 East Pete Rose Way, Downtown, cincinnatiparksfoundation.org.

DOSCHER’S CANDIES

Cincinnati’s Doscher’s Candies is the oldest candy cane confectioner in America. Since 1871, the company has handcrafted small-batch candy canes using copper kettles and real peppermint oil. Each sweet treat is then rolled, kneaded, striped and given its signature hook by hand. Founded by Claus Doscher — yes, that was his real name — the company makes candy canes year-round from a straight-from-a-storybook 1830s farmhouse. Flavor options include orange, cherry and green apple. To continue the iconic candy history connection, Doscher’s acquired the NECCO candy company in 2018 when it filed for bankruptcy and resurrected its nostalgic line of Candy Buttons. Doscher’s also makes French Chews. Get a hands-on candy-shopping experience in the farmhouse’s gift shop.

Doscher’s Candies, 6929 Main St., Newtown, doscherscandies.com.

The Cincinnati Observatory (above)

Photos: Ault Park cherry trees provided by Cincinnati Parks; Cincinnati Observatory by Brittany Thornton

THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHICKEN ISLAND

After the Ohio River flooded in February and March of 2022, two locals discovered something unique: a new island. Located at the confluence of the Ohio and Little Miami rivers, the People’s Republic of Chicken Island — as it’s now known — and serves as a “destination location for the local boating community,” per a release from self-appointed Chicken Island Mayor Nick Motz and co-discoverer and tiki tour boat captain/Jimmy Buffett Parrothead Kevin Schmidt. The four-acre island is an oval measuring 300 feet by 900 feet and offers space for boaters to beach their vessels for a picnic or bonfire or just to enjoy the sandy beach. Formerly part of a peninsula owned by Cincinnati Water Works, the island formed during the floods of early 2022. Schmidt says the duo knew Chicken Island was forming for “years before it became an actual island” — he and Motz were just the first pirates to plant a flag on it. “We are just having fun with it and hoping to build a community of good will around it,” he says.

The People’s Republic of Chicken Island, facebook.com/groups/chickenisland.

HIEROPHANY & HEDGE

Covington’s Hierophany & Hedge is more than a magic shop that deals in self-described “bespoke arcana,” it’s an immersive experience steeped in mystery — like stepping into a fantastical storybook. Warmly lit windows and a dark wood apothecary exterior welcome customers into the shop, which is lined with shelves and tables boasting dried herbs, talismans, gems, tarot card decks, candles, brooms, books and a cabinet full of handcrafted wooden wands. Various steampunk-esque artifacts — like vintage opera glasses and phonographs — dot the interior, with a backdrop of intricately patterned wallpaper. The striking attention to detail is also visible in the shopkeepers. They stay in character, boast fictional backstories and go by two mononyms: “Augur,” a sorcerer who trained at an H.P. Lovecraft-invented university and the medical college that spawned a pair of real-life 19th Scottish serial killers, and “Coil,” a movie star, artist and enchanter with a mythical “serpent bloodline.”

Hierophany & Hedge, 19 W. Pike St., Covington, hierophanyandhedge.com.

GHOSTS OF MUSIC HALL

Built in 1878 on an old potter’s field cemetery, Music Hall’s history stretches over a century. Located across the street from Washington Park, its Victorian-Gothic architecture marks the venue as one of Cincinnati’s most iconic buildings. These hallowed halls have played host to legendary artists, including Frank Sinatra, Miles Davis, Prince, Janis Joplin and Bob Dylan, and are home to the Cincinnati Opera, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, May Festival and the Cincinnati Ballet. The place is also said to be haunted. It was even featured on Travel Channel’s Most Terrifying Places in America and Ghost Hunters. Whether you’re a paranormal skeptic or believer, soak in the venue’s spooky history during its seasonal after-hours ghost tours (which always sell out). Conducted by the Friends of Music Hall preservation society in partnership with the Cincinnati Research & Paranormal Studies team, the one-hour experience includes historical anecdotes, stories of supernatural experiences and viewings of both public and private areas at the National Historic Landmark. Attendees are invited to bring their own ghost hunting equipment.

Music Hall, 650 Walnut St., Over-the-Rhine, cincinnatiarts.org.

KIKI OYSTER BAR

Helmed by owner/chef Hideki “Kiki” Harada, Sen by Kiki is a fishmonger inside Findlay Market’s historic market house. Harada, who also operates ramen outpost Kiki College Hill, sells sushi-grade seafood — everything from trout, tuna, branzino, local tilapia, marinated and ready-to-grill octopus, bay scallop, mussels, giant prawn and more. The stand also keeps a variety of mollusks available to buy individually or by the bucket. Sen, which means “fresh” in Japanese, has an attached oyster bar that’s just big enough to fit a couple of people. Sidle up to the side counter to enjoy a tray of freshly shucked oysters with all the fixings. Findlay’s first oyster bar is a unique culinary attraction for the market, which was named one of the top 10 food markets in the world by Newsweek Magazine.

Findlay Market, 1801 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, instagram.com/sen_by_kiki.

AMERICAN SIGN MUSEUM

Get lost in the ads and landmarks of yesteryear at the neon-lit American Sign Museum. Winding pathways of colorful signage give way to a mocked-up Atomic Age Main Street with faux storefronts, cobblestone and giant retro logos from the likes of Howard Johnson, McDonald’s and Marshall Field’s. From roadside nostalgia and a looming Big Boy to pharmacy signs and gas station markers, the flashing lights, buzzing electricity and rotating wonders illuminate and preserve the past with a collection that encompasses signs from the late 1800s to the 1970s. The largest public sign museum in America offers visitors the option of a guided, informative tour to learn about the history and manufacturing process behind different signs — including many with connections to Cincinnati’s past. Or wander on your own.

1330 Monmouth Ave., Camp Washington, americansignmuseum.org.

NEWPORT’S FAIRY DOORS

Typically thought of as forest denizens, fairies have moved in among the humans in Newport’s East Row Historic District, or so the legend goes. Next time you walk through the neighborhood, look along the stoops and doorsteps of the neighborhood’s already charming buildings to find a series of tiny, whimsical doors. Crafted and installed by an anonymous do-gooder, these Tinkerbell-sized porticos are entrances to the homes of fairies. There are more than 100, with unique shapes, colors and designs. There’s even a Facebook group dedicated to scouting out the enchanted entryways.

East Row Historic District, Newport, eastrow.org.

SEN BY

American Sign Museum (above left); Sen by Kiki (below left); a fairy door (above right)

Photos: Hierophany & Hedge and American SIgn Museum by Hailey Bollinger; Sen by Kiki by Maggy McDonel; Newport fairy houses by Savana Willhoite

LOVELAND CASTLE

World War I army medic and Boy Scout troop leader Harry Delos Andrews built Chateau Laroche, aka the Loveland Castle, over the course of 50 years, using handmade bricks (formed with quart-sized paper milk cartons) and stones from the nearby Little Miami River. Modeled after European castles he saw during the war, Chateau Laroche was designed “as an expression and reminder of the simple strength and rugged grandeur of the mighty men who lived when knighthood was in flower,” per the website. The current world headquarters of the Knights of the Golden Trail — the Andrews-developed scout troop dedicated to following the Ten Commandments — the castle features towers, a dry moat, hand-tiled ceilings, murder holes and a collection of period weaponry. The grounds are open daily and available for picnics, weddings, overnights and parties. They are also rumored to be haunted by a variety of ghosts, including Andrews, who was reportedly brought back from the dead after his body was injected with a shot of adrenaline in the morgue during an outbreak of meningitis among soldiers while he was stationed at Camp Dix.

12075 Shore Road, Loveland, lovelandcastle.com.

CINCINNATI’S FIRST POLICE DOG

Handsome was Cincinnatiľs first canine cop. Found as an abandoned puppy by a patrolman in 1898, the mutt quickly became a fixture at the police station and soon joined daily patrols, chasing down thieves and murderers. He reportedly assisted in hundreds of arrests in the course of his career. After his death in 1912, the beloved beast was stuffed and placed in a glass case to honor his contributions. He is now on public view at the Greater Cincinnati Police Museum, which is also home to thousands of local law enforcement artifacts and a memorial wall.

308 Reading Road, Pendleton, police-museum.org.

GLENDALE’S BLACK SQUIRRELS

Black squirrels remain a bit of an anomaly in North America. The same species as the gray squirrel, these rodents came by their sleek black-as-midnight coat via interspecies breeding with the fox squirrel, carrying over a mutated gene. See the cute critters for yourself in the Cincinnati suburb of Glendale, which has been home to black squirrels since the 1940s, when a local businessman brought four home from a trip to Michigan. In celebration of the village’s 150th anniversary in 2005, then-mayor Thomas Todd partnered with the same manufacturing company behind the Frish’s Big Boy mascot and Cincinnati’s “Big Pig Gig” public art venture — which displayed hundreds of decorated, human-sized pig sculptures across the city — to make 25 uniquely designed giant black squirrel statues, 13 of which still stand today. Head to the Glendale Heritage Preservation website to find a map to the amusing creations, each painted with a different pattern or theme. And, hey, you’ll likely see the real deal scampering about while you’re at it.

Glendale, Ohio, glendaleheritage.org.

Loveland Castle (above left); Handsome the police dog (above right); a Glendale squirrel (bottom right)

BISON AT BIG BONE LICK STATE HISTORIC SITE

Big Bone Lick State Historic Site is a secret that seems well-kept by Northern Kentuckians. Visitors utilize over four miles of well-maintained trails through Kentucky forests, but most come for one trail in particular, which holds a surprise at the end: a herd of bison. The American bison is the largest North American land mammal, standing up to 6 feet tall and weighing over 2,000 pounds. Once native to Northern Kentucky — and now only found in national and state parks or reserves — the animals are no longer seen in the wild after being hunted to near extinction in the 1800s. The hike from the parking lot to the bison herd is only two-tenths of a mile and there are plenty of signs to let you know you are on the right path. The park, which once held a prehistoric salt lick that attracted the likes of wooly mammoths and mastodons, is home to many fossils and an educational visitor center with a focus on paleontology.

Big Bone Lick State Historic Site, 3380 Beaver Road, Union, Kentucky, parks.ky.gov.

THE “SPACESHIP HOUSE”

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Finnish architect Matti Suuronen designed fewer than 100 Futuro houses, which are basically homes that look like flying saucers — and Covington has one of them. It was purchased in 1973 by Rob Detzel, who first saw it in an issue of Family Circle. He made arrangements for its display at a home and garden show, then took it on a tour of sorts; in 1987, it landed (er, it was delivered) to its current location. In 2013, Covington Mayor Sherry Carran declared Nov. 2 — the 40th anniversary of its purchase by Detzel — “Futuro House Day,” officially naming its property “Area 89.” Visitors should be respectful: This is a private residence.

Futuro House, 222 Wright St., Covington.

BREWING HERITAGE TRAIL

Once one of the largest brewing boomtowns in 19th-century America, Cincinnati was home to major pre-Prohibition beer kingpins. More recently, the city has bolstered an ever-expanding craft brewing scene. To explore, preserve and celebrate the Queen City’s storied past as a beer-producing capital, Over-the-Rhine’s Brewing Heritage Trail offers a free, self-guided walking tour. Hop on the three-quarter-mile trail at Findlay Market or Grant Park and follow the embedded medallions in the sidewalk to discover historic buildings, former brewing sites, public art and more, all detailing parts of Cincinnati’s beer-infused historical narrative. A number of (ticketed) guided tours are also available to complement the trail. You can go into the subterranean refrigeration tunnels of now-defunct breweries, learn about Cincinnati’s beer barons and just bask in pre-Prohibition boozy history. Most tours also include a pint or two at a local taproom.

Brewing Heritage Trail, brewingheritagetrail.org.

Bison at Big Bone Lick State Historic Site (above)

Photos: Loveland Castle by Brittany Thornton; Handsome the Dog by Megan Waddel; Glendale black squirrel by Mackenzie Manley; Big Bone Lick by Adam Doty

Walk or bike along the Mill Creek Greenway Trail at dusk, and your universe just might expand as orbs begin to glow along the paved walkway. “Space Walk” is an immersive art installation that thrusts viewers on a journey through our galaxy using a replica solar system. Encased in special solar-powered holders, the planets are built with a scale of 3.5 billion to one and radiate a soft, purple glow at night along the three-quarter-mile, intergalactic experience.

Mill Creek Greenway Trail, 4400 Spring Grove Ave., Spring Grove Village.

INVERTED 3WAY

Cincinnati chili celebrated its 100th anniversary in October 2022. The love-it-orhate-it local dish was invented by brothers Tom and John Kiradjieff, Bulgarian immigrants from Macedonia. The duo used Mediterranean-inspired spices to create a somewhat watery meat chili used initially to top hot dogs sold at their Empress Chili parlor. The beef-based sauce, with hints of cinnamon and chocolate, eventually became the key ingredient in Cincinnati’s iconic 3-Way — a plate of spaghetti topped with chili and an unnecessary amount of shredded cheddar cheese. In 1949, former Empress employee Nicholas Lambrinides launched his own chili parlor — Skyline Chili — eventually building it into a famed regional chain. And while a classic 3-Way is perfect in its own right, Skyline offers some off-menu versions for chili insiders. The “inverted” 3-Way puts the cheese on the bottom, followed by the chili, topped with spaghetti. Diners can also order their 3-Way, 4-Way (add onions) or 5-Way (add onions and beans) “dry,” with some of the chili juice drained off, or “wet/juicy,” with extra chili. While these menu hacks are favorites for those in the know at Skyline, you can also ask for them at local mom-and-pop chili parlors or the other regional chili chain, Gold Star.

Skyline Chili, multiple locations, skylinechili.com.

MUFON

Instead of being out there, the truth might be right here in Cincinnati. As of 2021, the city is the once again home to the Mutual UFO Network, or MUFON, a UFO investigation organization. Launched in 1969, MUFON had been located in Cincinnati in the 2010s before moving to Irvine, California, but it has now set up what it is calling “permanent” headquarters near Lunken Airport. The nonprofit, which boasts more than 600 trained investigators and 4,200 members across the world, has three goals: to investigate UFO sightings and record them in its public database, promote research on UFOs and educate the public. The move was partly the result of convenience — the organization’s executive director is based here — but also resulted from the area’s connection to extraterrestrial activity, including its relationship to Wright Patterson Air Force Base and its status as the home of the late, internationally famous UFO pioneer Len Stringfield.

MUFON, 4212 Airport Road, East End, mufon.com.

THE RAILWAY MUSEUM OF GREATER CINCINNATI

Each Saturday from May to October, the Railway Museum of Greater Cincinnati becomes a place to take an authentic trip back in time, even if it doesn’t offer train rides or docent-led tours. For a small admission fee, visitors can step out to survey a mostly gritty lineup of 70 passenger and freight cars sitting in an old Louisville & Nashville railyard in Covington’s Latonia neighborhood. But if they are lucky enough to catch one of the museum’s volunteers on the grounds, the rails seem to hum again as they share stories about the Pullman sleeper that moved World War II troops, the passenger cabins that were “hotels on wheels,” the refrigerator cars that helped change the nation’s eating habits and the movie crew that shot scenes here for Eight Men Out. The museum is fully outdoors and the small crew sands, welds, paints and replaces parts on the locomotives, like the Little Engine That Could preserving a historic slice of Americana.

Railway Museum of Greater Cincinnati, 323 W. Southern Ave., Covington, cincirailmuseum.org.

MONTE CASSINO CHAPEL

Named the “smallest church in the world” by Ripley’s Believe It Or Not in 1922, the Monte Cassino Chapel on the grounds of Thomas More University measures only 6 feet by 9 feet. Built in 1901 by Benedictine monks on their functioning Northern Kentucky vineyard, the fieldstone chapel and its associated Monte Cassino Monastery were abandoned by the religious group after Prohibition made commercial wine production untenable. Originally used as a place for the monks to seek solitude and prayer after toiling in the fields, the structure fell into disrepair after the land it was on passed to various owners. It became a local curiosity in the 1950s when Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky newspapers began reporting on its existence, including how many of its original features had been stripped by looters — crucifixes, a stone steeple. In 1964, the owners of the chapel donated it to Villa Madonna College, now Thomas More University, and it was moved to its campus in 1965. The 50-ton chapel was eventually restored and some of the items that had been stolen from the building were returned. The chapel was re-dedicated and recognized by the Roman Catholic Church in 1971. Today, visitors can see the tiny Monte Cassino Chapel near the lake on the grounds of Thomas More University.

Thomas More University, 333 Thomas More Parkway, Crestview Hills, thomasmore.edu.

KROHN CONSERVATORY’S BONSAI ROOM

Opened in 1933, this large Art Deco conservatory features greenhouses devoted to ferns, palms, the desert and orchids, with an area set aside for changing exhibits, from an annual butterfly show to a holiday train display. Wander the pathways to discover each space, walk behind a waterfall and uncover the John Carroll Bonsai Gallery. This small space is dedicated to the Japanese art form wherein small trees are pruned and trained into specific shapes. The Bonsai Society of Greater Cincinnati oversees the care of the plants here and members are available during select times to educate the public on the ancient botanical practice.

Krohn Conservatory, 1501 Eden Park Drive, Mt. Adams. cincinnati-oh.gov.

NATIONAL VOTES FOR WOMEN TRAIL MARKER

The National Votes for Women Trail is an initiative that aims to “recognize and celebrate the enormous diversity of people and groups active in the struggle for women’s suffrage” through a digital database and historical markers. The markers, sponsored by William G. Pomeroy Foundation, are placed at sites of importance to the suffragette movement across the U.S. Of the 250 or so markers, four are in Greater Cincinnati. Located at the top of the Elsinore Steps in Eden Park is one dedicated to artist Cornelia Cassady Davis, who created the “Let Ohio Women Vote” artwork for the state’s 1912 women’s voting campaign. There’s one on Gilbert Avenue in Walnut Hills for Lucy Stone and her husband, Harry Blackwell, who helped found the Women’s Suffrage Association and spoke at women’s rights conventions. Another, on East Sixth and Walnut streets downtown, honors Margaret Longley and her husband, Elias, who published the Type of the Times, which championed women’s rights, abolition and temperance. In Covington, there’s a marker at East Fourth Street and Madison Avenue for Eugenia B. Farmer, who “led the successful campaign for school suffrage,” per the Pomeroy Foundation, and hosted a Kenton County Equal Rights Association convention in Northern Kentucky in 1897.

National Votes for Women Trail, ncwhs.org/ votes-for-women-trail.

THE BLIND LEMON

Hidden in the hilly streets of Mt. Adams is a dimly lit brick alleyway that leads to a set of stairs. Venture down and you’ll soon be greeted by the sounds of live music, clinking glasses and incongruous chatter. This is the beloved Blind Lemon, which first opened its doors in 1963. No matter the season, the lush patio and speakeasy-inspired bar is one of the coziest spots in the city to grab a bite or drink. Offering a boho blend of Bourbon Street and Paris café life, it’s one of the most romantic drinking destinations in the city and offers live music nightly.

The Blind Lemon, 936 Hatch St., Mt. Adams, theblindlemon.com.

ORIGINATOR OF MACY’S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE FLOAT’S GRAVE

Spring Grove Cemetery is the final resting place for several significant figures, but not a lot of people know that the man behind the larger-than-life characters floating over New York City in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is buried in Cincinnati. Tony Sarg was a puppeteer, illustrator, filmmaker, designer, toymaker and all-around playful innovator. He helped popularize puppets in America, created some of the earliest animated motion pictures, illustrated books in a style of his own, did interior design for the likes of the Waldorf Astoria and created fanciful mechanical window displays for Macy’s department store in New York. According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Macy’s requested Sarg create something unique for the 1927 Thanksgiving Day Parade, and he came up with giant balloons, held up by sticks. An inflatable Felix the Cat was one of the first to be carried in the procession, setting the tone for the massive balloon cartoons and characters that make the parade so iconic today. Sarg was born in Guatemala to German and English parents and spent most of his life in London, New York City and Nantucket, where, after local talk of sea serpent sightings in 1937, he famously put a 120-foot balloon sea monster onto a local beach as a hoax to the town’s delight. Sarg’s local connection is through his wife, Cincinnatian Bertha Eleanor McGowan.

Spring Grove Cemetery, 4521 Spring Grove Ave., Spring Grove Village, springgrove.org.

FAMOUS FOODIE FILM SITES

For the past several years, Cincinnati has been ranked as one of the best places to live and work as a moviemaker by MovieMaker Magazine. The city has recently welcomed film projects starring the likes of Timothée Chalamet, Regina King, Tom Hardy and Austin Butler. What does this mean for locals? Some of their favorite haunts are being featured on the big screen. The Blue Jay Restaurant and Pepper Pod have each served as settings for flicks. The former’s retro wood paneling offered a rustic backdrop for horror film The Killing of a Sacred Deer and Robert Redford’s The Old Man and the Gun, while the latter was briefly featured in the Ted Bundy biopic Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. If you’re in the mood for something a little more sit-down, visit Italian restaurant Pompilio’s, which showed up the 1988 Tom Cruise/Dustin Hoffman vehicle Rain Man (and the cult classic 1990s rollerblading flick Airborne). Or visit Maury’s Tiny Cove, which appears on screen in 2015’s Oscar-nominated film Carol. Ask for the Carol booth.

Blue Jay Restaurant, 4154 Hamilton Ave., Northside, searchable on Facebook; Pepper Pod, 703 Monmouth St., Newport, searchable on Facebook; Pompilio’s, 600 Washington Ave., Newport, pompilios.com; Maury’s Tiny Cove, 3908 Harrison Ave., Cheviot, maurys-steakhouse.com.

STONE SLIDE AT BURNET WOODS

One of the city’s oldest parks, Burnet Woods is 90 acres of nature located near the urban campus of the University of Cincinnati. And while it features hiking trails, birding spots and a disc golf course, Burnet is also home to several hidden attractions. Nestled in the middle of the park is the Trailside Nature Center, which includes a children’s museum as well as the Wolff Planetarium — the oldest planetarium west of the Allegheny Mountains. At almost 75 years old, Wolff can house 20 guests for a low-tech and intimate star-gazing experience. Nearby is a large, secluded catchand-release lake, which offers a taste of rural fishing in the heart of Clifton. But a favorite attraction is the Burnet Woods stone slide. Built in 1940 as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration — a government program that helped employ Americans during the Great Depression — the slide runs down the side of a park stairway and looks a little like a concrete drainage gulch. But it’s actually one of the more fun ways to scrape up your bottom and feel like a kid again. Afterwards, head to the historic bandstand for a picnic lunch.

Burnet Woods, 3251 Brookline Ave., Clifton, cincinnatiparks.com. Stone slide at Burnet Woods (above left); costumes at the Rosemary Clooney House (above right)

ROSEMARY CLOONEY HOUSE

If you wanna “come on-a” Rosemary’s Clooney’s house, all you need to do is visit Augusta, Kentucky, a short jaunt outside of Cincinnati. The famed 1950s actress and singer — renowned for the film White Christmas and radio hits including “Mambo Italiano” — was born in nearby Maysville and, after moving back from Hollywood, spent her later years in a quaint home overlooking the banks of the Ohio River. Purchased by Clooney in the 1980s, the historic 19th-century house was turned into a museum dedicated to her life and legacy in 2005, three years after her death. Inside, rooms are filled with costumes and ephemera from her various movies, photos from her youth, her original bedroom set and even collectibles from her nephew George Clooney’s acting career. The first floor boasts what the museum calls the world’s largest collection of memorabilia from White Christmas, with an entire wing dedicated to the holiday classic. Fans can see the dresses worn in the iconic “Sisters” act, the gloves from Clooney’s “Love, You Didn’t Do Right by Me” scene and more of the wintry wardrobe worn by Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and Vera-Ellen. The admission fee includes a brief educational tour and folksy stories by museum volunteers, many of whom knew Clooney personally.

Rosemary Clooney House, 106 E. Riverside Drive, Augusta, rosemaryclooney.org.

THE BLINE

Part of the thrill of visiting a distillery is, yes, sampling the spirits. But distillery tours have also become a booming tourism industry in Kentucky — and Northern Kentucky shares in that wealth. Newport’s New Riff Distilling released its first batch of bourbon in 2018 after four years of patient aging, and the distillery is one of the key stops in the B-Line, a localized and curated extension of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour. It centers on New Riff, Boone County Distilling Co., Old Pogue Distillery, Second Sight Spirits and the Neeley Family Distillery, plus a collection of bourbon-centric Northern Kentucky bars and restaurants. Download an official B-Line passport online and take a self-guided tour to stop and sip. Collect stamps from at least two bars, two distillers and two restaurants to get some swag.

B-Line, findyoursippingpoint.com.

CINCINNATI FIRE MUSEUM

Cincinnati is home to the nation’s first paid, professional fire department, established by the city in 1853 after years of infighting between rival gangs of volunteer firefighters. Guests can explore the history behind this hot fact at the Cincinnati Fire Museum, located in a former firehouse that operated from 1906 to 1962. In addition to a fire pole — which, yes, you can slide down — and an interactive, modern fire truck with lights and sirens, the museum displays firefighting equipment and artifacts from the 1800s to today. There are horse-drawn ladder wagons and steam fire engines, leather fire buckets, hand pumps for water and a fire alarm drum, formerly located at Fountain Square and used from 1828 to 1894 to notify citizens of conflagrations. The museum also educates the public via a Safe House, which includes displays and information on how to prevent and escape a fire at home.

Cincinnati Fire Museum, 315 W. Court St., Downtown, cincyfiremuseum.com.

SECRET BASE CINEMA

Cincinnati’s Secret Base Cinema began by launching a series of “Free Blockbuster” take-a-movie-leave-a-movie boxes out of repurposed newsstand boxes several years ago. More recently, the group transitioned into programming screenings at the historic Garfield Theatre, once home to the storied 1980s repertory theater the Movies. The Garfield is now owned by Cincinnati World Cinema, a partner for the local showings. Secret Base hosts viewings of cult classics like Mad Max and David Lynch’s Fire Walk with Me, along with lesser-known films like the 1956 Soviet fantasy Ilya Muromets. The group also partners with local pop culture shops Earth to Kentucky, Paper Street Trading Co., Hail Records & Oddities and Conveyor Belt Books, as well as experiential hospitality group Gorilla Cinema Presents (Tokyo Kitty, Overlook Lodge, La Ofrenda), for pop-up buy/sell/trade VHS, Betamax and laserdisc swaps. Though the city doesn’t have a full-time repertory movie house (yet), Secret Base joins a growing scene of local theaters and programmers such as Torn Light Records, Esquire Theater, Mariemont Theater and Cincinnati World Cinema in showing curated screenings of older or non-conventional films.

Garfield Theatre, 719 Race St., Downtown, instagram.com/secretbasecinema.

CVG AIRPORT VIEWING AREA

Live vicariously through others’ travels by watching planes take off and land at the viewing area at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International (CVG) Airport, a charming and tucked-away park just off Donaldson Road in Erlanger. Complete with picnic areas and a play area, it’s a great spot to bring your lunch — or have a casual date — while taking in the airfield views.

CVG Airport Viewing Area, 1459 Donaldson Highway, Erlanger, cvgairport.com.

An exhibit at the Cincinnati Fire Museum (above)

Photos: Stone Slide and Cincinnati Fire Museum by Aidan Mahoney; Rosemary Clooney House by Maija Zummo

METROBOT

This 27-foot-high, gold-colored aluminum robot sculpture by Nam June Paik is located on the sidewalk outside the Contemporary Arts Center. Metrobot originally was given to the CAC by the late Albert Vontz Jr., owner of beer-and-wine wholesaler Heidelberg Distributing, to mark the city’s bicentennial in 1988. In 2014 the sculpture received a $140,000 refurbishment before finding its new home in front of the new CAC (it was formerly located at the museum’s previous location on Fifth Street). Its boxy pieces are sculptural interpretations of the cabinets that housed old radios and televisions, some of Paik’s favorite materials. The giant robot features a full-color video message board and several LED monitors that play video, all with energy-efficient materials. Metrobot also used to house a functioning payphone — now a relic of the past on a futurefacing man of metal.

Contemporary Arts Center, 44 E. Sixth St., Downtown, contemporaryartscenter.org.

CAMPSITE SCULPTURE PARK

Originally the pet project of a local artist who was activating a vacant lot he owned by showcasing his own work, CampSITE Sculpture park has become an ongoing arts project. Inspired by the philosophy of 20th-century German artist and teacher Joseph Heinrich Beuys, who promoted free arts education for all and the concept that “every human being is an artist,” it features works designed by local residents, on view for free. The sculptures are frequently activated with photography, video and light, and the space hosts various community events and pop-ups.

CampSITE Sculpture Park, 2868 Colerain Ave., Camp Washington, campsitesculpturepark.com.

BEARDLESS ABRAHAM LINCOLN STATUE

President Abraham Lincoln is known for several things, among them: being honest, issuing the Emancipation Proclamation and his chin-curtain beard. But one Cincinnati statue flies in the face of that image. The Lincoln monument in Lytle Park features the politician without facial hair. Commissioned by local Charles P. Taft and gifted to the city in 1917, the sculpture by George Gray Barnard renders the president in bronze — sans his signature beard. The clean-shaven effigy, based on a life mask of Lincoln from 1860, created an international controversy when it was unveiled to the public, in part because of the deep (and slightly unflattering) wrinkles that line the president’s face. While a 1917 article in the Cincinnati Enquirer calls it “one of the most notable creations in the modern history of American sculpture,” Lincoln’s son Robert went on record saying it was “a monstrous figure, grotesque as a likeness of President Lincoln, and defamatory.” Robert Lincoln’s attitude was shared by many and even influenced the British Parliament to decline the gift of a replica statue. Donated by Taft and intended to stand at the entrance of the House of Lords, Lord Godfrey Charnwood said no to Barnard’s work, calling it a “violent caricature.”

Lytle Park, 501 E. Fourth St., Downtown, cincinnati-oh.gov/cincyparks.

CampSITE Sculpture Park (above left); Abraham Lincoln statue (above right)

GENIUS OF WATER

In the heart of Fountain Square stands the 43-foot-tall, bronze-cast Genius of Water fountain, also known as the Tyler Davidson Fountain. Cincinnati businessman Henry Probasco commissioned German artists August von Kreling and Ferdinand von Miller for a fountain design as an ode to Tyler Davidson, his late brother-in-law and business partner. Presented to the city in 1871, the fountain depicts water as a necessity of life through the actions of the bronze figures surrounding the fountain: children fishing, workmen trying to stop a burning fire and farmers praying to end a drought. But possibly the most interesting part of the artwork is this: The four figures around the edge produce drinkable water, similar to the Wallace Fountains of Paris or the nasoni in Rome.

Fountain Square, 520 Vine St., Downtown, myfountainsquare.com.

CROSLEY FIELD MARKER

Crosley Field was the home of the Cincinnati Reds team from 1912 to 1970. Located in the West End, the land had been used as a stadium for the sports franchise since 1884, when it opened as League Park before becoming Palace of the Fans in 1902. Notable for hosting the first night game in Major League Baseball history in 1935 — with President Franklin D. Roosevelt symbolically pressing a button in the White House to illuminate the lights surrounding the field — Crosley was demolished in 1972. But its spirit still lingers on in the lot behind City Gospel Mission, where the field previously stood. A memorial with replica light towers and yellow foul poles juts from the pavement like ancient ruins. A mural of Crosley Field and an informational plaque lets passersby get a glimpse into the park’s past. Once a green oasis, the site is now occupied by warehouses and storage units. If you wander just west of the marker’s location to Findlay Street, you’ll find an in-ground placard denoting the location of Crosley’s home plate.

Crosley Field Marker, 1805 Dalton Ave., West End.

THE MAGIC MIRROR AT THE CINCINNATI ART MUSEUM

Snow White’s Queen Grimhilde has nothing on Cincinnati Art Museum’s magic mirror. In the spring of 2021, Hou-mei Sung, curator of East Asian Art, uncovered something mysterious about an item that had been in the museum’s collection since the 1960s. Sung discovered that when an ancient bronze mirror was held under special lighting conditions, it would reflect and project onto the wall an image of Amida, the Buddha of immeasurable light and limitless life. This “magic mirror” is one of only a few known in the world; four are in the Shanghai Museum, one in the Tokyo National Museum and one in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Research indicates the Cincinnati Museum’s mirror was created in China during the Han dynasty (202 BCE to 220 CE) or earlier. “This is a national treasure for China, and we are so lucky to have rediscovered this rare object and have it on view in Cincinnati,” Sung said in a press release. Guests can view the mirror in the East Asian Gallery.

Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Drive, Eden Park, cincinnatiartmuseum.org.

Genius of Water fountain (above left); Crosley Field marker (above right)

Photos: CampSite Sculpture Park by Hailey Bollinger; Beardless Lincoln Statue, Genius of Water Fountain, and Crosley Field home plate by Aidan Mahoney

DIXIE TERMINAL

From a distance, the Dixie Terminal building on Fourth Street downtown looks just like any other city structure, made of concrete, brick and limestone. But the elaborate Rookwood Pottery frieze that lines the doorway — brightly colored Art Deco tiles depicting a botanical motif in red, orange, teal and spring green — is the first hint that the blocky exterior belies something beautiful. Completed in 1921, Dixie Terminal is actually two buildings: a four-story one that initially served as a streetcar station and a 10-story one that housed a railway ticketing office, the Cincinnati Stock Exchange and the Cincinnati Street Railway Company. Today, the larger of the two is the headquarters of the Great American Insurance Group and still maintains the awe-inspiring arcade from the Roaring Twenties. At 250 feet long, the blue-and-gold vaulted barrel ceiling would be more at home in a Renaissance cathedral than an office building. The curved expanse features a repeating pattern of raised rosettes, winding scrollwork and embossed medallions covered in seraphs engaging in classical activities like riding a horse and spearing fish with a trident. Even if you have no business to conduct inside, it’s well worth your time to walk through the doors and spend some time staring at the ceiling.

Dixie Terminal, 49 E. Fourth St., Downtown.

THE STOLEN CAPITOLINE WOLF STATUE

For more than 90 years, a Capitoline Wolf statue stood sentry in Eden Park — until it was stolen in June 2022. The bronze sculpture depicted a she-wolf nursing two young boys, future founders of Rome Romulus and Remus, and honored Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus, a Roman statesman, farmer and the city’s namesake. Strangely enough, it was a gift from Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, who sent it over for a Sons of Italy convention in 1929… sort of. He gave us an exact replica of one in Rome’s Musei Capitolini, but it was switched out for a larger one in 1931 and inscribed with “Il Governatore di Roma alla Citta di Cincinnati 1931 Anno X,” or “from the governor of Rome to the city of Cincinnati in 1931 (year 10 of Mussolini’s reign).” That latter statue was on display until last summer, when vandals sawed off the wolf legs and removed the artwork. Cincinnati Parks and the Order of the Sons & Daughters of Italy in America Cincinnati Chapter have partnered to commission a replacement. The remaining sculptural stump was sent to Rome, where artists will reconstruct the statue.

Eden Park, 950 Eden Park Drive, Mt. Adams, cincinnatiparks.com.

THE FIRST GLASS DOOR OVEN

Home chefs everywhere can thank Cincinnati’s Huenefeld Company for being able to check on their cakes, casserole and roasts without having to open their oven door. Ernst H. Huenefeld invented and made the first glass door oven at his Camp Washington household-appliance-manufacturing company in 1909. According to a historical marker at the location of the former factory, Huenefeld used “specially designed and patented sheet metal frames in the door,” which allowed the glass to expand and contract. The glass was also steam resistant and wouldn’t shatter in the heat. Although the company closed in 1966, Huenefeld made a lasting impact in kitchens everywhere.

First glass door oven historical marker, 2701 Spring Grove Ave., Camp Washington.

Dixie Terminal (above left); Capitoline Wolf statue (above right); historic marker for the first glass door oven (bottom right)

CHARLEY HARPER’S “SPACE FOR ALL SPECIES” MURAL

Cincinnati-born artist Charley Harper is famous for his modernist prints and illustrations depicting wildlife using simple shapes and bright colors. And while visitors can see his work across the city — from wall art at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport to a handful of murals recreating his images downtown to shops dedicated to selling his prints and ephemera — there’s one giant creation that requires a little more effort. Harper’s “Space for All Species” mural is unique not only in its material, but its location. The tile mosaic, designed by Harper himself in 1964, is located inside the lobby of the John Weld Peck Federal Building on Main Street. After going through security, guests can check out the menagerie of more than 100 colorful species spread across two enormous walls. Harper’s iconic ladybug and cardinal are on view next to all matter of fauna ranging from cicadas, snakes and salamanders to armadillos, seals and raccoons. Pieces of fruit, leaves and mushrooms are also all rendered in his vibrant and almost childlike style.

John Weld Peck Federal Building, 550 Main St., Downtown.

CHARLEY HARPER’S “SPACE WALK” MURAL

The Duke Energy Convention Center is also home to another Charley Harper tile mosaic, rediscovered in 2015. A rare non-representational work for the artist, “Space Walk” was inspired by, but does not directly depict, Neil Armstrong’s 1969 moonwalk. Completed in 1970 and drywalled over during a 1987 building renovation, the mural consists of two sections, each roughly 15 feet high by 30 feet wide, that sit above entry doors to an exhibition hall on the center’s Elm Street side. Each section is different, but both feature multi-colored, multi-sectioned shapes in the center of a grayishblack field — a true departure from Harper’s typical wildlife-focused work. Although also hidden away in a building, this piece of Harper’s public art is likely more readily accessible than the one inside the John Weld Peck Federal Building. Instead of passing through security to get to it, you can view “Space Walk” whenever the convention center is open to the public.

Duke Energy Convention Center, 525 Elm St., Downtown.

ANIMATRONIC CHARLIE TAFT

William Howard Taft was born in Cincinnati in 1857 and grew up in a stately home in the city’s Mt. Auburn neighborhood. That residence is now the site of the William Howard Taft National Historic Site, which preserves and relates the history of the 27th president of the United States and the 10th chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court — the only person (so far) to hold both titles. The ochre-colored Greek Revival home has been decorated in Victorian style, to reflect what it looked like when Taft lived there, and includes a second floor of exhibits that detail Taft’s personal and career accomplishments. The attached Taft Education Center is the starting point of the tour, with a film, memorabilia and also, oddly, an animatronic figure of Taft’s son, Charles P. Taft, or Charlie. A lawyer, civil servant and former mayor of Cincinnati, Charlie is recreated in robot form as an older adult, seated next to a lake with a fishing pole. An avid fisherman — his tombstone at Spring Grove Cemetery reads “gone fishing” — guests can approach him to hear him relate pre-recorded tales of Taft family history.

William Howard Taft National Historic Site, 2038 Auburn Ave., Mt. Auburn, nps.gov/wiho/index.htm.

Charley Harper’s “Space for All Species” mural (above)

Photos: Dixie Terminal and first glass door oven historical marker by Aidan Mahoney; Capitoline wolf statue by Hailey Bollinger; Charley Harper mural by Aidan Mahoney

CORPSE FLOWER AT THE CINCINNATI ZOO & BOTANICAL GARDEN

Meet Morticia, the Cincinnati Zoo’s resident (and rare) corpse flower, which arrived three years ago from the Chicago Botanic Garden. Also known as titan arum, the flower can grow up to 15 feet tall with leaves that span 13 feet wide. A native of the Sumatran rainforest, the plant gets its name from the putrid, decaying-flesh-like smell it releases each time it blooms. Luckily for our noses, it typically flowers once every seven to 10 years — and Morticia got her moment in July of 2022. (Before that, she last bloomed in Chicago in 2015.) The corpse flower’s stench only lasts between 24 to 36 hours before the plant collapses. “The odor, color and temperature, which can rise to 98 degrees, of the flower are meant to attract pollinators that are attracted to dead animals,” Cincinnati Zoo horticulturist Jerome Stenger said during Morticia’s recent bloom. Because the zoo’s Discovery Forest, where the plant is located, has no dung beetles or flesh flies, horticulturists planned to hand-pollinate Morticia so the stinky cycle could start all over again.

Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, 3400 Vine St., Avondale, cincinnatizoo.org.

PYRAMID HILL SCULPTURE PARK & MUSEUM ART CART

From the imagination of local art collector and lawyer Harry T. Wilks sprung Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum. Wilks first built his private residence — an underground “Pyramid House,” with a Louvre-esque glass pyramid jutting above the surface — on land in Butler County before buying up nearby lots. Eventually, he turned 300 acres of hills, lakes and trails into a nonprofit outdoor art park. Opened in 1997, Pyramid Hill features more than 80 “monumental outdoor sculptures,” from abstract metallic works to realistic figures hewn in stone. It’s also home to an ancient sculpture museum, which houses Greek, Roman, Syrian and Egyptian art, and a 2,000-year-old Hopewell earthwork. Built on land that once belonged to the Myaamia (Miami) and Saawanooki (Shawnee) people, the park is now the caretaker of Fortified Hill, which will eventually open to the public. For now, guests can explore the hundreds of acres of Pyramid Hill on foot or by renting a special Art Cart. These golf carts are available seasonally on a first-come, first-served basis and are a zippy way to see the sculptural sights.

Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum, 1763 Hamilton Cleves Road, Hamilton, pyramidhill.org.

CINCINNATI’S FLYING PIGS

Visitors to and residents of Cincinnati will notice a recurring motif in the city’s public artwork: flying pigs. Nicknamed Porkopolis in the 19th century, Cincinnati was once one of the largest pork packers in the world, and these winged swine have become an unofficial mascot. While you can see renderings of the whimsical animals in local murals, sculptures and even the name of Cincinnati’s Boston-qualifying marathon, the Flying Pig, the cute chimera first rose to prominence in 1988. British-born artist Andrew Leicester was tapped to create a sculpture to stand at the “Cincinnati Gateway’’ at Bicentennial Commons at Sawyer Point, where the Miami-Erie Canal once connected Lake Erie to the Ohio River. That year, he unveiled four riverboat smokestacks, topped by winged pigs who seemed ready to take flight. At first locals were disturbed by the sculptures, which Leicester said referenced the slaughterhouses that once lined the canal and the spirit of the pigs “singing the ‘Hallelujah’ chorus to all their dead brethren.” But, since swine did in fact build this city, people got over it and now lift up the flying pig as a Cincinnati symbol.

Sawyer Point, 705 E. Pete Rose Way, Downtown, cincinnati-oh.gov.

Photos: Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park by Hailey Bollinger

CINCINNATI BLACK MUSIC WALK OF FAME

The newly installed Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame permanently celebrates and spotlights major players from the city’s unsung Black music history. The brainchild of Hamilton County Commissioner Alicia Reece — whose father launched a local record label in the 1960s and whose mother was a singer — the walk is located outside of the Andrew J. Brady Music Center downtown. It currently features stars dedicated to Bootsy Collins, Otis Williams, the Isley Brothers, Dr. Charles Ford, Penny Ford, Midnight Star, Wilbert Longmire and Hi-Tek, with a new class of honorees inducted each year. Reece says the Walk of Fame will soon be an interactive tourist destination, with features including QR codes, computer-generated 3D images, augmented reality and other smart device-assisted entertainment options slated to debut in 2023.

Andrew J. Brady Music Center, 25 Race St., Downtown, cincyblackmusicwalkoffame.org.

AMERICAN CLASSICAL MUSIC WALK OF FAME

Cincinnati has a rich history of classical music, boasting the May Festival — touted as the oldest choral festival in the Western Hemisphere — as well as Music Hall, an iconic National Historic Landmark that is home to the May Festival and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Cincinnati also houses the American Classical Music Walk of Fame. An outcropping of the American Classical Music Hall of Fame, which launched in 1996, the Walk of Fame is situated in Washington Park — basically the front lawn of Music Hall. Instead of being a star-speckled sidewalk, this Walk of Fame is an interactive feature consisting of stones that have been engraved with the names of inductees located near a dancing public fountain. Visitors can download an app to see and listen to the stories and songs of classical hall-of-famers, or opt to broadcast the tunes near the water plaza. Technology synchronizes the fountain’s 130 pop-up jets and accompanying lights to the music. Note: The water feature is only open seasonally, but the Walk of Fame is there year-round.

Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Over-theRhine, classicalwalkoffame.org.

THE MAGIC MIRROR AT THE CINCINNATI ART MUSEUM

Snow White’s Queen Grimhilde has nothing on Cincinnati Art Museum’s magic mirror. In the spring of 2021, Hou-mei Sung, curator of East Asian Art, uncovered something mysterious about an item that had been in the museum’s collection since the 1960s. Sung discovered that when an ancient bronze mirror was held under special lighting conditions, it would reflect and project onto the wall an image of Amida, the Buddha of immeasurable light and limitless life. This “magic mirror” is one of only a few known in the world; four are in the Shanghai Museum, one in the Tokyo National Museum and one in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Research indicates the Cincinnati Museum’s mirror was created in China during the Han dynasty (202 BCE to 220 CE) or earlier. “This is a national treasure for China, and we are so lucky to have rediscovered this rare object and have it on view in Cincinnati,” Sung said in a press release. Guests can view the mirror in the East Asian Gallery.

Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Drive, Eden Park, cincinnatiartmuseum.org.

SCHNEIDER’S SWEET SHOP’S OPERA CREAM CANDIES

Located in historic Bellevue, Schneider’s Sweet Shop is an old-fashioned candy and ice cream parlor that has been in operation since 1939. The family-run confectioner was helmed by Robert and Lill Schneider until Robert retired in 1986, and his son Jack took over. Schneider’s is famed for being the place to find opera cream candies made using a recipe that may date back to 17th-century Germany. Opera creams are basically milk or dark chocolates filled with a smooth and creamy dairy center. Local lore says opera creams got their name after the Bissinger candy company handed them out during intermission at the Cincinnati Opera. The German Bissingers had been making the sweet treat for royalty since King Louis XIV’s reign in France, and heirs brought the recipe to Cincinnati when they immigrated, according to Cincinnati food historian and author Dann Woellert. It’s the same recipe the Schneider family uses today. Schneider’s Sweet Shop also offers another local delicacy: an ice ball. Ice balls are a summertime-specific treat, and they can be served as just shaved ice with syrup or as shaved ice infused with ice cream.

Schneider’s Sweet Shop, 420 Fairfield Ave., Bellevue, schneiderscandies.com.

THE NANCY & DAVID WOLF HOLOCAUST & HUMANITY CENTER

Founded in 2000 by Holocaust survivors and their families, the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center, or HHC, relocated from its former home in a Jewish day school in Kenwood to a 7,500-square-foot exhibition space in the basement level of Union Terminal. Through gripping displays, artifacts, photographs, and multimedia, the center tells of the mass murder of 6 million Jews by Nazi Germany and its collaborators. It also explains how the Holocaust has had a long-lasting impact in Greater Cincinnati by sharing stories of people who either escaped the Nazis or survived their death camps and came here to start new lives — often arriving at the former train terminal on the grounds of the museum itself. Artificial intelligence allows visitors to “converse” with some of those survivors today. Calling upon the legacy of Art Spiegelman’s Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel Maus, the center also features at its entrance a 63-foot mural from Kentucky’s Neltner Small Batch, featuring 26 individuals’ stories told in vivid, colorful life via illustrations and captions.

Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center, 1301 Western Ave., Queensgate, holocaustandhumanity.org.

Sculpture at Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park (above opposite)

OVERTHERHINE ROLLER

RINK

The Cincinnati Recreation Center’s Over-theRhine location is a community facility offering access to a gym, kitchen, lounge, art room and dedicated teen area. It also features one of the few indoor roller rinks in the city. The 350-plus-person capacity rink is located downstairs and is home to frequent pop-up skate parties. Don’t have wheels of your own? You can rent them there. Admission and skate rental are included with rec center memberships. And if you want to practice your moves outdoors instead of in, head to nearby Sawyer Point. The park’s large waterfront rink opened in 1988 as part of Cincinnati’s Bicentennial, complete with a performance by Olympic athletes. The rink became less popular in the early 2000s, but has since seen an uptick in activity as a practice spot for local roller derby teams. Both rinks are championed by local Skate Downtown Cincinnati, a group dedicated to “raising awareness and support for downtown Cincinnati’s public skating facilities and social wellness programs.”

Over-the-Rhine Recreation Center, 1710 Race St., Over-the-Rhine; Sawyer Point, 925 Riverside Drive, Downtown, skatedowntowncincinnati.com.

WOOLLY MAMMOTH STATUES

A family of life-sized woolly mammoths can be found congregating outside of the Cincinnati Museum Center’s Geier Collections & Research Center on Gest Street. The mammoths mark the building, which is home to many archaeology and fossil collections, historical artifacts, pieces of art and the Science Library in addition to several labs and offices. You can visit the center by appointment or scheduled tour. The mammoths used to call the former Natural History Museum home, residing in the spot where WCPO now stands near the corner of Gilbert and Elsinore at the base of Mount Adams.

Woolly Mammoth Statues, 760 W. Fifth St., Queensgate, cincymuseum.org/geierresearch-center.

DRIVEIN THEATERS

The Greater Cincinnati area has two drive-in theaters — Holiday Auto Theatre in Oxford and Starlite Drive-In in Amelia — recapturing a by-gone era of Americana. With vintage vibes and cheery concession stands, the theaters offer an opportunity to hang in your car while you watch first-run films and classic cinema with sound beamed straight to your radio. Starlite, open since 1947, and Holiday, open since 1948, both offer double features for the price of one (and an option to pay an additional $5 dollars to bring in your own food).

Holiday Auto Theatre, 1816 Old Oxford Road, Oxford, holidayautotheatre.com. Starlite Drive-In, 2255 State Route Ohio125, Amelia, starlitedriveinohio.com.

CARROLL CHIMES BELL TOWER

Goebel Park in MainStrasse Village pays homage to the area’s large German influence with the Carroll Chimes Bell Tower. Since 1979, the Bavarian-style clock, named after former Kentucky Governor Julian Carroll, has chimed the hour, every hour, from its 43-bell carillon. And at noon from April through December, park visitors can watch a special show as little mechanical characters pop out of a painted stage protruding from the 100-foot tower to act out the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. The glockenspiel recently received funds from a federal grant to aid in repairs, shoring up the foundations of the tower structure before funding restorations to the internal workings of the fairy tale puppets.

Carroll Chimes Bell Tower, 605 Philadelphia St., Covington, covingtonky.gov.

SUNLITE POOL AT CONEY ISLAND

Cincinnatians have been splashing around Sunlite Pool at Coney Island amusement park since 1925, but the generations of swimmers who’ve enjoyed the experience may not know they were stepping foot in the world’s largest recirculating pool. Measuring 200 feet by 401 feet, Sunlite has plenty of space for small children, teenagers and lap swimmers to cool off during the summer, plus water slides, the Typhoon Tower and the adjacent Cannonball Cove, with three different diving boards (the tallest is nine feet high).

Coney Island Amusement Park, 6201 Kellogg Ave., California, coneyislandpark.com.

BEER BAT AT FLORENCE Y’ALLS

The Florence Freedom, Northern Kentucky’s Frontier League baseball club, underwent a name change in early 2020, forgoing their alliterative and totally abstract moniker for one that’s even more bizarre — the Y’alls. Christened after their city’s infamous red-andwhite water tower, which sports the message “FLORENCE Y’ALL” in all caps, the team takes the field in powder blue uniforms that look as though they were designed in the early 1980s. The Y’alls embrace the theme nights and corny fun fans have come to expect at minor league stadiums, complete with cheap eats, low-stakes local sports action and an anthropomorphic water tower mascot. And while Thomas More Stadium has banned a ballpark classic, peanuts, in order to be allergy-friendly, they certainly haven’t banned another spectator favorite: beer. In fact, you can get 26 ounces of local suds served in a giant plastic beer bat. It’s refillable and you can bring it back to any future game to keep cheers-ing the home team.

Thomas More Stadium, 7950 Freedom Way, Florence, florenceyalls.com.

Carroll Chimes Bell Tower (above left); Coney Island (above right); Florence Y’alls (below right)

Photos: OTR Roller Rink and Carroll Chimes Bell Tower by Aidan Mahoney; Coney Island’s Sunlite Pool by Patty Salas; Beer at Florence Y’alls game by Maija Zummo

OHIO’S LARGEST GINKGO TREE

A well-kept secret nestled in Avondale, Fleischmann Gardens is a cozy reprieve that feels straight out of a Jane Austen film adaptation. Basically, it’s perfect for promenading. The 4-acre park is located at the corner of Washington and Forest avenues on the former property of its namesake, Charles Fleischmann, credited for co-producing America’s first commercially produced yeast; the land was given over to the city in 1925 by the family’s heirs. Complete with an evergreen maze and a playground, the park is worth a visit just to take in the fresh air and beautiful scenery. The focal point is Ohio’s largest ginkgo tree, ringing in at 93 feet tall. Read under it, hug it, have a picnic date — the tree has seen it all.

Fleischmann Gardens, 524 Forest Ave., Avondale, cincinnati-oh.gov.

BAR AT PALM COURT

Nestled inside the historic Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza, the Bar at Palm Court is an astonishing French Art Deco masterpiece with Brazilian rosewood, a massive ziggurat-shaped fountain and seashell-framed booths like Venus rising from the foam. The art is in the design as well as the Great Gatsbyesque drinks. Try the NP, a best-of-both-worlds cocktail that pairs bourbon with something bubbly. Named after the Netherland Plaza, the cocktail features Four Roses yellow label bourbon, lemon, ginger, bitters and sparkling wine. It’s light and refreshing, yet still packs a boozy punch.

The Bar at Palm Court, 35 W. Fifth St., Downtown, hilton.com/en/hotels/cvgnphfhilton-cincinnati-netherland-plaza/dining.

BLUE CREAMY WHIP

If you’ve lived in Cincinnati for any length of time, chances are you can instantly evoke the taste of blue creamy whip, a blueberry-based soft serve — although the actual name of the flavor is just “blue.” And if you’re just visiting, you need to try it. Introduced by Kings Island in 1982 to promote a then-new Smurfs ride in the park’s Hanna-Barbera Land, it’s become a quintessential Queen City summer treat. Thankfully the cult following for the dessert is as robust as its flavor, so you can grab a cone at most local creamy whip windows (aka soft serve ice cream shacks). Although blue creamy whip varies slightly at each location — with many shops implementing special (and secret) twists — the treats taste nearly identical, staying faithful to the amusement park’s true-blue recipe.

Most creamy whips are open seasonally, with fans flocking to the likes of Putz’s Creamy Whip, Mt. Healthy Dairy Bar or Gold Top Dairy Bar to get their fix. Putz’s Creamy Whip, 2673 Putz Place, East Westwood, putzscreamywhip. com; Mt. Healthy Dairy Bar (7840 Hamilton Ave., Mount Healthy, facebook.com/MHDB98; Gold Top Dairy Bar, 2810 Blue Rock Road, White Oak, goldtopdairybar.com.

ART CLIMB

Starting near the intersection of Eden Park Drive and Gilbert Avenue, the Art Climb is a flight of steps that ascends from the sidewalk and zig-zags its way up to the Cincinnati Art Museum. At nine stories high, the asymmetrical public stairway includes 16 landings and is flanked on either side by greenery and modern light beam structures, which illuminate the steps at night. If the climb seems daunting, don’t fret: not only are benches placed throughout, but users can also check out sculptural artworks placed at four different art plazas.

Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Drive, Mount Adams, cincinnatiartmuseum.org.

ROOKWOOD POTTERY FACTORY

Founded by artist Maria Longworth Nichols Storer in 1880, Rookwood Pottery was the first female-owned large manufacturing company in the United States. Each piece of art tile and pottery is molded, hand-glazed and fired by a team of in-house artists. Behind-the-scenes tours of the 88,000-square-foot working ceramics factory are available and led by a Rookwood historian.

Rookwood Pottery, 1920 Race St., Over-theRhine, rookwood.com.

JUNGLE JIM’S INTERNATIONAL MARKET BATHROOM

Jungle Jim’s International Market is an amusement park for foodies, and not just because of its kitschy statues and animatronics. This Hogwarts of grocery stores started as a roadside produce stand and now boasts two locations with acres of aisles dedicated to super fresh seafood, exotic produce, more than 1,500 hot sauces, unique products from more than 70 countries and an in-house bar. The crowd is made up of equal parts weekly shoppers and tourists, whom you’ll see wandering, mouths agape at the wacky decor — favorites are the singing Elvis monkey in the candy aisle and an animatronic Robin Hood in the “British” food section. The most popular attraction, however, might be the restrooms. Behind an elaborate porta potty facade, you open the gray plastic door marked “Rumpke” to uncover a multi-stall modern bathroom, not a stinking toilet filled with blue goo.

Jungle Jim’s, 5440 Dixie Highway, Fairfield; 4450 Eastgate South Drive, Eastgate, junglejims.com.

WHISPERING FOUNTAINS

If you talk to these walls, they might whisper back. Built by seven railroad companies and opened as a transportation hub in 1933, Union Terminal’s massive 106-foot-tall Art Deco half dome — the largest in the Western Hemisphere — greeted tens of thousands of people as they arrived in Cincinnati every year. And the acoustics of this unique rotunda are such that if you and a friend stand at the drinking fountains on opposite ends of the room, you can have a conversation by speaking into the wall — just one of many fun features of this iconic Cincinnati building. At its peak, Union Terminal offered restaurants, clothing shops, places to shower and a number of other amenities for weary travelers. But over time, a national decline in rail travel presented an identity crisis for the station and the space became a short-lived shopping mall in the late 1970s — with the building exterior eventually serving as a model for DC Comics’ Hall of Justice — before falling vacant entirely. However, in 1990, county voters approved a levy allowing it to become the home of the Cincinnati Museum Center, and in 1991, Amtrak resumed limited train service into and out of the building. A recent $213 million restoration has helped revive Union Terminal, which is now home to the Cincinnati History Museum, Museum of Natural History and Science, the top-rated Duke Energy Children’s Museum, a history library, the Holocaust & Humanity Center and an OMNIMAX theater.

Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal, 1301 Western Ave., Queensgate, cincymuseum.org.

THE LLOYD LIBRARY & MUSEUM

Once the home of a popular 19th-century pharmacy, the Lloyd Library & Museum still features the local Lloyd brothers’ rare and eclectic collection of books on pharmacy, botany, pharmacognosy, alternative medicine and horticulture. Flip through the treasure trove of gorgeous botanical illustrations, stop in to do research or visit one of their rotating exhibitions. Past exhibits have examined humanity’s relationship with nature through historical and contemporary photographs; featured the museum’s collection of ornithology books and bird field guides; explored the history of medical marijuana before the federal ban in 1937; and celebrated the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage. Next time you’re downtown, put visiting this hidden gem on your to-do list.

Lloyd Library & Museum, 917 Plum St., Downtown, lloydlibrary.org.

SMALE RIVERFRONT PARK FOOT PIANO

Named one of the nation’s best riverwalks by USA Today, Smale Riverfront Park connects downtown from Paul Brown Stadium to Great American Ball Park with 45 acres of greenway. Operated by the Cincinnati Park Board, the park opened in 2012 and features public art, interactive fountains, native plants, playgrounds, a glass-enclosed carousel and a giant swing set that gives a hell of a view of the Ohio River. Sculptural attractions include a monument to the Civil War’s Black Brigade, an elevated metal pig sculpture into which you can climb and a giant foot piano (like in Big). Created by the local Verdin Company, which has been making iron-forged clocks and bells since the 1830s, it is described as the “largest outdoor chime foot piano in the world.” The 19-foot-long elevated musical artwork looks like a giant metal pan flute on stilts, and guests can activate the 32 chimes by stepping on a pad at its base. (Note: The piano may be inaccessible when restoration work is happening at the Roebling Suspension Bridge.)

Smale Riverfront Park, 166 W. Mehring Way, Downtown, cincinnati-oh.gov.

Union Terminal (above left); Lloyd Library & Museum (bottom left); chime foot piano in Smale Riverfront Park (above right)

Photos: Union Terminal by Hailey Bollinger; Lloyd Library and Smale Riverfront Park foot piano by Aidan Mahoney

HARRIET BEECHER STOWE HOUSE

At the age of 21, author and abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe moved to Cincinnati with her father, Lyman, a Presbyterian minister. The Harriet Beecher Stowe House, built from 1832 to 1833, is where the Beecher family lived for 18 years while Lyman was president of the Lane Theological Seminary, home to a series of famous anti-slavery debates. Harriet’s time in Cincinnati inspired her novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which helped lay the foundation for the American Civil War. Along with her husband, Calvin, Harriet devoted her work to abolitionist, civil and human rights and the Underground Railroad movement. The home would change hands and undergo renovations several times after the Beechers’ departure, including becoming an African-American boarding house in the 1930s. Now operated as a historical and cultural site, the public museum explores Stowe’s life and legacy, the work of other area abolitionists, the Underground Railroad and Black history. The house is currently undergoing renovations to uncover its original Federal architectural style.

Harriet Beecher Stowe House, 2950 Gilbert Ave., Walnut Hills, stowehousecincy.org.

CINCINNATI REDS HALL OF FAME & MUSEUM

The Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame & Museum is a shrine to all things Reds. It’s the sport’s most immersive museum outside the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

Hidden beside Great American Ball Park, its exhibits pay tribute to the history of the franchise with artifacts and ephemera ranging from the 1869 Red Stockings — baseball’s first all-professional team — to the 1970s-era Big Red Machine team that won two World Series titles to today. Among the plaques and statues surrounding the museum stands a dynamic recreation of Pete Rose doing his famous head-first slide. Rose is both a hometown hero and villain — honor and/or disgrace his likeness while taking a picture with the bronzed “Charlie Hustle.”

Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame & Museum, 100 Joe Nuxhall Way, Downtown, reds.com.

MAIN STREET STEPS

Cincinnati has over 400 urban staircases connecting pedestrians to communities throughout the city’s 52 hilly neighborhoods. The longest of these public pathways is the Main Street Steps, carving all the way from Over-the-Rhine’s Mulberry Street to Eleanor Place in Mt. Auburn. Logging in at 354 stairs, the corridor was initially designed to link the two neighborhoods and everything in between. Ascending the staircase from top to bottom is not only a challenge but a perfect way to explore Cincy and take in the overlook views. Organizations like Spring in Our Steps champion such spaces via its mission to reclaim, maintain and improve our city’s community alleys and stairways.

Main Street Steps, Mulberry Street, Over-theRhine.

INVENTION OF THE POLIO VACCINE

Dr. Albert B. Sabin developed a live vaccine against polio in the 1950s at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center that helped successfully eradicate the virus around the world. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, polio killed thousands and left others with lifelong suffering. Communities were in dire need of a solution. According to the World Health Organization, by the mid-1900s, the virus killed or paralyzed over half a million individuals worldwide every year. Enter Sabin. Also a University of Cincinnati professor, Sabin invented the first oral live-virus vaccine to fight against polio after decades of research. While other vaccines had been developed, like Jonas Salk’s killed-virus vaccine, Sabin’s was easy to administer for mass vaccination campaigns. Thousands of Greater Cincinnati residents lined up on April 24, 1960, or “Sabin Sunday,” to take the vaccine via sugar cubes — the inspiration behind the beloved Mary Poppins lyric. Eventually, Sabin’s vaccine was used in communities across the United States and the world as the main defense against polio. See a historical marker dedicated to Sabin near UC’s medical campus.

Albert B. Sabin historical marker, 3125 Eden Ave., Clifton.

SOMERSET

If you’re not looking for it, you just might miss Somerset, a sprawling hangout destination tucked away on McMicken Street. An immersive escape from the hustle and bustle of the city, guests enter the courtyard through utterly massive and ornate 170-year-old gates imported from India; the gates also shield the bar from street view, making the entrance hard to find. Grab a cocktail or mocktail from the glass-roofed conservatory or lounge to enjoy on the massive back patio, which is loaded with tropical plants, string lighting and unique seating nooks, like decommissioned tuk-tuks and exotic pergolas. Somerset’s co-founder and creative lead James Fisher says the bar was inspired by Somerset, England, which his family visited on childhood vacations while living in England. “It’s a weird place with druids, huge solstice celebrations, Glastonbury Festival (our Burning Man) and all kinds of general monkey business. We usually went on long trips to Africa or the Middle East, but when we had less time and needed to get away somewhere a little closer to home, it was always Somerset. We want our Somerset to be that for our guests.”

Somerset, 139 E. McMicken, Over-the-Rhine, somersetotr.com.

GHOST BABY

Named one of the best bars in America by Esquire magazine in 2022, Ghost Baby is a literal underground drinking destination located five stories below Vine Street in Over-the-Rhine. Housed in a 170-year-old lagering tunnel formerly used by Champion Brewing (beer was aged and cooled in tunnels before the advent of refrigeration), the historic space had been vacant since the 1850s. After a hip renovation, it now serves craft cocktails and hosts live entertainment Wednesday through Saturday on a velvet-curtain-lined stage. Ghost Baby is divided between the front “Rattle” room — with a bar designed to evoke the look of a baby’s rattle — and the back “Den,” which boasts lamplit tables, a domed ceiling and a clandestine vibe.

Ghost Baby, 1314 Republic St., Over-the-Rhine, ghost-baby.com.

STEAMBOAT

LITTLE FREE LIBRARY

Originally launched in Wisconsin, Little Free Library is the most notable organization behind the “take-a-book, share-a-book” movement that has taken hold in Greater Cincinnati and around the world. Not all community book cupboards are part of the official Little Free Library program, and not all Little Free Library structures are on the organization’s map. But there are plenty throughout the city, all boasting a different design. Some look like brightly painted tiny sheds and some look like elaborate birdhouses, while some are mini replicas of the homes or buildings they stand in front of. In George Rogers Clark Park in Covington, the free library looks like a scaled-down version of the famous Delta Queen Steamboat, complete with a red wooden paddle. Spanning the width of a park bench, the book boat can hold a couple dozen titles and perfectly complements the nearby bronze statue of Captain Mary Becker Greene. A 19th-century riverboat captain, Greene took helm of the Greenline Steamers Company (home of the Delta Queen) in 1927. In addition to being one of the only female boat masters and river pilots of her time, Greene has been credited with feats of daring and escape. She reportedly survived a nitroglycerin explosion, guided her ship through a cyclone and gave birth on the vessel while stuck in an ice gorge. In the nearby Licking Riverside Historic District, wanderers can see more life-size bronze statues of historical figures with local significance including Chief Little Turtle of the Miami; James Bradley, a former enslaved person turned activist with the Lane Seminary; and naturalist John James Audubon.

George Rogers Clark Park, 301 Riverside Drive, Covington.

THE BEAST

A daunting creature lurks in Mason, Ohio, screeching and clawing its way through 35 acres of woodland. This mysterious beast has thrilled Kings Island-goers since 1979 as the world’s longest wooden coaster. When it opened in 1979, the Beast smashed all existing records, becoming both the longest and fastest ride worldwide. Decades later, the coaster has even broken its own record: In 2022, after undergoing regular maintenance, it debuted two feet longer, expanding from 7,359 feet long to 7,361 feet. Reaching speeds of 65 miles per hour, it takes riders through stomach-lurching vertical drops, eight sharp banked turns and even a 540-degree helix tunnel. This Gen-X wonder stays true to its name and shows no sign of slowing down.

Kings Island, 6300 Kings Island Drive, Mason, visitkingsisland.com.

A Little Free Library in Covington (above left); The Beast at Kings Island (above right)

Photos: Steamboat Little Free Library by Aidan Mahoney; The Beast by Paige Deglow

GRAVE OF THE PRINGLES CAN INVENTOR

Dr. Fredric Baur worked as an organic chemist in research and development for Cincinnati-based conglomerate Procter & Gamble, during which time he invented multiple food-focused products, most notably the Pringles can. Baur was so proud of his stackable chip container that he asked his children to bury him in one. In an interview with TIME magazine, Baur’s son Larry said he thought his dad was joking at first. But when Baur died in 2008, Larry and his siblings stopped at a Walgreens on their way to the funeral home to pick up some Pringles to honor their father’s request. “My siblings and I briefly debated what flavor to use, but I said, ‘Look, we need to use the original,’” Larry told the magazine. Baur was cremated and a portion of his remains are buried in the Masonic Section at Arlington Memorial Gardens in an empty can of Original-flavored Pringles. While you can’t see the can itself (it’s in the ground), you can pay your respects to the snack food revolutionary while chomping on some crispy chips.

Arlington Memorial Gardens, 2145 Compton Road, North College Hill, amgardens.org.

SERPENT MOUND

Serpent Mound is the largest surviving example of a prehistoric snake-shaped effigy mound in the world. Archaeologists believe it was either built by the people of the Adena (800 BCE to 100 AD) or Fort Ancient (1000 to 1650 AD) cultures, both of whom have burial mounds located adjacent to the National Historic Landmark. Stretching more than 1,300 feet, the ancient earthwork depicts an immense serpent, the purpose of which — like its precise age — remains a mystery. In 2008, the United States Department of the Interior nominated Serpent Mound to be included in America’s UNESCO World Heritage List. Managed by the Ohio History Connection, the earthwork is open for self-guided tours.

Serpent Mound, 3850 State Route 75, Peebles, ohiohistory.org.

BUTLER COUNTY DONUT TRAIL

Just a short 45-minute jaunt from Cincinnati is a magical place called Butler County, home to one of the largest number of donut shops per capita in the Midwest. It boasts one shop for every 17,000 residents, according to Mark Hecquet, president and CEO of the Butler County Visitors Bureau. Among these donut shops are 13 “mom-and-pop” establishments that have come together to offer humans a chance to test the limits of their interest in fried and filled dough, as well as their blood glucose levels. The Butler County Donut Trail spans roughly 80 miles and comes with its own Donut Concierge service to help you plan your food adventure. Get your official Donut Trail passport stamped at all 13 shops to get a free T-shirt. The visitors bureau says more than 28,000 people from all 50 states and 23 countries have completed the donut trail since its inception in 2016.

Butler County Donut Trail, gettothebc.com/donut-trail.

KING RECORDS SITE

In September 2022, the original buildings of legendary local music label King Records were officially added on the National Register of Historic Places. Founded by Syd Nathan in 1943, King operated through the 1970s, producing iconic doo-wop, jazz, funk and bluegrass music from artists that included James Brown, Bootsy Collins, the Stanley Brothers, Philip Paul and Otis Williams. The historic Evanston studio on Brewster Avenue is said to have revolutionized the music industry. The King Records Legacy Foundation launched in 2021 with the goal of preserving King’s history locally and beyond. The site’s national recognition as a historic space brings it one step closer to its revival — the goal of which is to renovate and reimagine the campus into some type of museum.

King Records Site, 1548 Brewster Ave., Evanston, fortheloveofking.com.

THE DENTON AFFAIR’S ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW

Let’s do the time warp again! In their own words, the Denton Affair is Cincinnati’s best, worst and only shadow cast of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. If you’re a virgin to all things Rocky Horror, the musical flick follows a newly engaged couple as they stumble into the home of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, who is readying to reveal his latest creation, Rocky, a much more handsome take on Frankenstein’s monster. Paying homage to B-rated 1930s sci-fi films, mayhem ensues. Do yourself a favor and give yourself over to the absolute pleasure that is Denton’s immersive viewing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The crew performs the beloved cult classic in front of the movie as it screens at the Esquire Theater at midnight every other Saturday. Created in 1977, the Denton Affair has occasionally performed other cult classics, including Crybaby, The Big Lebowski and Little Shop of Horrors

The Denton Affair, Esquire Theatre, 320 Ludlow Ave., Clifton Gaslight District, thedentonaffair.org.